Mississippi State to manage international postharvest program

That rate is too high, especially in areas where food shortages are critical, according to Dr. Sherman F. Pasley of Mississippi State. Pasley, associate director for international agriculture in the Office of International Programs, is directing a new program managed by the Office of International Programs and funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The five-year Postharvest Collaborative Agribusiness Support Program is aimed at reducing postharvest losses and adding value to agricultural production.

It will consolidate efforts of four U.S. Centers of Excellence, including the Seed Technology Laboratory at Mississippi State. Other centers include the International Soybean Program at the University of Illinois, the Food and Feed Grain Institute at Kansas State University, and the Postharvest Institute for Perishables at the University of Idaho.

"These centers provide some of the best expertise that the United States has to offer," Pasley said. "Working together, we think that our efforts can be even more effective."

USAID, an arm of the U.S. State Department, is charged with providing humanitarian aid to qualified and needy countries around the world. The agency has a presence in more than 100 countries.

Efforts will focus on what happens to agricultural products once they leave the farm, with the goal of minimizing losses. A secondary goal to is create market opportunities for U.S. and Mississippi services and products.

"Training is an important component of the program," Pasley said. "We want to develop the human capacity, to provide skills that allow people to develop solutions that last."

University units participating in the $9.3 million program are the College of Agriculture and Home Economics, College of Business and Industry, Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, Cooperative Extension Service, Food and Fiber Center, and Agribusiness Institute.