Syllabus
GS Paper II – Issues relating to poverty and hunger.
Context
The United Nations has marked September 29 as the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (FLW).
Food Loss and Waste (FLW)
Introduction
Food Loss and Waste (FLW) is a critical global issue that the United Nations has highlighted by designating September 29 as the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste. FLW encompasses the reduction of food quantity or quality along the food supply chain, from production to consumption. This phenomenon not only exacerbates food insecurity but also contributes to environmental degradation through wasted resources and increased greenhouse gas emissions. Addressing FLW is essential for achieving sustainable development goals, ensuring food security, and mitigating climate change impacts. Efforts to reduce FLW require coordinated actions from governments, businesses, and individuals.
Food Loss and Waste (FLW)
- Definition: Food Loss and Waste (FLW) refers to the reduction in the quantity or quality of food along the supply chain, from production to consumption.
- Food Loss: Occurs during production, post-harvest, and processing stages due to poor infrastructure, lack of technology, and inefficient supply chain management.
- Food Waste: Happens at the retail and consumption stages, often due to consumer behavior and inadequate planning.
Status of Food Loss and Waste (FLW)
- Global Status: Food Loss and Waste (FLW) accounts for approximately 30% of global food production.
- Harvest to Retail: 13.2% of global food production is lost between harvest and retail stages.
- Retail to Consumption: 17% of food is wasted between retail and consumption stages.
- India’s Status: According to the All-India post-harvest loss survey by NABCONS, 2022.
- Highest Losses:
- Fruits: 8.1%
- Vegetables: 7.27%
- Plantation Crops: 7.18%
- Other Crops:
- Livestock Produce: 1.29%
- Cereals: 4.44%
- Oilseeds: 5.66%
- Eggs: 6.03%
- Pulses: 6.36%
- Highest Losses:
Causes of Food Loss and Waste (FLW)
- Harvesting and Storage: Food loss primarily occurs during harvesting, threshing, drying, and storage stages due to low mechanization and inadequate logistics.
- Cold Chain Deficiency: Approximately 49.9 MMT of horticultural crops are lost annually due to insufficient cold chain infrastructure.
- Storage Shortcomings: Post-harvest losses account for about 10% of total food grain production due to inadequate storage facilities.
- Jute Bag Issues: Jute is a water and labor-intensive crop, prone to rodent attacks and pilferage in tropical climates.
- Jute Packaging Material Act (JPMA, 1987): Mandates the use of jute bags for packaging 100% of food grains and 20% of sugar.
- Mechanization Levels: Only 4.4% of cultivator households in India own tractors, and just 5.3% have power tillers, combine harvesters, or threshers.
- High Machinery Costs: Small and marginal farmers, who make up over 86% of Indian agricultural households, often cannot afford expensive machinery.
- Regional Disparities: 97% of paddy-producing households in Punjab use combine harvesters, compared to only 10% in Bihar.
- Traditional Methods: Traditional sun drying methods are risky, leading to foreign matter contamination, uneven drying, and moisture exposure, which can cause mycotoxin contamination.
- Cultural Influences: Many Indian socio-religious events involve food feasts, resulting in significant food waste.
Impacts of Food Loss and Waste (FLW)
- Global Food Systems: Food loss and waste jeopardizes the sustainability of our food systems.
- Food Security: FLW negatively impacts food security by reducing the availability of fresh produce.
- Health Implications: Reduced availability and increased costs force vulnerable populations to consume lower quality, less nutritious food.
- Food Costs: Decreased food availability leads to higher food prices.
- Resource Wastage: When food is wasted, all the resources used to produce it—water, land, energy, labor, and capital—are also wasted.
- Water Usage: Agriculture consumes nearly 70% of the world’s freshwater, and when food is lost, these critical water resources are wasted.
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Disposal of FLW in landfills results in greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change.
- Global Emissions: Food loss alone accounts for 6% of global emissions.
- Economic Impact: The total monetary value of food lost is close to ₹1.52 lakh crore ($18.41 billion), which is about 3.7% of the gross value added (Agri GVA) to the agricultural sector in the country.
- Farmers’ Income: Loss of quality results in lower prices for produce, and wastage of produce leads to a loss of income potential for farmers.
Benefits of reducing food wastes
- Greenhouse Gas Reduction: Cutting FLW by at least 50% can help lower global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 8 to 10%.
- Resource Conservation: Reducing waste conserves valuable resources like water, land, and energy.
- Energy Savings: A 50% reduction in FLW can decrease total energy usage by 38%.
- Waste Management: Minimizing food waste reduces the amount of waste ending up in landfills, improving environmental and public health.
- Biodiversity Preservation: Lowering waste helps protect ecosystems and species.
- Cost Efficiency: Households, businesses, and communities can save money by reducing food waste.
- Food Security: Reducing food wastage benefits the 700 million people suffering from hunger and lowers food costs.
- Agricultural Profitability: By reducing waste, farmers and food producers can enhance their profitability and financial stability.
- SDG Achievement: Reducing food waste aids in achieving UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets 12.3.1 (halving food loss) and 12.3.2 (halving food waste).
- Responsible Consumption: SDG 12 focuses on responsible consumption and production.
- Health Improvement: Reducing food waste can lead to healthier diets as people gain access to a wider variety of fresh, nutritious foods.
Government Measures
- Modernization of Agri Systems: The government has implemented measures to modernize agricultural systems throughout the supply chain.
- Storage Improvement: The Government of India has initiated a major grain storage plan to increase storage capacity by 70 MMT over the next five years.
- Potential Impact: If properly executed, this plan could significantly reduce post-harvest losses at the storage level.
- Storage Improvement: The Government of India has initiated a major grain storage plan to increase storage capacity by 70 MMT over the next five years.
- Logistics and Cold Chain Infrastructure: The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY) offers subsidies for the transportation and storage of eligible crops.
- Cold Chain Facilities: The Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition Infrastructure scheme promotes uninterrupted cold chain facilities from the farm gate to the consumer.
- Rural Infrastructure Enhancement: The Rural Godown Scheme focuses on improving storage infrastructure in rural and remote areas to minimize storage losses.
- Research and Studies: The FAO, in collaboration with the National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM), is conducting a study to enhance India’s agrifood resilience.
- Study Objectives: The study aims to identify points of loss within the food supply chain, quantify the losses, and evaluate the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions resulting from food loss.
Way forward
- Technological Interventions: Enhance technological measures across the value chain to prevent food loss from harvest to retail.
- Combine Harvesters: Utilize combine harvesters to minimize paddy losses compared to traditional manual methods.
- Paddy Loss Reduction: Overall paddy loss decreases to just 2.84% with mechanized harvesting and drying at the farm level.
- Farm Mechanization: Promote farm mechanization through group leasing arrangements by encouraging Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs).
- Drying and Storage: Improve the availability of proper drying and storage infrastructure, including solar dryers and dehydrators, to reduce losses and extend the shelf-life of perishables.
- Jute Packaging Material Act: Revisit the Jute Packaging Material Act (JPMA, 1987) to permit the use of airtight bags, reducing storage and transit losses.
- Community Initiatives: Encourage community-led initiatives like the Zero Food Wastage initiative by the Dana Committee of Dawoodi Bohras in Pune.
Conclusion
Addressing Food Loss and Waste (FLW) is crucial for achieving sustainable development, ensuring food security, and mitigating climate change. By reducing FLW, we can conserve valuable resources, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and improve the efficiency of our food systems. Efforts to minimize FLW require coordinated actions from governments, businesses, and individuals, including technological innovations, policy measures, and public awareness campaigns. Ultimately, reducing FLW not only benefits the environment and economy but also enhances the well-being of communities worldwide by ensuring that more food reaches those in need.
Related PYQ
“Incidence and intensity of poverty are most important in determining poverty based on income alone”. In this context analyze the latest United Nations Multi Poverty Index report. [UPSC CSE – 2020 Mains]
Practice Question
Discuss the significance of the United Nations designating September 29 as the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (FLW). What are the key challenges and strategies to address FLW globally and in India?
Guidelines to Answer
Introduction
- Briefly introduce the concept of Food Loss and Waste (FLW).
- Mention the United Nations’ initiative to mark September 29 as the International Day of Awareness of FLW.
Body
- Significance:
- Explain the importance of raising awareness about FLW.
- Discuss the impact of FLW on food security, the environment, and the economy.
- Key Challenges:
- Identify the major challenges in addressing FLW globally.
- Highlight specific challenges faced by India.
- Mention factors such as low mechanization, inadequate storage facilities, and regional disparities.
- Strategies to Address FLW:
- Discuss global strategies to reduce FLW.
- Outline specific measures taken by the Indian government.
Conclusion
- Summarize the importance of addressing FLW for sustainable development.
- Emphasize the need for coordinated efforts from governments, businesses, and individuals to effectively tackle FLW.