It’s always great news when those from Champaign-Urbana put their knowledge to use at a national scale, or even an international scale, and University of Illinois Extension employee Nicole Bridges is doing just that when she travels to Ethiopia to aid low income farmers with vegetable production. Not only that, but some of her research will be applicable here, as well. For more information, see below.
From the press release:
January 12, 2016
Champaign resident to travel to Ethiopia to establish post-harvest loss prevention
CHAMPAIGN – In Ethiopia, many households rely on vegetable production. While the country has a generally favorable climate for the production of many vegetables, it as a whole suffers from loss of crop due to poor post-harvest handling processes. Post-harvest loss of perishable food crops in Ethiopia is estimated at 30% and is from produce being harvested too early, lack of appropriate storage facilities, diseased plant cross-contamination and improper produce handling.
To help solve the issue of crop loss, Nicole Bridges of Champaign has accepted a 21-day volunteer position to help a group of 65 women smallholder farmers whose lives rely on agriculture. The volunteer position, provided by the Catholic Relief Services Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) program, will provide support on vegetable production and post-harvest management and address post-harvest techniques to farmers and low-income households in Ethiopia.
An employee of University of Illinois Extension serving Champaign, Ford, Iroquois and Vermilion Counties, Bridges coordinates Extension’s partnership with Prosperity Gardens. Prosperity Gardens, a Champaign non-profit created in 2010, addresses food insecurity, nutrition knowledge and work force development in the community. Bridges’ position has made her familiar with fruit and vegetable production, causing her to become well equipped to establish post-harvest loss reduction. Her work at Prosperity Gardens includes working with youth from planting to harvest, including picking, washing, prepping and storing produce effectively. “Each of these lead to post-harvest loss when done poorly, which is why it is vital to learn the best way to handle produce,” says Bridges.
While on her trip in Ethiopia, Bridges also hopes to gain information on how post-harvest loss affects communities while creating long-lasting relationships that can be further expanded to enable greater change. Last fall, Prosperity Gardens entered the partnership “PLATE” with University of Illinois Extension serving Champaign, Ford, Iroquois, and Vermilion Counties and the ADM Institute for the Prevention of Postharvest Loss. PLATE, standing for Postharvest Loss Avoidance through Technology and Education, aims to reduce postharvest loss for urban growers, ultimately increasing food availability on a global scale.
Bridges explains that her trip to Ethiopia will enable her to “see firsthand how postharvest loss is impacting communities while creating a building block for a longer partnership between communities in Ethiopia, Prosperity Gardens, and PLATE.” Ultimately, in addition to the immediate benefits the community will feel from her expertise on post-harvest loss, she hopes that the personal relationships she develops throughout her trip will provide a direct link for sharing research gathered from PLATE. Says Bridges, “Through our efforts, we can ensure that poor communities across the globe will be able to supply nutrient-rich food past the end of the harvesting season.”
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