Food loss and waste (FLW) are increasingly a global concern. UNDP estimates that each year, around 931 million tonnes of food wastes are generated from households, retail establishments, and the food service industries. The households have 570 million tonnes of this waste (UNDP, 2021). Consequently, this waste is considered as the source of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) (UNDP, 2021; Poore & Nemecek, 2018; Ge et al., 2020; Ritchie, 2020). Global estimates indicate that food waste emit 6 percent of total gas emissions (Ritchie, 2020) while the Project Drawdown estimates, currently, that this food waste accounts for 8 percent of total gas emissions (Project Drawdown, 2021). Though there are various estimates of emission, the point is that food waste is a contributing factor of GHG. The waste has an environmental cost (TechnoServe, 2020).
Estimates reveal that the food waste costs the world $940 billion in global economy every year, which amounts a third of global food production (Farm Africa, 2021). Africa loses $ 4 billion in food waste because of poor storage, market inefficiencies and bottlenecks in supply chain (The East African, 2020). The consumer’s food waste accounts for 40%. In Sub Saharan Africa (SSA), the harvested crop waste accounts for 30%. This affects critically food security, environment and farmer’s income (Farm Africa, 2021; TechnoServe, 2020). The estimates indicate that SSA loses US $ 4 billion every year, which could feed nearly 48 million people (https://www.unep.org/thinkeatsave/get-informed/worldwide-food-waste).
Food waste in Rwanda. The estimates indicate that in Rwanda, around 40 % of the total production is lost and wasted each year (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development &The World Bank, 2020)
REFERENCES
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International Bank for Reconstruction and Development &The World Bank (2020). Rwanda Food Smart Country Diagnostic. The World Bank.
Oishi, R. (2019). Food Loss and Waste in Japan. New Food Industry, 61(12), 908–914.
Poore, J., & Nemecek, T. (2018). Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers. Science, 360(6392), 987–992. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaq0216
UNDP (2021). Food Waste Index Report 2021. Nairobi. United Nations Environment Programme (UNDP)
Ge, M., Friedrich, J., & Vigna, L. (2020, February 6). 4 charts explain greenhouse gas emissions by countries and sectors. World Resources Institute. https://www.wri.org/insights/4-charts-explain-greenhouse-gas-emissions-countries-and-sectors.
Ritchie, H. (2020, March 18). Food waste is responsible for 6% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Our World in Data. https://ourworldindata.org/food-waste-emissions#licence.
TechnoServe. (2020, March 4). Partnering to reduce food waste in Kenya. TechnoServe. Retrieved September 13, 2021, from https://www.technoserve.org/blog/partnering-to-reduce-food-waste-in-kenya/.
Farm Africa. (2021, August 27). UNFSS independent dialogue on food loss and waste in Kenya. UNFSS Independent Dialogue on Food Loss and Waste in Kenya - Latest news from Farm Africa. Retrieved September 13, 2021, from https://www.farmafrica.org/latest/news/post/981-unfss-independent-dialogue-on-food-loss-and-waste-in-kenya.
The East African. (2020, July 28). Experts seek ways to reduce food wastage. The East African. Retrieved September 13, 2021, from https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/east-africa/experts-seek-ways-to-reduce-food-wastage--1361950.