Major barriers to adoption of improved postharvest technologies among smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia: A systematic literature review

Abstract

To help address the mismatch between the successful development of improved postharvest technologies and the low adoption rate among the target users in developing countries, this study examines the major barriers to the adoption of these technologies by smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses method, a total of 41 studies were discovered. Our main findings are as follows: (i) the key barriers to the adoption of improved postharvest technologies in the study area were the high cost, local unavailability, and limited knowledge and awareness about improved postharvest technologies; (ii) there is very limited information about adoption constraints pertaining to policy, rules, regulations, and behavioral aspects; (iii) most of the studies focused on postharvest storage technologies (47%) followed by overall postharvest management practices (25%), processing technologies (19%) and packaging technologies (3%); (iv) much of the information was found on cereals (58%), especially maize (44%); (v) Nigeria had the most studies (27%), followed by Kenya (12%) and India (10%), while Sri Lanka had no studies. The findings of this study suggest that future postharvest research should include a comprehensive assessment of adoption barriers and a wide range of improved postharvest technologies beyond hermetic technologies and a limited number of processing technologies. Nevertheless, more information about the operational efficiency of implemented technologies and their related financial benefits is also needed to drive widespread adoption.