In South Africa’s largest commercial pomegranate packhouse in Limpopo, workers apply an invisible coating to thousands of fruits destined for export. Made from cactus mucilage and fruit waste, the biodegradable coating may seem unremarkable but it’s a powerful tool in reducing food waste and reshaping Africa’s agricultural future.

“Up to half of Africa’s fresh produce is lost after harvest, largely due to avoidable inefficiencies in storage, handling, and processing,” says Prof Olaniyi Fawole, this year’s winner of the NSTF-ARC Award for his pioneering work in postharvest science. “We don’t just need to grow more, we need to protect the harvest.”

As founding director of the Postharvest and Agroprocessing Research Centre (PARC) at the University of Johannesburg, and SARChI Chair in Sustainable Preservation and Agroprocessing Research, Fawole is leading a shift toward climate-smart, resource-efficient food systems. As co-chair of the All Africa Postharvest Congress and Exhibition, he also helps shape continental strategies to reduce food loss.

His lab transforms agricultural waste — pomegranate peels, beetroot pomace and passion fruit rinds — into shelf-stable ingredients, antimicrobial coatings and biodegradable packaging. One such coating is already being piloted commercially to extend the shelf life of export fruit.

“We’re replacing synthetic preservatives and plastics with nature-based alternatives,” he explains. “Our work strengthens food systems environmentally, economically, and socially.”

What sets Fawole apart is not only his innovation but his inclusive approach. His team collaborates with smallholder farmers, rural agri-enterprises and major market players like the Johannesburg Fresh Produce Market, the largest in Africa, to co-develop practical, scalable solutions.

“Science must be grounded in real-world context,” he says. “Communities and industry stakeholders aren’t passive recipients, they’re active collaborators in the research process.”

This ethos underpins his partnership with the Agricultural Research Council, which has led to the establishment of three innovation hubs focused on postharvest loss reduction, agro-waste valorisation and indigenous knowledge-based product development. Nineteen postgraduate students, most of them women and first-generation scholars, are working on projects ranging from bioactives for animal health to biopackaging from farm waste.

The environmental impact is significant. “Our technologies reduce food waste and greenhouse gas emissions, promote circularity, and lower the need for cold chains,” Fawole explains.

In a continent where infrastructure is often lacking, these low-tech, high-impact innovations are crucial.

While the goal is to save food, it’s also about creating opportunity. By stabilising surplus crops through dehydration or converting blemished produce into dried, high-value goods, farmers can tap into off-season and export markets. “This is about economic empowerment,” he says.

Since 2013, Fawole has trained more than 45 postgraduate students. He now aims to mentor 100 PhD candidates in the next decade.

“Africa is home to 17% of the global population but contributes less than 2% of the world’s scientific research,” he says. “We must build a new generation of scientists who can lead innovation, inform policy and transform agri-food systems.

“Professionally, this award will serve as a powerful enabler. Personally, it has renewed my motivation to continue building bridges between research and practice and to advocate for science-driven development across Africa.”

Read the special Mail & Guardian supplement about all the NSTF-South32 Award winners.