The Production-Loss Paradox: Exploring the Causes of Edible Vegetable Crop Loss in India

India’s food systems have undergone a significant transformation from being food-deficient to achieving self-sufficiency and surplus. Despite this substantial progress, food loss remains a persistent and paradoxical feature of food system development. Food loss at the farm level in India is often attributed to infrastructural gaps and technical limitations. This approach overlooks the crucial role of farmers’ everyday practices, shaped by institutional neglect, market dynamics, weather events, and socio-economic constraints. The objective of this manuscript is to make a research contribution in the Indian context, offering insights derived from the perspective of social practice theory. It explores how and why farmers’ decisions and actions in production and harvesting, including produce management, transportation, and marketing, contribute to the continual loss of produced food.

This study is based on empirical data collected from 155 farmers from the dominant vegetable-producing districts of Telangana. This region is gaining prominence in vegetable production due to its strategic location and reliable road infrastructure, linking it to urban markets and increasing opportunities in exports. Accelerated privatization and glocalization have significantly altered agriculture practices, making Telangana a relevant case to investigate factors promoting produce loss at the farmer level. Mixed methods are employed to gather both quantitative and qualitative data, allowing for a comprehensive understanding of farmers’ handling and management of produce.

Notably, it is observed that socially constructed values emphasized fast yield over long-term sustainability, and export-centric market ideologies sidelined the needs of local producers, reinforcing suboptimal practices. This study calls for a paradigm shift towards inclusive, practice-sensitive, and justice-oriented agricultural policy and support systems.