Food Processing, Handling and Marketing in Zimbabwe

The chapter examines the developments in the handling, processing and marketing of food in rural and urban communities in Zimbabwe. It explores the post-harvest management and processing of food commodities, such as maize, fruits and vegetables, produced by smallholder rural farmers and the growing population urban dwellers undertaking urban farming. The chapter commences by defining food processing and examining its links to food security. This is then followed by a discussion of post-harvest handling practices in the grain and horticulture sector; foods commonly processed and technology utilised by small, medium and large-scale processors; challenges encountered by farmers and food processors as they process and market food commodities and the urban food supply and distribution system. Key issues highlighted in this chapter are that efforts still need to be made to reduce food losses emanating from the post-harvest and handling and the processing of food. Food processing at small-scale level is still using traditional technology that hampers increases in output and value addition. There is also very little evidence of utilisation of emerging technologies in the processing of food within the medium and large-scale food processors.