To meet the challenge of feeding growing populations and the global hungry,
massive reductions in the amount of food wasted after production are needed. The
Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Water Management
Institute (IWMI) released on Thursday, August 21, a policy brief "Saving Water: From Field to Fork - Curbing Losses and Wastage in
the Food Chain," that calls on governments to reduce by half, by 2025, the
amount of food that is wasted after it is grown andoutlines attainable steps for
this be achieved.
Tossed Food: Like Leaving the Tap
Running
Tremendous quantities of food are discarded in processing,
transport, supermarkets and people's kitchens. This wasted food is also wasted
water. In the US, for instance, as much as 30 percent of food, worth some USD
48.3 billion, is thrown away. That's like leaving the tap running and pouring 40
trillion litres of water into the garbage can - enough water to meet the
household needs of 500 million people. Through international trade, savings in
one country might benefit communities in other parts of the world.
More
than enough food is produced to feed a healthy global population. Distribution
and access to food is a problem - many are hungry, while at the same time many
over-eat. The Report highlights an often overlooked problem: we are providing
food to take care of not only our necessary consumption but also our wasteful
habits.
"As much as half of the water used to grow food globally may be
lost or wasted," says Dr. Charlotte de Fraiture, Researcher at IWMI. "Curbing
these losses and improving water productivity provides win-win opportunities for
farmers, business, ecosystems, and the global hungry. An effective water-saving
strategy requires that minimising food wastage is firmly placed on the political
agenda."
Food production is constrained by the availability of water and
land resources. An estimated 1.2 billion people already live in areas where
there is not enough water to meet demand. And with rising demand for
water-intensive agricultural products, such as beef and bioenergy, pressure
mounts.According to the Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in
Agriculture 2007, these trends will lead to crises in many places, particularly
in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. "Unless we change our practices, water
will be a key constraint to food production in the future," said Dr. Pasquale
Steduto of FAO.
Saving Water from Field to
Fork'
Water losses accumulate as food is wasted
before and after it reaches the consumer. In poorer countries, a majority of
uneaten food is lost before it has a chance to be consumed. Depending on the
crop, an estimated 15-35 percent of food may be lost in the field. Another 10-15
percent is discarded during processing, transport and storage. In richer
countries, production is more efficient but waste is greater: people toss the
food they buy and all the resources used to grow, ship and produce the food
along with it. The Report stresses that the magnitude of current food losses
presents both challenges and opportunities. "Improving water productivity and
reducing the quantity of food that is wasted can enable us to provide a better
diet for the poor and enough food for growing populations," says Prof. Jan
Lundqvist of SIWI. "Reaching the target we propose, a 50 percent reduction of
losses and wastage in the production and consumption chain is a necessary and
achievable goal." The report will be freely available at www.siwi.org August 21.
Ladda ned
som Word-dokument
Evenemang
World
Water Week in Stockholm
2008-08-19 21:58
Tid: 2008-08-17 -
2008-08-22 |
Plats: |
Stockholmsmässan,
Stockholm /Sweden |
The World Water Week in
Stockholm is the leading annual global meeting place for capacity-building,
partnership-building and follow-up on the implementation of international
processes and programmes in water and development. The theme of the week is
Progress and Prospects on Water: For a Clean and Healthy World with Special
Focus on Sanitation. http://www.worldwaterweek.org/
Dokument
Background
Facts on "Field to Fork"
2008-08-21 12:15
Background story in the
press-kit for the World Water Week in Stockhom 2008.
SIWI
policy brief "From Field to Fork"
2008-08-21 12:14
To meet the
challenge of feeding growing populations and the global hungry, massive
reductions in the amount of food wasted after production are needed. The Report
highlights an often overlooked problem: we are providing food to take care of
not only our necessary consumption but also our wasteful habits.
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