Steps in the Plan

Survey existing post harvest efforts:

• Identify institutes and programs in both Developed and Less Developed Countries
• Inventory institute projects and post harvest programs
• Determine implemented projects and their scope/impact
• Identify non-implemented programs and assess/examine reasons for non-implementation
• Identify common post harvest problems and technologies across countries
• Inventory resources employed and identify resources which are lacking
• Propose approriate technologies for implementation to reduce food losses
• Publish successes in English and other languages (with permission)

Develop Knowledge Resource Center (KRC)

• Recruit volunteers from professional organizations of food science and packaging, worldwide, who are willing to share their expertise (through World Packaging Organisation (WPO) and the International Union of Food Science & Technology (IUFoST), each of which represent over 60 national institutes, and regional organisations) (Map showing Countries with Institutes)
• Compile a list of volunteers and their individual expertise
• Organize the KRC to promote information exchange with and between Post Harvest Institutes at four levels.  Level i) is required of KRC members, other levels are optional.
• Volunteering to disseminate technologies already developed
• Consulting for applying or adapting technologies into a new format
• Accepting graduate students with Fellowships for developing new technologies*
• Training to support in-country assessments (as a consultant)
• Promote publication of results through the FAO/IUFoST Database & elsewhere 

* Fellowships will be loans from the country that are forgiven if the graduate returns home to apply the research.

Coordinating International Cooperation

• Organize two conferences to introduce institute personnel and initiate technology exchange
• Begin electronic communications between institutes
• Create a coordinating agency and form a self-sustaining cooperation within five years    (CGIAR is a model for this agency)
• Offer training and support for in-country assessments of food distribution

Individual institutes will benefit from experiences and expertise of others as well as offering their own.  The result is faster implementation and reduction of duplicate work for mutual benefit.  The ultimate benefit will be more available food, reduced world hunger, and reduced poverty.

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