Post-harvest losses (vegetables)

Alright kiddo, so you know how you like to pick vegetables from the garden? Well, farmers and gardeners also grow vegetables like carrots, lettuce, and tomatoes to sell at the grocery store or market. But sometimes, after these vegetables are picked, they can get spoiled or go bad before they can be sold or eaten. This is called post-harvest loss.

There are many reasons why vegetables can get spoiled after they are picked. Sometimes it's because they were damaged during the harvesting process. Other times bugs or bacteria can start growing on the vegetables if they are not stored properly. And sometimes the vegetables just get old and start to go bad.

When vegetables go bad, it is not only sad because the farmers lose out on money they could have made by selling the vegetables, but it's also bad for the environment. That's because energy and resources were used to grow, harvest and transport the vegetables, and if they go bad, all of those resources go to waste.

So, it's really important for farmers and people who buy vegetables to take good care of them after they are picked. They can do things like keeping them at the right temperature, making sure they are not damaged during transportation, using special packaging that will keep the vegetables fresh, and selling them quickly so they don't have time to spoil. If we all work together to prevent post-harvest losses, we can help keep lots of yummy vegetables from going to waste!