APHLIS+

2015–2023 | Data analysis application | University of Greenwich

APHLIS infographic

APHLIS collects, analyses and disseminates data on postharvest losses of cereal grains in 38 countries of Sub-Saharan Africa.

The project

Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa lose up to 50% of agricultural production after crops have been harvested. These losses have an estimated value of 4 billion dollar and affect millions of people's income and food security.

APHLIS infographic
APHLIS+ generates loss metrics and risk warnings to support policy and decision-making.

A lot of investment is needed to reduce postharvest losses, but reliable loss data is often not available in developing countries. APHLIS (the African Postharvest Losses Information System) is a scientific model that estimates postharvest losses of food crops in Sub-Saharan Africa. The model's calculations combine findings in scientific literature with local factors contributed by a network of African cereal grain experts.

Aphlis data table
APHLIS provides postharvest loss estimates for 9 crops in 38 countries.

What we did

AKM Services has worked closely with the Natural Resources Institute at the University of Greenwich since the start of the project in 2015 to develop the technical platform on which APHLIS runs and the website that publishes the data.

In addition to developing the data application and visualisations, AKM Services has created a custom content management system for APHLIS to allow for easy maintenance of the website by the client. We also work with the NRI team to continue improving the usability of website and data app.

Further AKM Services hosts and supports the project management infrastructure.

Future

APHLIS is currently in its second phase where it will:

  • Increase number and type of crops it covers
  • Revive and grow the network of African experts
  • Improve the accuracy of its estimation models and enlarge the selection of data used for the calculations
  • Add estimates of financial and nutritional value losses
  • Provide interactive tools to access the data and underlying models

AKM Services has been the technical implementing partner for APHLIS since its inception and will continue to provide the technical platform and hosting for APHLIS data and services.

Visit APHLIS.NET ›

AKM Services provide innovative digital solutions for data management, internal knowledge systems as well as web and mobile applications development. The team is always very flexible and adaptive to the changing needs of the project, often contributing in unique and unexpected ways to realise new features. Working with AKM Services is a pleasure as they combine a diverse digital skill set with solid project management and a will to go above and beyond expectations.