Thumbnail Image

Evaluation of FAO’s work on reducing food loss and waste under Programme Priority Area “better nutrition 4”

Evaluation Brief

Year of publication 2023

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 2p.

Author FAO

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet

Synopsis (short abstract) The PPA called "Better Nutrition 4 (BN4) – Reducing food loss and waste-FLW" aims to help countries develop tailored roadmaps to minimize FLW across the food supply chain. Previous strategic frameworks of FAO also highlighted FLW reduction as an important goal. As the current Strategic Framework was adopted quite recently, in 2022, the scope of this evaluation will extend over a longer time period, from the promulgation of the SDGs to present (2015-2023). The evaluation will assess the soundness and completeness of FAO’s programme logic in relation to food loss and waste, whether and under what conditions FAO’s technical solutions have been associated with a reduction in food loss and waste, and how well this work contributes to FAO's custodianship role on SDG indicators relevant to FLW.

Language English

Also available in:

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Thumbnail Image
    Booklet
    Evaluation of FAO's work on reducing food loss and waste under Programme Priority Area "better nutrition 4" 2024
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    Reducing food loss and waste (FLW) is critical for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 12, which focuses on responsible consumption and production, specifically target 12.3 “Halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains”. Progress against this target is monitored through the Food Loss Index (FLI), developed by FAO. Behind the goal is a global movement to reevaluate our food production and consumption systems and reduce the waste they generate.The FAO Strategic Framework 2022–2031 includes 20 Programme Priority Areas (PPAs). This was the first evaluation of a PPA. It focussed on Better Nutrition 4 (BN4) - Reducing Food Loss and Waste. Covering 2015 to 2023, the evaluation aimed to enhance FAO's contributions to FLW reduction. Based on eleven country case studies, a review of FAO reports on FLW and of their audience, more than 175 interviews and a survey of national statisticians trained on the FLI, the evaluation found that FAO has positioned itself as a key player on food loss and waste reduction thanks to high-quality publications such as the State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) 2019. FAO’s focus has broadened from primarily addressing post-harvest losses to encompassing entire value chains, including at retail and consumer levels. Elevating food loss and waste as a standalone PPA within the FAO's Strategic Framework 2022–2031 has highlighted its critical role at the heart of agrifood system reform but has done little to mobilize resources. BN4 remains the smallest of all PPAs, accounting for less than 1 percent of FAO’s field programme. The evaluation called for better integration of socioeconomic, environmental and gender considerations in FLW strategies and projects, emphasizing the need for more resources and innovative solutions.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (series)
    How to reduce food loss and waste for food security and environmental sustainability
    FAO Agricultural Development Economics Policy Brief 19
    2019
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    Food loss and waste reduction is considered important for improving food security and nutrition, promoting environmental sustainability and lowering production costs. However, it is not a given that reducing food loss and waste in any part of the world or point in the food supply chain will be equally effective in achieving these objectives, or be effective at all. Public strategies to reduce food loss and waste must be carefully designed in order to effectively meet food security and environmental sustainability objectives. Reducing food loss and waste can improve food security and nutrition, lower greenhouse gas emissions and reduce pressures on natural resources such as land and water – but the effectiveness depends on where and how it is done. Different countries will have different priorities to guide their strategies. Focusing on initiatives that are well targeted to the objective pursued will be the key to successfully move forward on food loss and waste.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Article
    Reducing food loss and waste: Five challenges for policy and research 2021
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    Despite broad agreement in policy circles on the need to reduce food loss and waste (FLW), considerable gaps ininformation still exist. This paper identifies policy-relevant information gaps, summarizes recent research thattries to fill these gaps and identifies five challenges for researchers, policymakers and practitioners in reducingFLW. The five challenges identified are: (i) measuring and monitoring FLW, (ii) assessing benefits and costs ofFLW reduction and the tradeoffs involved, (iii) designing FLW-related policies and interventions under limitedinformation, (iv) understanding how interactions between stages along food value chain and across countriesaffect outcomes of FLW reduction efforts, (v) preparing for income transitions and the shifting relative importanceof losses and waste as economies develop.
Show more

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

No results found.