The Drivers of Food Loss at the Farm Level: A Study of Farmers in Salatiga, Central Java, Indonesia

Food loss and waste (FLW) contribute to adverse economic and environmental impacts. In Indonesia, the agriculture sector is the primary source of income for 38,78 million people, and food loss is a significant issue. At the farm level, food loss falls into two categories: food that is never harvested and food that is lost between the point of harvest and sale. The term “food loss” is frequently used to refer to agricultural production that is lost unintentionally. This research aims to identify the drivers of food loss at the farm level in Indonesia using a case study of farmers in Salatiga City, Central Java Province of Indonesia. The farmers’ survey was distributed in Salatiga’s most significant urban village (Sidorejo Lor), with n=22 farmers. Using descriptive quantitative analysis, the study found that farmers are not well informed about the issue of food loss. The food loss drivers at the farm level include the presence of pests and disease, human error during manual harvesting, and gaps in appropriate harvesting technology, which results in substantial crop loss.