Download Commodity Systems Assessment Methodology (CSAM)

Commodity Systems
Assessment Methodology (CSAM)
CSAM
A method for identifying
common causes and
sources of postharvest
losses.
CSAM
A systematic method for identifying and
measuring factors affecting postharvest
losses and identifying bottlenecks leading to
quality problems for a specific commodity in
a specific location.
CSAM was developed by LaGra (1991)
The assessment method
A team of 3 or 4 people work together to observe
and gather information from local growers,
handlers and marketers of the commodity.
The team should be composed of technical
specialists and extension workers.
Where does CSAM information
comes from?
Written reports
Government documents
Extension publications
Farm and field visits
Interviews
Observations
Measurements
CSAM Components
The 26 components are grouped into 4 categories
Pre-production
Production
Post-Harvest
Marketing
Participants
Pre-production
Sample questions:
#2- Governmental policies.
Are there any laws, regulations, incentives or
disincentives related to producing or marketing the
crop? (e.g., existing price supports or controls,
banned pesticides or residue limits)
Pre-production
Sample questions:
#4- Facilitating services.
What services are available to producers and
marketers (for example: credit, inputs, technical
advice, subsidies)?
Pre-production
Sample questions:
#5- Producer/shipper organizations.
Are there any producer or marketer organizations
involved with the crop? What benefits or services
do they provide to participants? At what cost?
Production
Sample questions:
#8- Farmers' general cultural practices. Do any
farming practices in use have an effect on
produce quality (irrigation, weed control,
fertilization practices, field sanitation)?
Production
Sample questions:
#10- Pre-harvest treatments.
What kinds of pre-harvest treatments might
affect postharvest quality (such as use of
pesticides, pruning practices, thinning)?
Post-Harvest
Sample questions:
#12- Harvest.
When and how is produce harvested? by whom?
at what time of day? Why? What sort of
containers are used? Is the produce harvested at
the proper maturity for the intended market?
Post-Harvest
Sample questions:
#15- Packaging.
How is produced packed for transport and
storage? What kind of packages are used? Are
packages appropriate for the product? Can they
be reused or recycled?
Post-Harvest
Sample questions:
#17- Storage.
Where and for how long is produce stored? In
what type of storage facility? Under what
conditions (packaging, temperature, RH, physical
setting, hygiene, inspections, etc.)?
Marketing
Sample questions:
#22- Market intermediaries.
Who are the handlers of the crop between producers and
consumers? How long do they have control of produce and
how do they handle it? Who is responsible for losses /who
suffers financially? Is produce handled on consignment;
marketed via direct sales; move through wholesalers?
Marketing
Sample questions:
#25- Exports.
Is this commodity produced for export? What are
the specific requirements for export (regulations
of importing country with respect to grades,
packaging, pest control, etc.)?
Findings
Potential technical
problems
Potential solutions to
problems
Analysis of Findings
The team works together to identify the key causes and
sources of postharvest losses
Problems are prioritized in terms of importance (by the
volume of losses or value of losses)
Factors that represent the larger issues affecting losses
are identified (i.e. cultural, political or infrastructural)
Expected outcomes of CSAM
CSAM can assist a post-harvest technology training assessment team to determine:
1) the sources of post-harvest losses and bottlenecks (when, where and who within
the marketing chain is responsible),
2) the causes of those losses and bottlenecks (what handling or marketing practices
are responsible) and
3) the economic value of the losses compared to the costs of current and proposed
post-harvest practices.
Once this kind of information has been collected, we can target the responsible
handlers with appropriate training and information on cost effective, improved postharvest technical practices.
Expected outcomes of CSAM
In the occasional situation where there is no existing appropriate
technical solution for the handling or marketing problem uncovered
using CSAM,
the problem can be passed on to horticultural researchers in the
universities or regional agricultural research centers.
The more information provided regarding the commodity system,
the better chance the researchers will have to identify solutions that
are appropriate to the specific socio-economic and cultural setting
where the post-harvest losses occur.
Using the Results of
CSAM
We can describe the entire commodity system from farm to
market in order to identify:
Level of postharvest losses
Sources of quality problems
Issues affecting market value
Potential solutions to problems
Using the Results of
CSAM
Identification of:
new research needs (when we have no ready answers)
immediate needs suitable for practical postharvest
extension training efforts
and any advocacy issues that may arise (ex. when losses
are related to regulatory or infrastructural issues).