Roots of Peace works on the Commercial Horticulture & Agricultural Marketing Program (CHAMP) in Afghanistan. In 2017, WFLO collaborated with them on a report to support new and existing cold stores within the airports of Kabul, Mazar, and Kandahar. WFLO presented CHAMP with technical drawings and specifications recommended to meet the production needs with anticipated future growth.

WFLO was awarded a five-year subcontract supporting the Bangladesh Trade Facilitation (BTF) project. This is a USDA-funded project focused on expanding trade in agricultural products by reducing the cost of trade; decreasing the release time of imported agricultural goods; and increasing agricultural productivity by improving processes. WFLO will support the comprehensive trade assessment by performing a cold storage ecosystem assessment and will lead activities to enhance cold storage infrastructure for perishable goods. With LixCap, WFLO will advance the legal framework for warehouse operations, streamline warehouse processes, engage the private sector on cold storage infrastructure, develop material to incentivize and attract investors and operators, identify and support potential investors and operators, offer training, and build capacity of certification bodies for food safety management.

The WFLO has been tasked with supporting a cold chain rapid response and strategy in the West African country of Benin. GCCA member LixCap has subcontracted WFLO to support the development of critical cold chain assets to operate on a commercial basis. Following a market assessment, LixCap and WFLO will provide technical support to ensure the safe and commercially viable operation of facilities. The main objective of this study is to support the development of a roadmap to attract and catalyze commercially viable and sustainable cold chain operations in Benin. Based on their assessment, the team will deliver a concept design for state funded cold chain facilities in Benin at the airport of Cotonou and design and tender documentation for airport-based cold chain facilities.

After completing a feasibility study in 2019, WFLO was asked to support further work in the region with an owners engineering add on. In partnership with LixCap, WFLO is overseeing site studies and managing a construction and supply tender process for a cross-docking facility at LM17 port in Cambodia. In the future, WFLO will lead investor outreach and continue the feasibility assessment.

In 2019, WFLO completed a Cold Chain Market Study for Chile and Colombia. WFLO was tasked with researching and interviewing GCCA members to provide an overview of the market for cold chain investments in the countries, based on desktop research.

In March 2017, WFLO received funds from the USTDA to develop standards for CFLP in Beijing. In April and May, a team visited Shanghai and Beijing to meet with a variety of cold chain stakeholders. This team discussed current Chinese regulations, assessed the regulations in comparison to international best practices, and produced an Operators Handbook. Results of the assessment and international best practices were presented at four events located in Dalian, Shanghai, Beijing, and Guandong.

In 2019, WFLO completed a Cold Chain Market Study for Chile and Colombia. WFLO was tasked with researching and interviewing GCCA members to provide an overview of the market for cold chain investments in the countries, based on desktop research.

From 2004 to 2006, WFLO partnered with the United States Meat Export Federation (USMEF) and the United States Poultry and Egg Export Council (USPEEC) on a project funded by the USDA as a Global Based Initiative. Culminating in a Needs Assessment published in 2006, the project examined the integrated cold chain sectors of storage/distribution, processing, retail sales, and food service in Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Costa Rica.

WFLO supported the IESC on the USDA-funded Exporting Quality and Safety Program (EQS). The program provided technical assistance to increase productivity and sales for domestic and export markets of high-value fruit and vegetable global value chains in the Dominican Republic. In addition to conducting a cold chain assessment, WFLO provided technical assistance to companies, recruited speakers for events, trained on transport best practices, and facilitated cold chain study tours.

In partnership with GCCA member LixCap, WFLO is carrying out a market assessment for cold chain logistics services in Egypt. They will offer a market overview of the sector, perform supply and demand analyses, and develop strategic recommendations for improving cold chain in the country. Ultimately, this assessment will offer investment strategies to the donor to further develop the Egyptian cold chain.

The Cochran Fellowship Program provides short-term training opportunities to agricultural professionals from middle-income countries, emerging markets, and emerging democracies. The goals are to help eligible countries develop agricultural systems necessary to meet the food and fiber needs of their domestic populations and to strengthen and enhance trade linkages between eligible countries and agricultural interests in the United States. In 2007, WFLO offered cold chain management and products processing training to Cochran Fellows from Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, and Uruguay.

WFLO was contracted by ARCH Cold Chain Solutions East Africa Fund to perform a feasibility study on cold chain capacity in Ethiopia. In partnering with LixCap, WFLO was able to assess the market potential for TCL services and provide information to support the early-stage feasibility of the project. This assessment directly informed the design of a TCL facility to ensure it will provide locally appropriate solutions for long-term commercial viability, as well as job creation and other positive social and economic impacts. With the completion of the study, ARCH has a roadmap to attract and catalyze commercially viable and sustainable TCL operations in Ethiopia.

WFLO has partnered with Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA) to support the USAID Agriculture Program in selecting appropriate cold chain technologies for a given product, enterprise, and operating environment. Generator-operated or solar mobile pre-coolers, which bring the cold chain to the harvest site, can dramatically reduce post-harvest losses and improve quality and are particularly valuable in the context of Georgia’s mountainous terrain and its fragmented production parcels. WFLO will support a market study, investment awareness seminars, and association development, which is critical for sustainability.

In 2014, WFLO partnered with the University of California Davis to complete 8 cold storage studies in Tanzania, Ghana, Honduras, Guatemala, and Thailand in collaboration with Horticulture Innovation Lab affiliated professionals in Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America to determine the performance efficiency of the Zero Energy Cool Chamber (ZECC) compared to ambient air storage under a variety of combinations of high/low temperatures and high/low relative humidity conditions. The project also conducted solar drying studies in 8 sites to determine the performance efficiency of the UCD chimney dryer compared to the traditional indirect solar cabinet dryer.

In 2014, WFLO partnered with the University of California Davis to complete 8 cold storage studies in Tanzania, Ghana, Honduras, Guatemala, and Thailand in collaboration with Horticulture Innovation Lab affiliated professionals in Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America to determine the performance efficiency of the Zero Energy Cool Chamber (ZECC) compared to ambient air storage under a variety of combinations of high/low temperatures and high/low relative humidity conditions. The project also conducted solar drying studies in 8 sites to determine the performance efficiency of the UCD chimney dryer compared to the traditional indirect solar cabinet dryer.

In 2014, WFLO partnered with the University of California Davis to complete 8 cold storage studies in Tanzania, Ghana, Honduras, Guatemala, and Thailand in collaboration with Horticulture Innovation Lab affiliated professionals in Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America to determine the performance efficiency of the Zero Energy Cool Chamber (ZECC) compared to ambient air storage under a variety of combinations of high/low temperatures and high/low relative humidity conditions. The project also conducted solar drying studies in 8 sites to determine the performance efficiency of the UCD chimney dryer compared to the traditional indirect solar cabinet dryer.

WFLO supported the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) MAGNET Project by performing a postharvest study in India. WFLO consultants performed a diagnostic and offered recommendations to the ADB for investments in infrastructure, capacity building, and research to decrease food loss and waste.

Through the United States Departure of Agriculture’s (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service’s (FAS) Emerging Markets Program (EMP), WFLO was granted funds to examine and strengthen the cold chain in the Philippines and Indonesia. The project established a baseline assessment in 2016, which was followed with a study tour and focus group discussions on cold chain in the region. WFLO is identifying the feasibility of establishing long-term training in the region.

WFLO was originally hired in 2017 to assess gaps in cold chain sustainability in the region. The assessment provided recommendations and outlined specific actions to grow the industry throughout the region, and subsequently led to a second contract to implement some of the recommendations, particularly those on providing training and education. Initially planned as in-country training and site visits, the project was forced to move to remote training due to travel and safety restrictions from Covid-19. By lending time and expertise, several GCCA members have made it possible for WFLO to offer virtual short courses on cold store operations.

In February 2018, WFLO was awarded a contract to conduct a market study for temperature-controlled logistics in the East African country of Kenya. Completed with partnership with GCCA member, LixCap, this market study determined the existing and future demand for cold chain across horticulture, supermarkets, dairy, meats, quick service restaurants, seafoods, pharmaceuticals and others. Examining key constraints and growth drivers, the team recommended strategies for establishing services for temperature-controlled logistics in Kenya.

WFLO was originally hired in 2017 to assess gaps in cold chain sustainability in the region. The assessment provided recommendations and outlined specific actions to grow the industry throughout the region, and subsequently led to a second contract to implement some of the recommendations, particularly those on providing training and education. Initially planned as in-country training and site visits, the project was forced to move to remote training due to travel and safety restrictions from Covid-19. By lending time and expertise, several GCCA members have made it possible for us to offer virtual short courses on cold store operations.

A few months after the initial assessment, a team of cold chain experts trained local organization Central Agriculture Research Institute of Liberia (CARI) on appropriate post-harvest handling practices for assorted crop varieties, how to conduct post-harvest loss assessments, and how to build the overall capacity of CARI. This training enabled Liberians to share and teach others on proper postharvest handling techniques, laying the groundwork for a strengthened cold chain that begins on the farm.

WFLO supported the PFID project in Southern Africa through trainings and association capacity building activities. This provided a market services support program, which improved market access, market linkages, and the region’s cold chain services. Countries reviewed in this project were Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, and Namibia.

From 2004 to 2006, GCCA partnered with the United States Meat Export Federation (USMEF) and the United States Poultry and Egg Export Council (USPEEC) on a project funded by the USDA as a Global Based Initiative. Culminating in a Needs Assessment published in 2006, the project examined the integrated cold chain sectors of storage/distribution, processing, retail sales, and food service in Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Costa Rica.

WFLO partnered with DAI on the USAID Moldova Agriculture Competitiveness and Enterprise Development (ACED) project. This project aimed to develop and expand markets for Moldovan high-value agriculture and to provide training to upgrade production and the ability to meet buyer requirements as well as to foster the development of competitive enterprises in the Transnistrian region of Moldova. To help the project better understand the country’s cold chain needs, WFLO assessed the current state of cold chain construction and management in Moldova’s fresh produce sector. Based on these results, we recommended specific activities to increase the operational efficiency of existing cold store facilities and advise the design and development of new facilities to service producers of a wide range of fresh produce.

In 2012, WFLO worked with Development Alternatives, Inc. (DAI) on the USAID-funded Morocco Economic Competitiveness (MEC) project by hosting activities to identify and promote potential cold chain investment opportunities in Morocco. Specific activities included a webinar introduction, Business-to-Business (B2B) matchmaking, and advisory services. The webinar was led by GCCA with featured speaker, Matthew Meredith of Lixia Capsia (LixCap), who presented several investment opportunities in Morocco. Approximately 2 months later, LixCap established Atlas Cold Port on November 28, 2012 as the entity to develop a food logistics platform at the Port of Tanger Med. The webinar included the participation of GCCA member Friopuerto, a cold storage operator in Valencia, Spain.  Principals of LixCap met with Mr. Manuel Cabrera-Kabana Sartorius of Friopuerto Invest SL and subsequently began a business partnership to develop jointly the Tanger Med Project with local investors Yacout Investissement. Since this time, Atlas Cold Port has been rebranded as Friopuerto Tanger. With a total investment commitment into Morocco of USD 15 million, the first phase of the facility opened in February 2016 to create a “fresh hub” at the Port of Tanger Med. This hub includes cold and fresh storage, packaging, processing, and handling service.

WFLO reviewed and provided recommendations on how to best facilitate intra-regional trade of food commodities in Southern Africa. WFLO developed an action plan and a project proposal for improving the supply and logistics chains and increasing the participation of small-scale businesses in fresh food supply chains along the several development corridors in seven selected countries that are members of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC). The targeted countries were South Africa, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Lesotho, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe. The primary focus of the review was on food exports from the targeted countries into the SADC region, with special emphasis on trade with South Africa. Food exports included fresh fruit and vegetables and processed foods.

In June 2009, WFLO held a Cold Store Operations Short Course in Managua, Nicaragua. Held by WFLO, and sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), this 3 day course provided employees with the knowledge they need to make sound operating decisions within their business. Topics covered includes Cold Store Operations, Innovations & Best Practices in Cold Storage Technology, Temperature Monitoring and Documentation, Fundamentals of Refrigeration, Handling Export/Import Perishables in Nicaragua, and more.

Beginning in 2015, WFLO worked with the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) to develop a project in Nigeria that kicked off in 2016. The Postharvest Loss Alliance for Nutrition (PLAN) project established a business-to-business linkage with GCCA members and local Nigerian companies who are seeking to improve their businesses. PLAN offered an opportunity for GCCA members who had interest, expertise, and availability to share their knowledge to grow the cold chain globally. Through the PLAN project, Nigerian companies were identified and vetted for participation. Each of these companies received a diagnostic needs assessment. Where the needs involve cold chain storage, operations, refrigeration engineering, or business operations, GCCA reached out to members who had expressed an interest in participating to link them with the Nigerian business.

Partnered with LixCap, WFLO is supporting a market study for TCL services in Pakistan, funded by a private donor. WFLO and LixCap have reviewed previous market assessments for cold chain and offer recommendations for future investment in the country.

The USDA’s Emerging Market Programs looks to support emerging economies with their ability to receive US exports. In 2014, WFLO completed an assessment comparing the cold chain networks of these countries and followed up with cold chain training in Colombia.

WFLO has been contracted to perform a market study for TCL services sector in the Philippines. The main objectives of this project are to determine the existing and future demand and supply for TCL services and recommend strategies for growth. This will aid in strategy development for attracting third party logistics players into the cold chain.

Working in collaboration with the University of California, Davis, GCCA managed grants for Postharvest Training Service Centers (PTSCs) and provided technical assistance for postharvest training, advisory services, and project evaluation.

WFLO reviewed and provided recommendations on how to best facilitate intra-regional trade of food commodities in Southern Africa. WFLO developed an action plan and a project proposal for improving the supply and logistics chains and increasing the participation of small-scale businesses in fresh food supply chains along the several development corridors in seven selected countries that are members of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC). The targeted countries were South Africa, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Lesotho, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe. The primary focus of the review was on food exports from the targeted countries into the SADC region, with special emphasis on trade with South Africa. Food exports included fresh fruit and vegetables and processed foods.

WFLO was contracted by DAI Global, LLC to provide horticulture value chain consulting services to a USAID-funded Feed the Future Tajikistan Agriculture and Land Governance (ALG) Activity in Tajikistan. WFLO provided services to understand the potential capacities of farmers in the 12 districts of Khatlon, where the ALG Activity was working, and made recommendations based on their observations.

From 2010-2015, the World Food Logistics Organization (WFLO) worked with the University of California, Davis and The World Vegetable Center (AVRDC) on a USAID-funded pilot project to establish a Postharvest Training and Services Center (PTSC) in Arusha, Tanzania. The objective of this grant was to evaluate the efficacy of the Postharvest Technology Center (PTSC) that WFLO helped to launch in October 2012 under the USAID-funded Horticultural Collaborative Research Project. In addition, WFLO experts evaluated overall postharvest extension service activities that took place under HORT CRSP and conduct additional training for past beneficiaries on postharvest best practices and technology adoption/utilization.

WFLO is conducting a comprehensive baseline assessment of the cold chain situation in Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia. This activity is a part of the USDA-funded Emerging Markets Program (EMP), which helps U.S. organizations promote exports of U.S. agricultural products to countries that have or are developing market-oriented economies and that have the potential to be viable commercial markets. In 2019, several GCCA members and staff were able to visit the region to perform site studies and tours and collect data. This data will be compiled and help WFLO create recommendations for cold chain development.

WFLO was originally hired in 2017 to assess gaps in cold chain sustainability in the region. The assessment provided recommendations and outlined specific actions to grow the industry throughout the region. The assessment subsequently led to a second contract to implement some of the recommendations, particularly those on providing training and education. Initially planned as in-country training and site visits, the project was forced to move to remote training in 2020 due to travel and safety restrictions from Covid-19. By lending time and expertise, several GCCA members have made it possible for us to offer virtual short courses on cold store operations.

In 2015-2016, we worked with The Postharvest Education Foundation (PEF), founded by GCCA’s Senior Technical Advisor, Dr. Lisa Kitinoja, to research and write a study on the food losses incurred on-farm in the 57 member countries. Funded by the COMCEC Office of the OIC, this project assessed on-farm losses to provide recommendations to reduce such losses. Through an extensive literature review, survey, and case studies completed on specific crops in Uganda, Nigeria, Benin, Egypt, Turkey, and Indonesia, the study identified seven recommendations for consideration. The recommendations were intended to be practical, applicable, concrete, open to collaborative efforts and capable of being implemented on a small, medium, or large scale to match currently available resources.

WFLO has an ongoing relationship with the Canadian-funded Ukraine Horticulture Development Project (UHBDP). Working with the Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA), WFLO has completed two activities. In 2014, a Transport and Logistics expert worked with the project to identify cold chain interventions that the project could support. In 2016, GCCA sent a team of experts to present information on cold chain storage and logistics, identifying barriers and opportunities within the cold chain in Southern Ukraine at a conference. While there, the team visited businesses to offer specific recommendations.

Not all of WFLO’s project work is focused internationally. In 2015, the WFLO partnered with Tuskegee University to support and deliver postharvest training to students in the southern United States. Led by GCCA’s Senior Technical Advisor, Dr. Lisa Kitinoja, WFLO led a train the trainer program, developed a short course in postharvest technology, and is assisting Tuskegee with the establishment of a new Postharvest Food Processing/Training Center.

WFLO was originally hired in 2017 to assess gaps in cold chain sustainability in the region. The assessment provided recommendations and outlined specific actions to grow the industry throughout the region, and subsequently led to a second contract to implement some of the recommendations, particularly those on providing training and education. Initially planned as in-country training and site visits, the project was forced to move to remote training in 2020 due to travel and safety restrictions from Covid-19. By lending time and expertise, several GCCA members have made it possible for us to offer virtual short courses on cold store operations.

WFLO completed a Comprehensive Study on the Market for Cold Storage in Sana’a Yemen, building on existing market research completed by WFLO in Yemen in 2012. Final product includes a market demand assessment, operations and infrastructure assessment, legal and regulatory assessment, recommended business plan, and management/operations.

WFLO completed an in-depth literature review on temperature controlled food and cold chain development, followed by a rapid, in-country, cold chain assessment. Based on this information, WFLO developed a Cold Chain Education presentation and designed a “train the trainers,” targeting Zambian professionals from the farming, shipping, warehousing and logistics sectors.