Enhancing West Java’s Horticultural Transportation: Design Thinking for Food Loss Reduction

The purpose of this paper is to reduce food loss during transportation from farmers to post harvester in West Java, Indonesia. Agriculture is one of the sectors that support the country's economy and horticultural commodities, especially vegetable and fruit products, are very susceptible to both damages caused by pests and post-harvest activities. The design thinking methodology is applied to reduce food loss for banana transportation from farmers to post-harvester, which include the cycle of activities of emphatize – define – ideate – prototype – test. A transportation handling is designed for transporting banana in an attempt to reduce food loss.


Introduction
Indonesia is an agricultural nation because the majority of its citizens are employed in the agricultural sector, which supports the country's economy.Indonesia's agro-climatic and agroecosystem conditions are highly conducive to the development of diverse horticultural production due to the year-round availability of sufficient sunlight, the varying elevations of sea levels, and the varying temperatures and humidity.Horticulture is the cultivation of garden plants, including fruits, vegetables, ornamental plants, and medicinal plants.As each region in Indonesia has a different potential for producing vegetables and fruits, it is possible to fulfill the needs of each region by distributing supplies from other regions.Horticultural products, particularly vegetable and fruit products, are extremely susceptible to physiological and mechanical damage from pests and post-harvest activities.The transportation process is crucial to the supply chain because it is the key to profitability and affects the total cost of the supply chain.Shocks in the transportation process can result in losses, a reduction in product quality, which is a form of mechanical damage to horticultural commodities that refers to rot.Generally, frictional damage consists of scrapes, abrasions, and cracks.
Consequently, a decline in the quality of horticultural products can result in food loss and waste.Food waste is a food loss that occurs in the retail and final consumption stages due to the behavior of retailers and consumers, i.e., discarding food.Food loss is a decrease in the mass of edible food in all stages of the supply chain, especially those leading to food that can be consumed by humans, namely losses in the post-harvest and processing stages.Consequently, research is required to reduce food loss

Introduction
Horticultural commodities, particularly vegetable and fruit products, are extremely vulnerable to physiological and mechanical damage from pests and post-harvest activities [2].Post-harvest handling, such as storage, packaging, and transport, is crucial for maintaining product quality [2]. Figure 1 shows some of the mechanical damages on tomatoes, which includes bruises, scratches, and cracks.

Figure 1. Mechanical Damage on Tomatoes [1]
At the start of the research, observations and interviews took place at three wholesale markets in Bandung: Pasar Andir, Caringin, and Ciroyom, on March 5, 2021.These activities revealed a significant amount of horticultural waste, particularly cabbage vegetables.Observations and interviews with market traders were conducted to collect information.From these interviews with seven traders, it was found that a bag of cabbage vegetables typically weighs 50-60 kg, with about 10 kg of outer leaves discarded due to poor quality.In cases of exceptionally bad quality, up to 10-15 kg could be discarded from one bag.The interviews also uncovered that vegetable waste from the market is usually disposed of at a waste disposal site, known as the final disposal site (TPA).In Pasar Caringin, approximately 15 trucks of organic waste, each carrying 17 tons, were generated daily.This waste can be categorised into two types: unsold and rotten products and products becoming waste before being sold due to prior processes.
A supply chain is an integrated business process made up of all the components directly and indirectly involved in meeting consumer demand [3].The distribution process is crucial to the supply chain because it is the key to profitability and affects the total cost of the supply chain [3].Transportation is defined as the movement of goods from one location to another, beginning at the origin of the supply chain and ending with the consumer.Transportation typically comprises between one-third and twothirds of a company's total logistics expenses [2].The green supply chain is more profitable than the conventional one [4].Traditional supply chains aim to reduce costs and increase supply chain efficiency in order to maximize economic returns.Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) is implemented to improve environmental performance, which is calculated by reducing air emissions, effluent waste (liquid waste from toilets or kitchens), solid waste, and toxic material consumption [5].When supply chains generate waste, expenses rise [6].Eliminating waste sources will help reduce costs, both calculated costs, such as the cost of waste disposal, and unaccounted costs, such as the workers' quality of life.Design thinking is a problem-solving strategy utilized to address "wicked problems."A wicked problem is a complicated problem with no obvious solution.Food loss is a difficult problem because it is obscure, persistent, and pervasive [7].In addition, the issue of food waste, which is food loss, has an effect on resources such as water, energy, land, and labour, as well as a similar effect on the environment as food waste, which produces methane gas that can cause a greenhouse effect.Design thinking can be used to reduce food loss in the supply chain, particularly between farmers and traders of horticultural commodities, in order to address this issue.Consequently, the following is the formulation of the problem in this study: How can design thinking be used to reduce food loss during the transportation of horticultural commodities between farmers and traders?

Design Thinking Methodology
In this study, a supply chain model was developed to map the parties in the supply chain.Furthermore, the determination of the limitation of the problem is carried out marked with a dotted line box.The supply chain modelling aims to map the supply chain state of horticultural commodities according to field conditions.

Figure 2. Horticultural Supply Chain Model
This research methodology contains the steps taken in carrying out this research process.Thus, the research methodology is useful to facilitate and make the research process more systematic and structured.In conducting this research, a research methodology is needed.Design thinking methodology consists of several phases, which can be described as follows.Empathy activities are carried out to gain an understanding of the problem to be solved.Then, a problem question formulation is made.This phase aims to understand as much as possible about the needs of potential users.Interviews were conducted for the empathy process.To observe is to learn as much as possible about users and their needs.Then, recap the results of the interview process with the aim of describing the results of the interview clearly.Next, can determine the point of view.Define Point of View is the end of the problem analysis.The problem formulation is carried out as a point of view that will be used later as a starting point for finding solutions to problems.Problem formulation was carried out using the "How might we..." questions.Solution Ideas are made to solve existing problems by involving parties related to the research.Generating ideas is done as much as possible.Next, the best idea is selected from the ideas that have been created using the 2x2 Matrix tool.The prototype of the selected idea is then created.The low-fidelity prototype was made and subsequently continued with a high-fidelity prototype.Prototyping is a manifestation of the ideas created.Finally, testing on the prototype is executed with the possibility to refine the solution of the problem.Figure 3 shows the design thinking methodology.

Results and Discussion
The supply chain of horticultural products, particularly cabbage and bananas, begins with farmers who play a role in the planting and harvesting of products.Then, farmers distribute their harvests to intermediaries (to point of collection).From intermediaries, some products are distributed to factories, while others are distributed to (large) market traders.Traders are those who purchase large quantities of goods directly from manufacturers for resale to retailers or industrial firms (big market traders are often known as traders).The modelling of the supply chain aims to map the supply chain status of horticultural products based on field conditions.
The process is then continued with the phases of comprehend and observe.The application of design thinking begins with the understanding phase of empathy.Every participant in the supply chain, from farmers to merchants, engages in a process of empathy to comprehend the problem.Farmers, middlemen, transporters (drivers), and market traders are the existing parties (large).The understanding stage is conducted using semi-structured interviews, specifically exploratory interview tools and empathy interviews.Next, persona profiles for farmers, intermediaries, transporters, and market traders are created.A summary of the results of the empathy stage was then provided.

Farmers and Middlemen
± 10% -25% In addition, the process of determining the point of view is used to formulate a question that will aid the subsequent phase, which is the ideation phase for solutions to existing problems.To determine the perspective, the "How might we..." question is utilized.Two questions are determined based on the formulation of the questions to determine the point of view.How can we prevent cabbage and banana damage from farmers to traders? and how can we prevent banana damage from farmers to traders?After determining the perspective, we proceed to the solution's ideation phase.
As inspiration for solution creation, analogies and benchmarking are used as tools.These tools are used to generate ideas through an exploratory approach to contexts beyond the problem statement.In addition, brainwriting, a tool for solution generation, is employed.Using the brainwriting technique, seven people contributed to the conception of solutions.Then, 28 solutions for the cabbage problem and 24 solutions for the banana problem were generated.We then prioritize the implementation of ideas in the first quadrant, namely those with a high impact and a low level of difficulty, as determined by the mapping results.
Then, two concepts for cabbage were obtained, namely cabbage containers and handling instructions.In addition, two ideas were obtained for bananas, namely banana containers and banana-handling instructions.After selecting ideas from solution ideation results, prototypes are created.For the cabbage and banana container concept, prototyping begins with the creation of a low-fidelity prototype in the form of a simple two-dimensional illustration created with paper, drawing pens, and colour tools.Using SolidWorks, the researcher then created a high-fidelity prototype.To determine the dimensions of the container, data on the types and dimensions of vehicles commonly used to transport horticultural commodities as well as the dimensions of horticultural commodities were collected.Figure 4 depicts a low-fidelity cabbage container prototype.In traditional markets and supermarkets, cabbage diameter dimensions ranged from 14cm to 20cm, and cabbage thickness dimensions ranged from 9cm to 12cm, according to measurements.Then, a highfidelity prototype was created from the cabbage container, taking into account the dimensions of cabbage, vehicles, and the typical transportation capacity. Figure 5 depicts a prototype of high quality for the cabbage container.A layer of EPS (expanded polystyrene) is added to containers to reduce vibrations during the distribution process (see Figure 6).In addition, the visualization of cabbage in containers was performed on the tailgate of a Mitsubishi TS120SS pickup truck (see Figure 7).The prototype of the banana container was then created using hand sketches.The image depicts a crude prototype of the banana container (see Figure 11).Observations and interviews were conducted in the market to collect data on the types of vehicles commonly used for banana distribution.Based on observations, it was determined that Mitsubishi trucks are commonly used for the distribution of bananas [9].Additionally, the diameters of banana plantains ranged between 24 and 29 centimetres.Then, interviews with middlemen and banana merchants revealed that super bananas typically contain six to ten circles/bunches.Thus, a prototype with eight circles per bunch was created.Figure 12 depicts a prototype with high fidelity of a bunch of bananas.A layer of EPS (expanded polystyrene) is added to containers to reduce vibrations during the distribution process.The EPS layer on the banana container is illustrated in Figure 13. Figure 14   Following the completion of the prototype, testing of the prototypes is conducted.The participants in the prototype testing process included intermediaries, carriers, traders, and brainwriting participants.However, it was not conducted for farmers due to government policies that restrict the movement of people due to the Covid-19 pandemic.According to the test results, all prototypes were well-received by all tested parties and were anticipated to effectively reduce food loss in horticultural products.

Conclusions
On the basis of the study's findings, the following conclusions can be drawn.The majority of food loss in horticultural products is due to mechanical damage resulting from the distribution process in the supply chain.To reduce food loss between farmers and traders in horticultural commodities, preventative measures, such as the use of containers during the distribution of horticultural commodities and work instructions for handling horticultural commodities, can be implemented.According to the results of testing the prototype container solution and work instructions, the use of both is anticipated to reduce food loss in horticultural commodities.

Figure 4 .
Figure 4. Low-fidelity Prototype of Cabbage Container

Figure 8 .Figure 9 .Figure 10 .
Figure 8. High-fidelity Prototype of Work Instruction for Handling Cabbage (Farmers) depicts a high-fidelity prototype of banana containers.In addition, container visualization was performed on the bed of the Mitsubishi Colt Diesel FE 74 HD and FE 71 PS 110 PS (see Figure15-16).Figure17to Figure19depict the development of a high-fidelity prototype based on work instructions for farmers, intermediaries, and traders regarding the handling of bananas.