The missing link is often between the links.
Water, power, storage, transport and communications shape the practical possibilities of rural production.
Value can be lost after a successful harvest.
A crop ready for market can lose quality while waiting for collection. A processor can stop when power fails. A storage facility can sit idle when access roads or handling equipment are missing.
Infrastructure works as a chain. Understanding the weakest connection helps direct attention to the investment or coordination that matters most.
Plan the system around the product.
Grain, fresh produce, fish and livestock products require different handling and storage conditions. A useful plan follows the goods through each stage.
Water & energy
Reliable inputs for cultivation, processing and temperature control.
Storage & handling
Facilities and practices that protect quality and reduce avoidable loss.
Transport & connectivity
Routes and information that coordinate producers, consolidators and buyers.
Measure where losses occur.
FAO’s food-loss framework covers the journey before retail. The regional comparison illustrates why local conditions and product-level analysis matter. Loss patterns help focus local assessment on collection, handling and storage.
Food lost before retail
Share of food lost after harvest and before retail
FAO weighted estimates. The global row overlaps the regional rows. This indicator excludes waste at retail and consumption.
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