Challenges and initiatives in reducing food losses and waste: Latin America and the Caribbean

The Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Region comprises 42 countries, from Mexico to the southernmost point of the continent, including the territories in the Caribbean Sea (PNUD, 2019). It is a heterogeneous region in ecological and socio-economic terms, integrating native inhabitants with immig...

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Main Authors: Brenes Peralta, Laura, Jiménez Morales, María Fernanda, Murillo Freire, Junior, Belik, Walter, Basso, Natalia, Polenta, Gustavo Alberto, Giraldo, Catalina, Granados, Sara
Format: Capítulo de libro
Language:Inglés
Published: 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/7316
http://dx.doi.org/10.19103/AS.2019.0053.33
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author Brenes Peralta, Laura
Jiménez Morales, María Fernanda
Murillo Freire, Junior
Belik, Walter
Basso, Natalia
Polenta, Gustavo Alberto
Giraldo, Catalina
Granados, Sara
author_browse Basso, Natalia
Belik, Walter
Brenes Peralta, Laura
Giraldo, Catalina
Granados, Sara
Jiménez Morales, María Fernanda
Murillo Freire, Junior
Polenta, Gustavo Alberto
author_facet Brenes Peralta, Laura
Jiménez Morales, María Fernanda
Murillo Freire, Junior
Belik, Walter
Basso, Natalia
Polenta, Gustavo Alberto
Giraldo, Catalina
Granados, Sara
author_sort Brenes Peralta, Laura
collection INTA Digital
description The Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Region comprises 42 countries, from Mexico to the southernmost point of the continent, including the territories in the Caribbean Sea (PNUD, 2019). It is a heterogeneous region in ecological and socio-economic terms, integrating native inhabitants with immigrants from Europe, Asia and Africa. It is responsible for a significant portion of the global food supply, produced under diverse agroclimatic zones, productive systems and socioeconomic sectors. Production systems range from intensive monocultural systems to family agriculture, agroforestry and ancestral production systems, surrounded by forest and protected areas. LAC accounts for 14% of the global production and 23% of exports of agricultural and fisheries commodities. It is a major exporter of soybeans, maize, poultry, coffee, sugar and a variety of fruits and vegetables (OECD and FAO, 2019). Seventy percent of the population in LAC lives in cities (PNUD, 2019) and the region is characterized by increasing levels of inequality (Kliksberg, 2000). Whilst malnutrition has reduced by 6.8% over the last 20 years, the number of undernourished people increased for the third consecutive year: in 2017 it reached 39.3 million, mainly in South America. One in ten children under 5 years of age is stunted; one in four adults is obese; and one in five women of childbearing age suffers from anaemia. The problems of malnutrition and undernutrition in the region are the result of profound changes in regional food systems, driven by growing urbanization, changing of food patterns and new ways of producing and processing food (FAO, OPS, WFP and UNICEF, 2018). Reducing Food losses and waste (FLW) has been identified as a priority in the region as a way of boosting the region’s economy, food security and nutrition, environmental performance and sustainability of food production. An estimated 15% of the region’s available food is lost or wasted each year, amounting to 6% of the world total (FAO-RLC, 2014b). More recent estimations indicate FLW at an average of 223 kg of FLW/person, equivalent to 127 million t. FLW figures for individual sectors include 25% in cereals, 40% in roots and tubers, 20% in grains, 55% in fruits and vegetables, 20% in meat, 20% in dairy products and 33% of fish and seafood (FAO-RLC, 2016). The following sections describe the steps that the Latin American and the Caribbean Region has taken to address the problem of FLW.
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spelling INTA73162020-05-27T15:40:27Z Challenges and initiatives in reducing food losses and waste: Latin America and the Caribbean Brenes Peralta, Laura Jiménez Morales, María Fernanda Murillo Freire, Junior Belik, Walter Basso, Natalia Polenta, Gustavo Alberto Giraldo, Catalina Granados, Sara Food Losses Food Wastes Pérdida de Alimentos Desechos Alimentarios Latin America and the Caribbean Challenges and Initiatives América Latina y el Caribe Retos e Iniciativas The Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Region comprises 42 countries, from Mexico to the southernmost point of the continent, including the territories in the Caribbean Sea (PNUD, 2019). It is a heterogeneous region in ecological and socio-economic terms, integrating native inhabitants with immigrants from Europe, Asia and Africa. It is responsible for a significant portion of the global food supply, produced under diverse agroclimatic zones, productive systems and socioeconomic sectors. Production systems range from intensive monocultural systems to family agriculture, agroforestry and ancestral production systems, surrounded by forest and protected areas. LAC accounts for 14% of the global production and 23% of exports of agricultural and fisheries commodities. It is a major exporter of soybeans, maize, poultry, coffee, sugar and a variety of fruits and vegetables (OECD and FAO, 2019). Seventy percent of the population in LAC lives in cities (PNUD, 2019) and the region is characterized by increasing levels of inequality (Kliksberg, 2000). Whilst malnutrition has reduced by 6.8% over the last 20 years, the number of undernourished people increased for the third consecutive year: in 2017 it reached 39.3 million, mainly in South America. One in ten children under 5 years of age is stunted; one in four adults is obese; and one in five women of childbearing age suffers from anaemia. The problems of malnutrition and undernutrition in the region are the result of profound changes in regional food systems, driven by growing urbanization, changing of food patterns and new ways of producing and processing food (FAO, OPS, WFP and UNICEF, 2018). Reducing Food losses and waste (FLW) has been identified as a priority in the region as a way of boosting the region’s economy, food security and nutrition, environmental performance and sustainability of food production. An estimated 15% of the region’s available food is lost or wasted each year, amounting to 6% of the world total (FAO-RLC, 2014b). More recent estimations indicate FLW at an average of 223 kg of FLW/person, equivalent to 127 million t. FLW figures for individual sectors include 25% in cereals, 40% in roots and tubers, 20% in grains, 55% in fruits and vegetables, 20% in meat, 20% in dairy products and 33% of fish and seafood (FAO-RLC, 2016). The following sections describe the steps that the Latin American and the Caribbean Region has taken to address the problem of FLW. Fil: Brenes Peralta, Laura. Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica (TEC); Costa Rica. Fil: Jiménez Morales, María Fernanda. Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica (TEC); Costa Rica. Fil: Murillo Freire, Junior. Empresa Brasileña de Investigación Agropecuaria (EMBRAPA); Brasil Fil Belik, Walter. Universidad Estatal de Campinas (UNICAMP); Brasil. Fil: Basso, Natalia. Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería y Pesca (MAGyP); Argentina. Fil: Polenta, Gustavo Alberto. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). CIA. Instituto Tecnología de Alimentos; Argentina. Fil: Giraldo, Catalina. Cadenas de Valor Sustentables SpA; Chile. Fil: Granados, Sara. Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura (FAO); Chile. 2020-05-27T15:31:31Z 2020-05-27T15:31:31Z 2020-03 info:ar-repo/semantics/parte de libro info:eu-repo/semantics/bookPart info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/7316 10 1786763001 13 9781786763006 http://dx.doi.org/10.19103/AS.2019.0053.33 eng Burleigh Dodds series in agricultural science info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess application/pdf Preventing food losses and waste to achieve food security and sustainability / edited by Elhadi M. Yahia. Cambridge, United Kingdom : Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing, 2020
spellingShingle Food Losses
Food Wastes
Pérdida de Alimentos
Desechos Alimentarios
Latin America and the Caribbean
Challenges and Initiatives
América Latina y el Caribe
Retos e Iniciativas
Brenes Peralta, Laura
Jiménez Morales, María Fernanda
Murillo Freire, Junior
Belik, Walter
Basso, Natalia
Polenta, Gustavo Alberto
Giraldo, Catalina
Granados, Sara
Challenges and initiatives in reducing food losses and waste: Latin America and the Caribbean
title Challenges and initiatives in reducing food losses and waste: Latin America and the Caribbean
title_full Challenges and initiatives in reducing food losses and waste: Latin America and the Caribbean
title_fullStr Challenges and initiatives in reducing food losses and waste: Latin America and the Caribbean
title_full_unstemmed Challenges and initiatives in reducing food losses and waste: Latin America and the Caribbean
title_short Challenges and initiatives in reducing food losses and waste: Latin America and the Caribbean
title_sort challenges and initiatives in reducing food losses and waste latin america and the caribbean
topic Food Losses
Food Wastes
Pérdida de Alimentos
Desechos Alimentarios
Latin America and the Caribbean
Challenges and Initiatives
América Latina y el Caribe
Retos e Iniciativas
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/7316
http://dx.doi.org/10.19103/AS.2019.0053.33
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