Professional Affiliation

Assistant Professor, George Washington University

Expert Bio

Dr. Kansanga is an assistant professor of Geography and International Affairs at the George Washington University. His research focuses on questions at the intersection of sustainability and food systems. For the past decade, he has worked with communities in the Global South in leveraging nature-based solutions to navigate complex socioecological concerns including food loss and climate change.

Expertise

• Environment
• Food and Agriculture
• Gender
• International Development

Wilson Center Project

Leaving No Food To Waste: A Geographical Approach to Investigating the Drivers and Scalable Solutions to Postharvest Food Loss in Sub-Saharan Africa

Project Summary

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is the most food insecure region globally. Yet, 40% the annual yield of the region is lost postharvest, with women farmers bearing a disproportionate burden of these losses. Estimates show the food lost postharvest alone could feed the food insecure population of the region. Despite growing policy interest in addressing postharvest food loss (PHL), researchers have yet to fully understand the underlying drivers and possible contextually-relevant solutions. Using Ghana as a case study, this study deploys the geographic concept of scale and participatory methodologies to investigate the drivers, gendered dynamics and scalable solutions to PHL in SSA.