MITIGATING GLOBAL HUNGER

Akila Wijerathna explains how technology could reduce food loss and wastage

In a world grappling with the complex interplay of scarcity and abundance, food waste emerges as an immediate and profound consideration. According to the Food Loss Index (FLI) published by the FAO, food loss occurs from post-harvest up to retail distribution – excluding the retail level.

This category encompasses various stages in the supply chain where food loss occurs before reaching consumer markets.

Conversely, the concept of food waste pertains to the reduction in either the quantity or quality of food, which is due to the deliberate decisions and actions of retailers, food service providers and consumers.

The global landscape unveils a concerning reality: 14 percent of food is lost during the supply chain process preceding retail, followed by an additional 17 percent wastage through the retail and consumption phases.

Such statistics underline the magnitude of this challenge and the critical need for comprehensive interventions across the spectrum of food management.

While many people struggle to secure even a basic meal, an astonishing quantity of perfectly edible food is discarded – often due to cosmetic imperfections or inefficiencies in the supply chain.

This waste isn’t confined to morality and social justice; it aggravates into environmental repercussions of monumental proportions.

The resources invested in producing, processing and transporting this lost food – including water, land, energy and labour – go to waste in tandem with the discarded food. Moreover, the decomposition of food waste in landfills generates copious amounts of methane.

In the contemporary landscape, the agri-food system contributes a staggering 31 percent of the total global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

The origins of these emissions are found throughout the various stages of the food cycle – from production and processing, to packaging, transportation, storage, consumption and the eventual disposal of food.

Consequences of these emis­sions impact the climate through heightened levels of CO2 and other GHGs in the atmosphere. As a result, the planet is prone to experiencing volatile and extreme weather events, such as escalating temperatures, prolonged droughts and flash floods.

The detrimental impact of inadequate technology and infrastructure on food waste is undeniable as it’s a direct catalyst for inefficiencies across the entire value chain.

Challenges stemming from deficient storage facilities for harvested crops, antiquated harvesting methods, the absence of temperature control during harvesting and unsuitable fishing equipment all converge to magnify this issue.

An absence of proper storage solutions compels farmers to make hasty sales decisions, regardless of prevailing market conditions – or risk seeing their produce go to waste.

Moreover, factors rooted in decision making at the farm level – such as suboptimal harvesting techniques, miscalculated crop maturity assessments and ill-timed harvests – also contribute to this dilemma.

Animal agriculture is also impacted due to subpar milking sanitation, inadequate animal husbandry standards and increased discards because of poor fishing practices.

Yet, a glimmer of hope shines through the lens of technological innovation, financial investments and educational initiatives. Such avenues hold the promise of reducing food waste stemming from these causative factors.

However, this multifaceted challenge finds itself entwined with larger, often indirect, socioeconomic and market forces that mould the agricultural landscape.

Market dynamics, regulatory frameworks, established standards, farmers’ access to financial resources, fair-trade practices and contractual agreements collectively exert influence on the quantum of food waste.

These large-scale dynamics underscore the necessity for a comprehensive approach that not only empowers farmers to address concerns on the ground but also engages with systemic changes that are required to tackle food waste at its root.

Efforts directed towards the reduction of food loss and waste through enhancements in processing techniques, and the establishment of advanced cool and dry storage solutions, hold immense promise for curbing losses – and indeed, elevating the overall quality and accessibility of food supply.

Such an approach will mitigate the need for land clearance to bolster production, reduce emissions and usher in the more prudent use of natural resources. This process will result in heightened food availability and access, safeguard the livelihoods of farmers and smallholders, and contribute to the enrichment of dietary quality.

The ramifications of reducing food loss present a harmonious synergy across all dimensions of the fight against hunger, and resonate with improved food access, fortified economic stability for agricultural producers and the improvement of nutritional standards.

Let’s not waste food when hunger is widespread.