Village and Development

Village and Development

Causes of Waste Creation in the Supply Chain of Leafy Vegetables in Kermanshah Province

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
M. Moradi 1
H. Shabanali Fami 2
A.A. Barati 3
R. Salehi Mohammadi 4
1 PhD Student of Agricultural Development, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
2 Corresponding Author and Professor, Department of Agricultural Development and Management, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
3 Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural Development and Management, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
4 Assistant Professor, Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
10.30490/rvt.2023.361267.1510
Abstract
Introduction
Today, food waste has become a global concern for sustainable agri-food systems. Leafy vegetables are among the products with the highest waste rates throughout the supply chain. In Kermanshah province, a significant portion of leafy vegetable production becomes waste annually due to various factors, including production problems, inadequate technology use, and irresponsible consumer behavior. Despite the high levels of waste in leafy vegetables, there is a lack of precise information about the location, magnitude, and causes of this waste. A review of the literature shows that previous studies have often focused on measuring waste and identifying its causes at certain stages of the supply chain or in specific geographical areas, mainly in developed countries. Therefore, the results of these studies do not reflect the unique challenges faced by agricultural supply chains in developing regions. In Iran, also, research focused on leafy vegetable waste is limited, and no study has yet examined the quantity and causes of waste in the supply chain of these products. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate waste in the leafy vegetable supply chain and identify its causes in Kermanshah province.
Materials and Methods
The main tool for data collection was a questionnaire. The research's statistical population consisted of two groups: the first group included national and regional experts and several actors in the leafy vegetable supply chain, with 60 purposively selected participants. The second group consisted of actors in the leafy vegetable supply chain, including farmers, retailers, wholesalers, processing units, and consumers (households and food services) in Kermanshah province. The sample selection for farmers and households was done proportionally using stratified sampling, and the sample size was determined using the Cochran formula. For other groups, a full census was conducted. In total, 728 samples were selected and studied (172 farmers, 83 wholesale and retail units, 16 processing units, 384 households, and 73 food service units). The amount of waste was measured using questionnaires based on the actors' perceptions of the percentage of waste at each stage of the supply chain. The process of identifying the main causes of waste was as follows: (1) identifying causes of waste at different stages of the supply chain through literature review and semi-structured interviews with experts; (2) determining the relative importance of causes using the Analytic Network Process (ANP); (3) assessing the current status of each cause from the perspective of actors using a Likert scale; and (4) calculating the final weight of causes by calculating the weighted average. Excel and Super Decisions software were used for data analysis.
Results and Discussion
The results of the waste assessment at different stages of the supply chain showed that 24%, 11%, and 6.5% of the leafy vegetables turned into waste during production, marketing and distribution, and processing stages, respectively. Waste in the household sector was 21%, and in the food service sector, it was 18%. The main causes of waste at the production stage were identified as lack of access to extension services, pests and disease control, and lack of access to quality seeds and other inputs. The evidence indicates significant barriers to farmers' access to inputs and supportive services. Therefore, targeted interventions to improve farmers' access to training programs, integrated pest and disease management education, and access to quality seeds and inputs play a significant role in reducing waste at the farm level. In the market sector, the lack of proper packaging facilities, poor quality of products offered, and lack of coordination and information sharing among stakeholders had the greatest impact on leafy vegetable waste. These findings emphasize the importance of investing in transport infrastructure and technologies (creating a cold chain) and packaging, implementing farm-level waste reduction interventions, and creating and developing information flow among stakeholders to reduce market waste. In the processing sector, the main causes of waste were identified as poor quality products delivered to processing units, lack of modern processing technologies, and inefficient packaging of final products. These findings indicate the adverse impact of actors' actions in previous supply chain stages and the weakness of technical infrastructure in the processing sector on the quantity of waste. In the food service and household sectors, the poor quality of products offered to consumers was identified as the main cause of waste at these stages. Other important causes in the food service sector were inappropriate food consumption patterns and inefficient food management. In households, a large portion of the waste was attributed to factors such as inadequate planning before shopping and purchasing more than needed. Therefore, providing appropriate training to modify consumer buying behavior plays a significant role in reducing waste in the consumption sector.
Conclusions
The results showed that a significant portion of leafy vegetables in the supply chain becomes waste. Among the different supply chain stages, the production and household consumption stages were identified as the most critical points for intervention and waste reduction strategies. Furthermore, the examination of waste causes at different stages of the supply chain showed that poor product quality, often attributed to undesirable actions and behaviors of actors in previous stages, was the most critical cause of leafy vegetable waste. Therefore, prioritizing waste reduction interventions at the initial stages of the supply chain can significantly reduce waste throughout the entire supply chain.
Keywords
Food Waste
Leafy Vegetables
Food Security
Food Chain
Analytic Network Process

Subjects

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