Wheat production is low on a global scale due to droughts and flooding in major exporting countries like the United States, Canada, Ukraine, and Argentina. FAO reports that current global reserves are near the level they were in 2008. With food prices projected to increase, the ability to strengthen smallholder participation in value-added supply chains […]
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Natural disasters, extreme weather, and climate change can cause significant levels of crop loss. Storms like Hurricane Sany and the Tamil Cyclone have flooded fields and ruined crops while hardhitting droughts continue to cripple major grain suppliers in the United States. A major challenge facing stakeholders of the global food system is to reduce postharvest […]
The Role of Logistics in Reducing Post-Harvest Food Losses
The Global Agenda Council on Logistics & Supply Chains identified improving supply chains as essential to global food security. The Council plans to investigate current processes with hopes of determining potential solutions, though notes the current lack of empirical data available. http://forumblog.org/2012/11/the-role-of-logistics-in-reducing-post-harvest-food-losses/
Avoiding Future Famines
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) recently published a collaborative report titled “Avoiding Future Famines: Strengthening the Ecological Foundation of Food Security through Sustainable Food Systems”, arguing for the importance of using eco-friendly practices over environmentally-friendly practices in ensuring global food security. The report recognizes reducing postharvest loss and food waste as key strategies. http://www.unep.org/publications/ebooks/avoidingfamines/portals/19/UNEP_Food_Security_Report.pdf
The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2012
Oxfam produced recommendations for the 39th session of the Committee on World Food Security yesterday. Their recommendations followed the publication of a report last week by the FAO, entitled “The State of Food Insecurity in the World.” The recommendations suggest for an increased focus on developing sustainable farming practices, and also target the smallholder farmer. http://www.fao.org/docrep/016/i3027e/i3027e.pdf
“Water and Food Security” the Theme of 2012 World Water Week
World Water Week focused on increasing global agricultural productivity and especially the relationship between saving water and reducing PHL. Read more in an article from the Global Harvest Initiative and slides from a presentation by Dr. Julian Parfitt. http://www.globalharvestinitiative.org/index.php/2012/08/water-and-food-security-the-theme-of-2012-world-water-week/ http://www.worldwaterweek.org/documents/WWW_PDF/2012/Wed/Addressing-post-harvest-losses/Julian-Parfitt.pdf
GIZ Projects on Food Losses in Nigeria
An online discussion of Nigeria’s PHL issues by GIZ Advisor Heike Ostermann and members of the Global Donor Platform was posted on YouTube, highlighting GIZ projects specifically. In addition, notes from the discussion illustrate how involved organizations are sharing knowledge and conducting outreach in terms of PHL information. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewpDUKiRfJM http://www.donorplatform.org/postharvest-losses/latest
UN Urges Asia to Cut Post-Harvest Losses
The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (Unido) is urging Asian nations to reduce their PHL. This statement was made at a recent ASEAN meeting, in which Asian PHL has been estimated to be around 30% of yearly food production, and valued at about $5 billion. Rice in particular is plagued by rodents, which cause about […]
Brussels Rural Development Briefings
The Brussels Rural Development Briefings: Addressing Food Waste in Times of Crisis meeting in June has published its resources guide online. http://brusselsbriefings.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/reader-br-28-addressing-food-waste-in-times-of-crisis.pdf
Rio +20 Overview
The Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance launched a report highlighting the needs for investment in agricultural practices at the Rio +20 Summit, entitled “Nourishing the World Sustainability: Scaling Up Agro-Ecology.” It addresses traditional crop management practices, particularly as combined with ecological concepts and customized for local contexts, and makes a case for reduced pesticides, arguing that crops […]