This is a re-posted article from the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD).
One of the things we are trying to understand at Ceres2030 is where and why food is wasted and lost along the food chain. So last month we asked an economist, a scientist, a farmer organization leader, and a modeler how they think policymakers and donors can better assess the financial costs of food waste and loss and identify effective ways to reduce them.
“Globally, we want to reduce harvest losses and food waste. But if prices go down too much it may not be in the interest of farmers. Part of the solution may be more diversification,” said Maximo Torero, Assistant Director General of the Economic and Social Development Department at FAO, during our side event at this year’s Committee on World Food Security.
“Ceres2030 is a great resource in terms of identifying available evidence and technologies that can help solve the problems,” he added.
“We lose kilos of produce. In the Philippines, for example, we dry our paddy rice on the street or basketball courts because they are paved, but so much is damaged. We need more storage facilities. But there are issues of affordability and the suitability of new technologies and machines,” said Esther Penunia, Secretary General of the Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development.
For David Laborde, an economic modeler from IFPRI and one of the Ceres2030 co-directors, addressing post-harvest losses will lead to important gains at multiple levels. “A third of the gains will go to small-scale producers and their households. But the largest gains will go to poor consumers from lower prices and improved quality, and we see a shift that opens up possibilities for more processing.”
For Brighton Mvumi, a scientist and professor at the University of Zimbabwe, the use of computer-assisted search tools to mine and organize the vast published knowledge on agricultural interventions is enabling researchers to build a more comprehensive picture of what interventions work and why, and where the biggest evidence gaps lie.
Smart interventions to reduce post-harvest losses and waste will boost the efficiency of agricultural production, reduce hunger and increase the income of small-scale food producers. Ceres2030 is contributing to achieving these goals by providing the information decision-makers need on how much it will cost to end hunger sustainably, what share is needed from public funds, and what the evidence says on which interventions work and in which contexts. # (IISD)
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