Harnessing postharvest innovation for indigenous crops to advance nutrition and climate resilience in sub-Saharan Africa: a review

Abstract

Postharvest losses represent a major constraint to food and nutrition security in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly for indigenous crops that contribute to climate adaptation, dietary diversity, and local livelihoods. Despite their nutritional richness and ecological resilience, these crops remain highly vulnerable to postharvest deterioration, leading to micronutrient degradation, food safety risks, and reduced availability within seasonal food systems. This review synthesises multidisciplinary evidence on postharvest management of indigenous crops and examines how crop physiology, preservation technologies, and systemic barriers interact to shape nutrition and food system outcomes. Drawing on a crop-differentiated analytical framework, the review identifies four dominant functional postharvest patterns across indigenous crop systems, including high-respiration leafy vegetables, tree-derived dry powder systems, nutraceutical leaf products, and storage-dependent indigenous legumes. Across these patterns, the analysis evaluates both emerging technologies, including bio-preservation, digital monitoring systems, and traceability tools, and indigenous low-cost preservation practices. Structural constraints limiting innovation and scaling are also examined, including infrastructural deficits, weak institutional coordination, market fragmentation, and gender inequalities across value chains. To address these challenges, the review proposes a four-pillar roadmap centred on policy realignment, inclusive and gender-responsive financing, locally co-designed technologies, and strengthened governance and monitoring systems. By integrating postharvest science with nutrition and food system perspectives, this study highlights how targeted investment in postharvest innovation can unlock the potential of indigenous crops to support climate-resilient and nutrition-sensitive food systems in sub-Saharan Africa.