Sustainable Cold Chains in Zambia: Cutting Post-Harvest Losses

In Zambia, post-harvest losses (PHLs) remain one of the most persistent challenges undermining the agricultural sector’s contribution to economic growth and food security. Particularly in perishable categories such as fruits, vegetables, and fish, spoilage rates can reach up to 50%. These losses represent not only wasted food but also wasted effort, income, and opportunity for rural populations who depend on agriculture for their livelihoods.

To address this, Zambia is increasingly focusing on the development of sustainable cold chains — temperature-controlled supply systems that preserve the quality and marketability of fresh produce from harvest to consumption. The potential of cold chain systems in Zambia is immense, offering a proven route to slash spoilage, boost incomes, and strengthen food and nutritional security.

READ ALSO: Morocco’s Green Morocco Plan: Infrastructure for Agri-Exports

The Scope of the Problem: Post-Harvest Losses in Context

Estimates from the African Post-harvest Losses Information System (APHLIS) suggest that cereal losses in Sub-Saharan Africa, including Zambia, range from 9% to 18% annually. However, when considering fruits, vegetables, and other perishables, the losses can exceed 30% to 40%. In Zambia, where smallholder farmers produce close to 80% of the nation’s food, these losses have systemic consequences.

The causes are multifaceted: poor storage infrastructure, inefficient transportation networks, lack of packaging materials, weak market access, and frequent power outages. For example, since early 2024, Zambia has faced rolling blackouts lasting up to 36 hours, severely undermining cold storage and food preservation.

Such losses compromise not only food availability but also the ability of farmers to earn a consistent income and reinvest in production. Moreover, deteriorated produce that fails to reach markets contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, compounding the climate crisis that already affects crop yields across the country.

Cold Chain Infrastructure: A Strategic Necessity

Sustainable cold chains offer an end-to-end solution to Zambia’s PHL crisis. This includes solar-powered cold rooms, refrigerated trucks, portable chillers, and temperature-controlled storage integrated with market centres.

Key elements of a sustainable cold chain strategy for Zambia include:

• On-Farm Storage Solutions: Farmers need access to low-cost, energy-efficient cold rooms to store harvested produce before transport. Solar-powered units are a viable option in off-grid areas.

• Refrigerated Transport: Moving produce across long distances without spoilage requires investment in refrigerated vehicles — a particularly pressing need for fish and dairy products.

• Community Cooling Hubs: Clusters of smallholder farmers can jointly invest in and manage cooling centres. These shared facilities lower individual costs and expand reach.

• Last-Mile Delivery Efficiency: Ensuring that cooling systems remain intact throughout the journey from farm to consumer or processor is critical. This involves building cold-chain logistics that align with Zambia’s rural transport dynamics.

Public and Private Sector Partnerships

The scale of investment required to build sustainable cold chains cannot be shouldered by the public sector alone. Strong public-private partnerships (PPPs) are essential.

Notable initiatives include:

• InspiraFarms: Through certification-ready cold storage and packhouses, InspiraFarms provides asset financing and technical support tailored for small agribusinesses. These facilities enable better post-harvest handling and faster routes to market.

• Africa Women Fish Network (Aw-FishNet): By deploying refrigerated trucks, this initiative has piloted efficient transportation solutions for fisheries, cutting losses and preserving product quality in Zambia’s inland aquaculture sector.

The government can play a catalytic role by de-risking investments, offering subsidies for renewable-powered storage systems, and reforming electricity supply models to prioritise agricultural processing zones.

Policy, Training, and Technological Enablers

While infrastructure is foundational, it must be complemented by soft investments:

• Training and Capacity Building: Farmers, transporters, and market vendors need targeted training on harvesting techniques, handling protocols, and safe storage practices.

• ICT and Digital Tools: Mobile-based apps and sensors can help monitor produce temperature and humidity across the cold chain, allowing real-time responses to avoid spoilage.

• Market Access and Value Chains: Connecting smallholder farmers with reliable buyers, processors, exporters, and retailers ensures that cold chain investments pay off. Coordinating with processors guarantees demand for fresh and value-added produce, incentivising farmers to reduce waste.

• Revitalising Rural Infrastructure: Improving feeder roads and digital connectivity is essential to integrating rural producers into national and export value chains.

Indigenous Crops and Traditional Knowledge

Zambia’s cold chain expansion must not overlook indigenous crops and traditional preservation methods. Groundnuts, mushrooms, wild vegetables, and millet are critical for rural nutrition and cultural diets but are often excluded from mainstream cold chain investment.

Kabwe Chikolwa, researcher at the Shamba Centre for Food & Climate, stresses the value of drying and pounding as traditional preservation methods. These methods, when improved for safety and scalability, can supplement modern cold chains, especially in remote areas.

Solar dryers, for instance, are already used in Ghana and Kenya to preserve seasonal vegetables. Zambia can adopt similar models to ensure the availability of wild foraged foods beyond the rainy season.

A Systems-Level Approach to Post-Harvest Loss Reduction

Post-harvest loss is not a single-point failure but a systemic issue. Zambia’s approach must be holistic:

• From seed to storage: Improved seed varieties that resist pests must be matched with better harvest timing, efficient drying, and secure storage.

• From storage to market: Logistics infrastructure must facilitate affordable and reliable transport.

• From market to consumption: Cold storage in retail markets and households is essential, especially under conditions of erratic power supply.

Each actor — from farmers and processors to policymakers and financiers — has a role to play. By aligning incentives across the value chain, Zambia can transition from a system of reactive food loss to one of proactive food preservation.

A Cold Chain for a Warmer Future

Zambia has 40 million hectares of arable land, yet cultivates only 14% of it. Cold chains are not a silver bullet, but they are a cornerstone of any serious strategy to reduce PHLs, grow incomes, and secure food systems under a warming climate.

From tomatoes in Mkushi to mangoes in Eastern Province, the implementation of sustainable cold chains offers Zambia a unique opportunity to turn losses into livelihoods and spoilage into surplus. With coordinated investment, smart regulation, and farmer-first innovation, cold chains can transform Zambia’s agriculture — from the roots to the retail shelf.