Abstract
Reducing losses of agricultural products provides a valuable opportunity to enhance food security without the need for additional production resources. Each year, a considerable portion of cereal crops is wasted due to a lack of knowledge, unintentional management practices, low technical efficiency, and inadequate infrastructure. Losses occur in two forms: quantitative and qualitative. Quantitative losses manifest as reductions in volume and amount, whereas qualitative losses appear as decreased marketability and lower selling prices. In developed countries, the highest level of cereal losses occurs at the consumption stage, whereas in developing countries, losses mainly take place at on-farm stages. Mechanized harvesting plays a fundamental role in reducing losses, and through proper and engineering-based adjustment, losses can be minimized to the lowest possible level. Combines are used to accelerate wheat harvesting operations and reduce losses, with an acceptable cumulative loss of up to 7% across their components. Accordingly, in the present study, combine harvester losses were investigated at three stages—pre-harvest, during harvest, and post-harvest—in five counties in the southern part of West Azerbaijan Province. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was employed to prioritize the factors contributing to losses. The most important factor influencing increased losses was the transportation system (weight = 0.222), while climatic conditions (weight = 0.011) were identified as the least important factor. Among the studied counties, Miandoab (weight = 0.484) and Takab (weight = 0.072) ranked first and last in priority, respectively. Based on the magnitude of losses associated with different factors, the total loss was calculated to be 42.43% of wheat production in the previous cropping year, which can be reduced through proper supervision and the implementation of the proposed management strategies.
EXTENDED ABSTRACT
Introduction
Reducing agricultural losses presents a valuable opportunity to enhance food security without requiring additional production resources. A significant portion of grains is wasted annually due to a lack of knowledge, unconscious management practices, low technical efficiency, and inadequate infrastructure. Losses occur in both quantitative and qualitative forms, which are quantitatively expressed in terms of volume and quantity and qualitatively expressed in terms of marketability and low sales rates. In developed countries, the highest amount of grain losses occurs in the consumption sector, while in developing countries, they occur mainly in the in-field stages. Mechanized harvesting plays a key role in reducing losses, and with systematic regulation and engineering, the amount of losses will be minimized. Combine harvesters are used to accelerate wheat harvesting and reduce losses, and the accumulation of losses of each of its components is acceptable up to 7%. For this purpose, in this study, the amount of combine harvester losses was examined in three stages before harvesting, during harvesting, and after harvesting in 5 southern counties of West Azerbaijan Province. The analytic hierarchy process was used to prioritize the factors involved in losses. The most important parameter in increasing losses is related to the transportation system (weight = 0.222), and the weather factor (weight = 0.011) was the least important. Among the studied counties, Miandoab (weight = 0.484) and Takab (weight = 0.072) were assigned the highest and lowest priority, respectively. Considering the loss rates of different factors, the total loss percentage was calculated to be 42.43 percent of the wheat production in the previous crop year, which can be reduced with monitoring and the proposed solutions.
Material and Methods 
Population expansion and the disparity between food supply and demand are significant issues, with an anticipated 9.7 billion individuals inhabiting Earth by 2050 (Østergaard et al., 2024). To address this issue, it may be necessary to reduce food waste, particularly concerning grains, which constitute 30% of total food loss (FAO, 2022). The primary causes of on-farm losses are pests, adverse weather conditions, poor agricultural practices, and insufficient financial resources (Mesterházy et al., 2020). 
Shewry and Hey (2015) assert that wheat is a significant cereal crop that provides calories and essential micronutrients. Nath et al. (2024) assert that reducing post-harvest losses in wheat production can significantly enhance food security and economic stability. The wheat supply chain comprises numerous stages, both on-farm and off-farm, each of which may exhibit diminished profitability or productivity (Ekepu et al., 2017; Nawi et al., 2010). Iran's unsustainable practices, such as the exclusive cultivation of wheat and excessive dependence on agrochemicals, have exacerbated environmental degradation and health hazards (Hashemi Nejad et al., 2020).
This study employs the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to ascertain the principal factors leading to wheat post-harvest losses in the southern areas of Iran's West Azerbaijan Province and to devise economic strategies for their alleviation.
Results and Discussion 
The southern counties of West Azerbaijan Province, namely Bukan, Takab, Shahin Dej, Miandoab, and Mahabad, are pivotal in wheat production owing to their fertile soil and conducive climate. However, there are losses that happen between planting, harvesting, and delivering the product to customers. Given the size of the production, these losses add up to a lot. 
This study carefully looks at the reasons for these losses and, with the help of farmers and agricultural experts, comes up with effective and specific ways to resolve the problem. 
Field and desk research conducted in these countries identified the causes and percentages of losses at each stage. Thereafter, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was utilized to conduct pairwise comparisons among factors, identifying the most significant causes and the highest loss rates in wheat production. Consequently, requisite corrective actions were advised. The study also identified the counties with the greatest and least wheat losses based on the analyzed factors. The viewpoints of agricultural engineers, cooperatives, farmers, and combine harvester proprietors concerning loss factors, their root causes, and suggested remedies are delineated in the subsequent sections. Expert Choice software enables decision-making via the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) relies on pairwise comparisons and is termed a hierarchical methodology, as it commences with an organization's objectives and strategies, subsequently broadening to discern and assess diverse decisions. 
The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is a mathematical and subjective methodology designed to evaluate intricate issues across various tiers. Field and operational investigations examined several key factors contributing to increased losses in all studied counties. The factors influencing product losses, as documented through expert and farmer feedback, were analyzed and assessed utilizing the AHP method.
Conclusions
The consistency ratio must be maintained at or below 0.1 to obtain valid results from the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The pairwise comparison methodology in this study demonstrated an optimal level of precision and consistency, as evidenced by a calculated consistency ratio of 0.04. The transportation system was the most significant factor in causing more losses, as indicated by the analysis of expert opinions and recorded data (weight = 0.222). The weather, transportation system, and type of combine harvester were the first and second most significant factors, collectively accounting for 0.425 (42.5%) of the total losses. Given that these two factors account for over 40% of the total losses, they necessitate special consideration when developing strategies to mitigate them.
The countries that were examined were compared based on specific factors that resulted in a higher number of losses. Among the neighboring counties, Miandoab County (weight=0.484) possessed the most favorable conditions for wheat cultivation. In second place was Bukan County (weight=0.278). 
This implies that these counties are superior to others due to their superior locations and increased resources. Organizing training workshops and granting agricultural extension officials more authority could prevent numerous crop losses. On the other hand, Takab County's isolation from the provincial center and other counties puts it at a disadvantage. For instance, it has a reduced number of agricultural service centers and combine harvesters. Consequently, it had the lowest net wheat yield in relation to the area in which it was cultivated.
Author Contributions
Himan Khodakam: Conceptualization; Writing 
Razieh Pourdarbani: Supervision; Revision 
Ehsan Bagheri: Data Collection; Methodology
Data Availability Statement
"Not applicable" 
Ethical Considerations
It is confirmed the avoidance of data fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, and misconduct.
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper
Funding Statement
The author(s) received no specific funding for this research