For me this very aspect of agriculture is equally crucial among other aspects , in terms of practicing agriculture. Had been humans have been only exposed to cultivating or sowing , without equally harvesting and reaping then , the well known law of sowing and reaping won't be possible.
Before , harvest sure there most have been an intense cultivation , in which crops seedlings and stems among others have been sowed upon a definite portion of well tested , cleared and fertile soil or land.
Upon which the cultivated crops plants have been successfully germinated and grown to the kind of maturity and nutritious level or stage , ready to be reap or harvest.
For the successful harvest to take place there are indeed , key steps involved. Those key steps involved during crops harvesting are as follows :
✓ Acknowledge that crops have their own respective season for harvest
✓ Observe to ensure that those particular crops plants reach their edible and nutritious stage and based on that , are mature enough and ready for harvest
✓ Upon all of that , now effect reaping [uproot or pluck or cut] either with hand , hand tool or an applicable machine , that based on the nature of planted crops and land portion.
✓ Then , should be threshing that, [kind of separating weeds and removing thick sand depending ]and or possibly cleaning those reaping agricultural produce.
✓ Finally have those cleaned harvested agricultural produce ready either for storage or for direct distribution and possible transportation to the end user's or consumer's.
Relating on :
"Why is post - harvest management important for maintaining crop quality?"
Post harvest management is that important because during post harvest management, critical evaluation would be taken so as to determine how those harvested agricultural produce can be keep or store ,and possibly get distribute in way that would be able to retain, and maintain the original or fresh quality and quantity without being damage , and deviate in the value ; as a direct result from all of that , the intending shelf life for those agricultural produce is capable of being durable and extend.
"Explain how storage techniques can affect the shelf life of harvested crops."
For food security to be possible , there most be critical evaluation taken to ensure , what storage techniques should be best over , for maintaining and retaining an exact or original quality for agricultural produce or harvested crops ; and also get considering their durability and shelf life.
And for me upon such nature of critical evaluation touching storage techniques , indeed there most be some certain factors that could directly damage agricultural produce , and therefore affecting it shelf life .
Seen above , depending on the nature of agricultural produce involved , in general excess sunlight and oxygen exposure is not good enough . And in some cases moisture contents and humidity exposure within the storage , and all of that can in one way to the other directly affect agricultural produce shelf life . To keep harvested crops and agricultural produce safe , then the best storage techniques practice should be apply.
Kind Regards To You Steemians : here I kindly invite @okere-blessing @dove11 @wirngo to join me . Thank You.