From waste to worth: exploring the determinants of farmers’ decision to revalorize deteriorated produce

Abstract Food loss remains a major challenge for sustainable food systems, contributing to food insecurity and climate change. In Africa, smallholder farmers lose up to 40% of their produce postharvest. While most interventions focus on reducing losses early in the value chain, repurposing deteriorated produce into alternative socioeconomic uses offers a complementary and under-explored pathway. In smallholder farming systems, repurposing commonly involves converting deteriorated produce into livestock feed, compost, biochar, or other productive uses. However, such practices remain limited, with deteriorated produce often discarded without consideration of alternative uses. Drawing on circular economy and food waste valorization perspectives, this study explores the underlying socioeconomic and agricultural-related conditions that shape farmers’ participation in food waste revalorization. Using cross-sectional survey data from 1,001 smallholder vegetable farmers in Ghana, we employ binary logistic regression to identify the determinants of food waste repurposing. Results show that gender, land access, wealth, credit access, and livelihood diversification significantly influence repurposing decisions. Farm-level factors, including crop type, yield, food loss levels, access to agricultural advisory services, market distance, and prior adoption of sustainable land management practices, also significantly predict repurposing. These findings highlight the importance of socioeconomic capacity and access to resources in shaping engagement in circular food waste revalorization. This contribution further demonstrates how logistical constraints and gaps in technical know-how shape the end use of deteriorated produce. Food waste revalorization initiatives will benefit from targeted investments in extension services, training, credit access, and broader promotion of sustainable farming practices.