How Do Milk Farmers’ Demographics Affect Their Knowledge of Food Loss in the Milk Supply Chain

The Indonesian government is campaigning actively to increase national milk production. It aims to expand the country’s cattle population and implement good farming practices. However, the increase in milk production will lead to high food loss, but the government and supply chain actors’ awareness of this issue is low. Therefore, the role and knowledge of local farmers becomes essential in mitigating food loss necessary to support the government targets. This study aims to determine the effects of farmers’ demographics on their knowledge of food loss in the milk supply chain. This quantitative study used a set of questionnaires to survey 40 farmers, where the collected data were analyzed using ANOVA. The result showed that farmers’ demographics affect their knowledge about food loss. The farmer’s knowledge contributes to food loss in the milk supply chain, including pouring milk into a can, milking manually, transporting it with cold chain equipment, storing it in milk storage, and transporting milk under specific road conditions. Therefore, the mitigation strategy shall be developed through effective communication and collaboration with farmers and clear supply chain regulations. The strategy can be started with education about food loss at the farmer level, which is essential to gaining the best farming practices in the milk supply chain.