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Ir. Dr. Norhashila Hashim
Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia
Keynote: Appl Food Sci J
Postharvest losses of fresh produce constitute the biggest portion of the total food losses in food chains globally. Studies indicated the extent of postharvest losses in fresh produce reaches up to 50% that equals to 1.2–2 billion tons around the world. These losses result largely from poor postharvest handling and technical limitations in adopting new technology. It is also mainly related to consumer behavior and strict safety policies as well as quality standard requirements. Baseline projections indicated that the total global consumption of fresh produce will nearly double from 2010 to 2050. However, the average per capita availability will only increase by about 40 percent. Thus, reducing losses is one of the leading global strategies for achieving sustainable food security. Precision agriculture (PA) offers promising solution and innovations with sophisticated technology that promotes efficient and better productivity. The innovations continue to evolve year by year to deal with many issues in postharvest losses that has opened doors for new practices and strategies, thereby increasing the production output and improving the production quality.
Ir. Dr. Norhashila Hashim is currently an associate professor and the head of department at the department of biological and agricultural engineering, faculty of engineering, University Putra Malaysia (UPM). She received her Ph.D. in biomechanical engineering from UPM in 2013.Apart from academic and research, she actively involved in professional bodies and societies, locally and internationally, to name a few; a professional engineer which is awarded by the Board of Engineers Malaysia, a chartered engineer by The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), UK; a corporate member of The Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM), a professional member of Malaysian Society of Agricultural Engineers (MSAE); a member of American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE); a life member of Asia- Pacific Chemical, Biological & Environmental Engineering Society (APCBEES).
