Understanding the causes and minimizing the effects of food waste are crucial to reducing poverty and malnutrition on a global level. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) takes a proactive approach toward improving agriculture and reducing inefficiencies associated with the production of food.This year, from March 29 to April 4, the Palace of Parliament in Bucharest, Romania, will be hosting the 29th FAO European Regional Conference. The major topic of the conference will be food losses and waste in Europe and Central Asia. The scope of the conference is to understand and address major problems associated with food loss and waste.
Designing appropriate agricultural policies will shape a more efficient food-production process, as well as leaner food waste management techniques. Right now, although global levels of food surplus are skyrocketing, the inefficient world supply chains, over consumption, waste, and loss of food are leaving behind an impressive amount of starving people.
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| A CropMobster collecting leftover crops from farmers' fields to avoid food waste. (Photo by Gary Cedar) |
Food wastage is divided into two categories: food loss due to agricultural production, harvest, and processing; and food waste due to distribution and retail issues, restaurants and catering, and, lastly, domestic consumption. Encouraging efficient agricultural production and management processes are key activities for successfully facing the constantly growing global demand for food and water.
Lean agriculture practices are fundamental to Valley® and this blog. We would love to hear your thoughts on efficient agriculture processes, as well as food losses and waste management. Hit the comment button below and share your experiences with us!
To register for the conference, go to: http://www.fao.org/about/meetings/erc29/en/.
Want to learn more? The USDA recently released a report noting that the United States wasted about 31 percent, or 133 billion pounds of its food supply in 2010. Read more...
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Cristina Morozov Valley Irrigation Intern Cristina joined the Valley Irrigation Global Marketing Department in January. Originally from Moldova, Cristina earned a bachelor’s degree in management and economics from the Otto-von-Guericke University in Magdeburg, Germany; and a bachelor’s degree in finance from the Academy of Economic Studies in Moldova. She is working toward her Master of Business Administration at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. in her free time she enjoys travelling, reading, dancing, and trying to learn to play tennis. |
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