**3. Process of handling postharvest crops**

As discussed in the previous section, the discarding of food in developing and developed countries is mainly due to food loss and food waste, respectively. This section focuses on the case of food waste. Postharvest crop processing involves several steps. First, the postharvest crops are cleaned.3 This process is usually accomplished mechanically in developed countries, whereas the same processes are done manually in developing countries. Consequently, the manual methods are less efficient than the mechanical means and are only able to process smaller amounts of postharvest crops. Manual work of threshing sometime causes postharvest crops to be in incomplete or damaged conditions, rendering some processed crops to be deemed inappropriate for sale. Second, many types of postharvest crops must be dried, as they originally contain water and cannot be stored for a long time without moulding unless the water content is reduced to an appropriate level. Similar to the process of cleaning, in developing countries, the drying process is usually done manually, whereas postharvest crop drying is mechanically processed in developed countries. In developing countries, postharvest crops are usually dried in the sun, whereas mechanical dryers are used in developed countries. Sun drying is easily affected by weather conditions, takes time and the amount of crops that can be dried at once is limited. Using mechanical dryers is a more efficient means to stably dry a large number of crops. Third, postharvest crops are stored in facilities. Securing postharvest crops in a storage facility is important for the stable delivery of large quantities of crops to retailers. Nevertheless, many grain storage facilities in developing countries are simple structures made from building materials such as wood, grass or straw. During storage, many stored crops are damaged by insects and mould, as no accommodations such as pest, temperature and humidity control are available. Finally, postharvest crops are delivered to retail stores. In developed countries, transportation operations are exceptionally efficient; crops are collected at distribution bases, finely sorted and delivered to various locations by delivery vehicles equipped with temperature and humidity control functions. Such crops are delivered without degradation of quality. Furthermore, most roads in developed countries are paved, making it easy for delivery vehicles to move smoothly and expediently reach destinations. This prompt delivery system ensures that crops are supplied to consumers in good condition. In contrast, the circumstances in developing countries differ widely from developed countries. The means of transportation is not limited to vehicles, but also carried via motorcycles or livestock. Of course, these means of transportation do not have temperature or humidity control functions. In addition, many roads are unpaved, slowing delivery, and vibrations often damage crops.

In addition to the above processes, studies also highlight the lack of market supply chains in developing countries. If producers do not have a dependable, expedient and equitable means of transporting crops to consumers, extensive losses

<sup>3</sup> Some types of postharvest crops such as grains are threshed prior to being cleaned.

can occur [6]. This circumstance is amplified by the lack of communication between producers and consumers [6].

As the above has established, significant differences exist between developed and developing countries in the process of handling postharvest crops. The ironic circumstances of food waste in developing countries suffering from food insecurity reveal that significant inefficiencies in postharvest processing in developing countries are based on a lack of capital and infrastructure.
