Farming Practices and Postharvest Preservation and Storage Strategies Among Vegetable Farmers in Sub‐Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review

Vegetables are important sources of essential nutrients and bioactive compounds and play a critical role in improving food and nutrition security in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA). However, vegetable production and utilization are constrained by suboptimal farming practices, postharvest losses, and food safety challenges in the region. This systematic review synthesized evidence on vegetable farming practices and postharvest preservation and storage methods employed across SSA. A PRISMA‐compliant systematic search for articles on farming practices employed by vegetable farmers and methods of storage used for the vegetable processing was conducted on the databases PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Scopus on November 20, 2025. Studies that reported on vegetable production practices, preservation methods, storage technologies, and associated outcomes were screened according to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. A total of 49 studies conducted across 14 countries met the inclusion criteria. The studies covered a wide range of vegetables, including indigenous African leafy vegetables (AILVs), leafy greens, and fruit vegetables such as tomato, cabbage, kale, eggplant, pumpkin, and cowpea leaves. Irrigation management, application of organic and inorganic fertilizers, integrated pest management (IPM), mulching, biofortification, and protected cultivation were the predominant farming practices used to improve productivity and resource‐use efficiency. However, concerns regarding wastewater irrigation, pesticide misuse, heavy metal accumulation, and microbial contamination were frequently reported. Postharvest preservation methods included drying, blanching, fermentation, packaging, refrigeration, and disinfection treatments. Traditional preservation methods, particularly open‐sun drying, were associated with substantial nutrient losses, whereas improved technologies such as solar drying, freeze drying, passive cooling systems, and optimized packaging better preserved nutritional quality, enhanced microbial safety, and extended shelf life. Overall, the evidence highlights the need to integrate climate‐smart production practices with affordable postharvest technologies to reduce losses, improve vegetable quality, and strengthen food and nutrition security in SSA.