Global agriculture companies have committed to supporting farmers to reduce food waste by 2030.
These companies include Olam Agri, ITC Limited, Sereni Fries Ltd, Kinazi Cassava Plant, Spice World Ltd, ETG and Premier Foods Ltd.
The companies have announced a joint commitment to help the farmers in their supply chains reduce on-farm food losses by 50 per cent by 2030.
Olam Group CEO Sunny Verghese said the companies work with hundreds of thousands of farmers worldwide, forming a powerful alliance of multinational, national and regional businesses.
“Their pre-competitive collaboration offers an opportunity for sharing knowledge and best practices to address food loss, which is a critical issue in the global supply chain,” he said.
Verghese is also the co-chair of the coalition of executives that has organised the new on-farm food loss initiative.
“About 40 per cent of the global food supply is lost or wasted between farms and people’s plates. We know from recent research that food loss on farms is a much bigger problem than previously thought and it’s happening across the globe – not just in developing countries, as many believe,” he said.
“This enormous waste hurts farmer income, food security, climate, and costs over a trillion dollars every year.”
According to new research from the Champions 12.3 initiative, the world is at risk of missing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 12.3.
The goal aims to halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses, by 2030.
“Right now, we are not on track to meet the UN’s target on food loss and waste. But if enough governments and companies can prioritise the issue – as those that are part of today’s announcement have – we may still be able to realise significant benefits for people and the planet,” Verghese said.
The UNFCCC Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that halving food loss and waste alone could cut total greenhouse gas emissions by up to five per cent.
It is also an important strategy for ensuring sufficient food in a world where nearly one in three people faces moderate or severe food insecurity.
According to the Africa Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition- Statistics and Trends 2023, Africa remains off-track to meet the food security and nutrition targets of the SDGs by 2030.
The Malabo on the other hand targets to end hunger and all forms of malnutrition by 2025. About 868 million people were moderately or severely food-insecure and more than one-third of them – 342 million people – were severely food-insecure.
The World Bank’s Global Economy, 2023 shows in Africa, agriculture remains one of the most important economic sectors for the continent, accounting in 2021 for 18.9 per cent of total GDP. It employs 54 per cent of the continent’s population, based on statistics by International Labour Organization.
"PFL is committed to achieving a net zero target for operational emissions as well as a zero waste to landfill target by 2025. As we engage with thousands of small-scale farmers in our value chain, we also promote sustainable agricultural practices,” said Martin Munyiri, general manager of Premier Foods Ltd.
“This initiative is essential to our farmers as it will enhance on-farm activities to improve productivity and minimise food loss and waste. By equipping farmers with the necessary expertise, resources and innovative tools, we aim to implement effective solutions that positively impact their livelihoods and the broader community.”
ITC Limited chairman Sanjiv Puri said reducing farm-related agri and food wastages is a core objective of ITC's sustainability agenda.
“Multi-dimensional initiatives leverage technology and innovation to empower farmers through advanced climate smart practices, know-how and technical assistance. Extensive on-ground support is provided to scale appropriate solutions to improve productivity, resilience and reduce food losses," he said.
Sereni Fries Ltd CEO Humphrey Mburu said tackling farm losses optimises supply chains, creating a ripple effect of benefits for smallholder farmers and consumers.
“We are committed to reducing on-farm food losses by providing technical support to our smallholder farmers, helping them improve potato production practices and minimise material rejects. Through this initiative we see expanding interventions to include innovative range of products to utilise produce what would otherwise be discarded,” he said.