Maryam Rezaei
Analysis Fellow – Meals Methods, Local weather and Sustainability, ODI World
Session 10: Prosperity
The main target of intervention is on the linkages between SDG 2 and SDG 12 on sustainable manufacturing and consumption, specifically, on the difficulty of meals loss and waste which was briefly touched on in a number of the earlier periods.
Globally 14% of meals is misplaced from farm to retail and 17% is wasted at retail and shopper stage. This quantity varies throughout areas and meals teams. The underlying message is FLW is a manifestation of inefficiency unsustainability and inequality of meals system. Holding this in thoughts we have to take a look at meals loss and waste discount not as an goal by itself however as a imply to remodel agrifood methods to be extra succesful to ship nutritious meals, guarantee meals safety, and foster financial prosperity for all. FLW discount could be a highly effective imply to boost the flexibility of the small-scale household farmers and agribusiness SMEs to adapt to the impression of local weather and water shocks and shield livelihoods. Most of the causes that result in FLW had been additionally talked about within the contexts of SDG 2 indicators 2.3, 2.4 and others. Taking a look at a few of these:
- poor and insufficient post-harvest transport, storage and processing capability;
- lack of chilly chain capability, dependable energy provide, good upkeep and administration practices;
- inappropriate manufacturing, harvesting and dealing with practices;
- poor group, coordination and communication amongst meals provide chain actors;
- inefficient advertising methods and market infrastructure, together with for recovering and repurposing FLW; and,
- poor buy, dealing with, meals preparation and disposal practices amongst meals service suppliers and shoppers.
- cultural practices together with the hospitality habits and celebrations, shoppers perceptions, and lack of know-how.
So we all know the extent of FLW and the damaging impression on sustainability of our meals methods – many UN and non-UN organizations, governments and personal sector have been engaged on tackling the difficulty for the previous decade and we’re conscious that most of the causes and drivers have know-how, coverage, institutional or behavioural options. However why we now have not been profitable in successfully addressing FLW? What’s impeding the progress in direction of SDG indicators 12.3? Analysis and consultations with stakeholders have supplied us with some insights.
These are:
- Lack of holistic and built-in strategy to deal with the FLW concern – A lot of our interventions stay technical in nature.
- Lack of tips and harmonized approaches in and amongst international locations that facilitates a shared imaginative and prescient, frequent language, joint motion and cooperation – we now have fairly a number of worldwide tips that must be tailor-made to the nationwide and native contexts, together with the FAO’s voluntary codes of conduct on FLW discount.
- Want for correct information and systematic measurement of meals loss primarily based on particular phases of the worth chain and FW at shopper stage, together with capability constructing for information assortment at nationwide and metropolis ranges. That is an costly enterprise that requires funding and there may be additionally the problem of scarce high quality information.
- Want for bettering information and foster funding to advertise circularity, recycling and re-use which generate financial and environmental advantages.
- Want for consciousness elevating and advocacy efforts collectively, concentrating on stakeholders in any respect decision-making nodes within the provide chain.
- Capability growth for actors and establishments throughout agrifood methods to strengthen coverage, technical, and managerial actions impacting FLW.
In opposition to this background, I want to spotlight the next options to deal with FLW. With the caveat that for these options to be actually impactful or transformative, it will probably’t be enterprise as regular! Governments are inspired to steer the event of holistic nationwide methods and motion plans, and from the outset, envisage a participatory course of that maximizes the possession of options and engagement of all related actors:
- The primary resolution is adopting a extra holistic and inter sectorial methods strategy in coverage making for FLW discount, that connects the broader financial and market methods, ecological methods, social methods, to agrifood methods.
- Recognizing the various and context-specific options to FLW which are demand-driven and replicate the fact of the nation, metropolis and the curiosity, wants and values of various actors.
- Public sector to supply enabling atmosphere together with fiscal incentives, infrastructure and so on. that encourages non-public sector management and funding in lowering FLW together with by way of including worth to agrifood merchandise, valorization of waste, amongst different interventions.
- Drawing on science, innovation, and analysis, to allow improvements in agrifood methods that may be scaled, to sustainably scale back FLW.
- Strengthening coverage, regulatory and institutional frameworks that facilitate coordination amongst stakeholders. To extent potential and the place related anchoring meals loss and waste discount methods in broader nationwide methods and motion plans reminiscent of in nationwide insurance policies addressing meals safety, funding and local weather change.
- Measuring, assessing, and monitoring meals loss and waste to help proof base determination making on underlying causes of FLW, options and to tell potential trade-offs between FLW discount measures and different sustainability outcomes.
- Lastly, addressing capability growth alongside the entire provide chain, taking inventory, and selling higher practices that are many and incentivizing their use.