 A significant part of the food produced in the world is lost between farm and market. We cannot afford this anymore if we are to achieve nutrition and food security. To improve the livelihoods of the poorest and release pressure on the environment, we must understand where and why food is lost, and identify sustainable solutions for each context. In 2014, FAO, EFAD and WFP started a project with the support of the Swiss Development and Cooperation Agency to reduce post-harvest losses with pilot interventions in three African countries and draw lessons that could benefit many other countries. A methodology developed by FAO was used to analyze the underlying causes of food losses in grain supply chains. The studies showed that losses mostly occurred during harvesting, post-harvest handling and storage due to poor practices, weak infrastructure, lack of appropriate equipment and limited access to markets. To address these issues, simple and low-cost technologies were introduced, such as multifunctional mechanized cellars, hermetic bags and family silos for storage. All producers and families were trained to use them to test their feasibility and impact at economic, social and environmental levels. The project also invested on knowledge sharing to strengthen the capacities of national experts. A free course on the FAO food loss analysis methodology is now available online, as well as a web-based community of practice on food loss reduction, where a growing number of professionals from more than 138 countries can access resources and share know-how every day. To upscale the adoption of the technologies and practices that proved successful in the three pilot countries, governments were also supported to integrate them into their policies, strategies and programs, and to seek public and private investments to deploy them at national level. Looking ahead, the holistic approach adopted in this project could be a strong asset to achieve the food loss reduction targets of the Malabo Declaration in Africa and contribute to the sustainable development goals worldwide. Governments should be made to scale up this approach in as many countries as possible.