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With research staff from more than 60 countries, and offices across the globe, IFPRI provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries.

researcher spotlight

Liangzhi You

Liangzhi You is a Senior Research Fellow and theme leader in the Foresight and Policy Modeling Unit, based in Washington, DC. His research focuses on climate resilience, spatial data and analytics, agroecosystems, and agricultural science policy. Gridded crop production data of the world (SPAM) and the agricultural technology evaluation model (DREAM) are among his research contributions. 

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IFPRI currently has more than 600 employees working in over 80 countries with a wide range of local, national, and international partners.

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TOPIC

Food Loss and Waste

Globally, about a third of all food is lost or wasted every year. In a world where one in nine people goes hungry, food loss and waste are urgent issues. Reducing food loss and waste can improve food security, nutrition, and smallholder incomes, and potentially reduce agriculture’s contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions.

But data on food loss and waste are scarce. In developing countries, we know little about how much food is lost or wasted and where these losses happen along the value chain—from preharvest losses to consumer waste though poor storage, inefficient supply chains, inadequate infrastructure, and consumer behavior, all stages of the value chain play a role.

To address these knowledge gaps, IFPRI researchers are developing better methodologies to measure food losses and pinpoint where they occur along the value chain. This information is key to designing targeted policies and effective programs for reducing food loss.

IFPRI also evaluates the impact of innovations and technologies for reducing food losses, such as quality-based contractual arrangements, bio-controls for reducing aflatoxin contamination, and appropriate cold storage and transport options for low-income countries.IFPRI’s research on this topic is closely aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 2 and SDG 12, and the CGIAR Impact Areas on Nutrition, Health, and Food Security; Poverty Reduction, Livelihoods, and Jobs; and Climate Adaptation and Mitigation.

food_loss_waste

topics

Publications

Resource thumbnail

Report

Postharvest packaging and marketing innovation adoption in Nigeria: The case of plastic crate

2024Yami, Mesay; Saweda, Liverpool-Tasie; Wossen, Tesfamicheal; Oyinbo, Oyakhilomen; Yamauchi, Futoshi; Chamberlin, Jordan; Feleke, Shiferaw; Abdoulaye, Tahirou
Details

Postharvest packaging and marketing innovation adoption in Nigeria: The case of plastic crate

Postharvest loss of horticultural crops is high in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where smallholder farmers play a critical role in production (Jarman et al., 2023). Most losses happen during the production and postharvest handling stages, accounting for 38% and 34% of the total losses, respectively (Luo et al., 2021). The significant amounts of food loss are worrisome, particularly given the extent of poverty and food insecurity in SSA (Aragie, 2021). Reducing postharvest losses (PHL) is a key pathway to food and nutrition security in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) (Affognon et al., 2015). Food losses in SSA are influenced by insufficient infrastructure and technology for postharvest handling and storage, limited access to markets and coordinated logistics, and poor knowledge and skills in food handling and preservation techniques (Yamauchi & Takeshima, 2023; Rutta, 2022). The Green Revolution, intended to boost food production with modern farming methods, has unintentionally led to challenges in food distribution. Food losses grow due to longer supply chains and higher consumer incomes, resulting in greater food consumption away from home. Feeding Africa’s growing urban population of 472 million is becoming daunting with the current PHL (Plaisier et al., 2019). The urban population dependent on agricultural food from rural areas is expected to double over the next 25 years, with an annual growth rate of 4% (Lall et al., 2017). It is essential to tackle PHL in SSA to reduce the food deficit and ensure food and nutrition security (Affognon et al., 2015). SSA countries can reduce food losses by tackling the underlying causes of PHL and implementing effective strategies like upgrading infrastructure and technology for postharvest management, improving market access and transportation, and educating individuals on proper food preservation methods.

Year published

2024

Authors

Yami, Mesay; Saweda, Liverpool-Tasie; Wossen, Tesfamicheal; Oyinbo, Oyakhilomen; Yamauchi, Futoshi; Chamberlin, Jordan; Feleke, Shiferaw; Abdoulaye, Tahirou

Citation

Yami, Mesay; Saweda, Liverpool-Tasie; Wossen, Tesfamicheal; Oyinbo, Oyakhilomen; Yamauchi, Futoshi; Chamberlin, Jordan; Feleke, Shiferaw; and Abdoulaye, Tahirou. 2024. Postharvest packaging and marketing innovation adoption in Nigeria: The case of plastic crate. Rethinking Food Markets Technical Report. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute.

Country/Region

Nigeria

Keywords

Western Africa; Africa; Postharvest Technology; Agriculture; Smallholders; Postharvest Losses; Food Security

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Project

Rethinking Food Markets

Record type

Report

Resource thumbnail

Report

Resilient Cities urban nutrition profile: Bangladesh

2024Margolies, Amy; Choo, Esther; Singh, Nishmeet; Parvin, Aklima; Ruel, Marie T.; Olney, Deanna K.
Details

Resilient Cities urban nutrition profile: Bangladesh

Urban-rural disparities in undernutrition in children under five have dissipated. Stunting declined from 2014 to 2022 in both urban and rural areas, but more so in rural areas, leading to comparable rates of stunting in urban and rural areas (22 percent, 24 percent). Wasting remains “high” (according to the World Health Organization) in both urban and rural areas (11 percent). The prevalence of child overweight is low but increasing, especially in Dhaka. Vitamin A deficiency affects half of children under five. Vitamin D and iron deficiencies are higher in urban areas, with zinc and iodine deficiencies more prevalent in rural areas. Urban and rural diets lack fruits and vegetables. A third of urban households have inadequate caloric intake. The cost of a healthy diet increased from $3.03 to $3.64 per person per day from 2017– 2022 and the percentage of the population unable to afford a healthy diet fell from 65 to 48 percent. Currently, 82 million people are unable to afford a healthy diet in the country. The diet diversity of young children has improved since 2011, but gains were seen mostly in rural areas. The percentage of all children fed the minimum meal frequency dropped by 20 percentage points from 2017 to 2022. Urban informal settlements are a concern – children have higher rates of stunting, lower dietary diversity, and higher prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies compared to other urban children. Overweight and obesity in urban adults is a critical problem. More urban women (48 percent) are overweight compared to rural women (35 percent); the same is true for urban men (29 percent) compared to 17 percent for rural men. Some urban nutrition interventions to tackle child undernutrition are being implemented, but few have been rigorously evaluated. Data on urban food environments (FEs) is becoming more available, but there are gaps in knowledge, particularly on the design and evaluation of interventions to counter the influence of the country’s increasingly obesogenic urban FE. National policies include targeted actions to improve urban diets and nutrition. More could be done, however, to improve the healthiness and safety of FEs, leverage social protection programs for the urban poor to make healthy diets more affordable, and to implement double-duty actions to address all forms of malnutrition.

Year published

2024

Authors

Margolies, Amy; Choo, Esther; Singh, Nishmeet; Parvin, Aklima; Ruel, Marie T.; Olney, Deanna K.

Citation

Margolies, Amy; Choo, Esther; Singh, Nishmeet; Parvin, Aklima; Ruel, Marie; and Olney, Deanna. 2024. Resilient Cities urban nutrition profile: Bangladesh. Resilient Cities Country Profile. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/159793

Country/Region

Bangladesh

Keywords

Asia; Southern Asia; Rural Urban Relations; Nutrition; Children; Stunting; Non-communicable Diseases; Micronutrient Deficiencies; Food Prices; Dietary Diversity; Food Environment

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Project

Sustainable Healthy Diets

Record type

Report

Resource thumbnail

Report

Resilient Cities urban nutrition profile: Ethiopia

2024Margolies, Amy; Amunga, Dorcas; Zerfu, Taddese Alemu; Ruel, Marie T.; Olney, Deanna K.
Details

Resilient Cities urban nutrition profile: Ethiopia

Key Messages -Undernutrition has declined over time, but stunting still affects 40 percent of rural children and 25 percent of urban children. -Micronutrient deficiencies—especially deficiencies in folate, zinc and Vitamin D—are a critical concern, particularly for urban women and girls. -Dietary quality is low in both rural and urban areas: while urban diets are moderately more diverse than rural ones, rising consumption of unhealthy foods is more of a concern than in rural areas at this time. -The cost of consuming a healthy diet in Ethiopia increased from US $2.83 to $3.72 from 2017—2022, and over half of the population is currently unable to afford a healthy diet. -Concurrent conflict and climate shocks are causing acute nutritional needs in some regions. Humanitarian food aid is key to reducing food insecurity and should be provided to households without access to land who rely on income for food purchases, such as those in urban areas. -Overweight and obesity are still uncommon among young children but are increasing rapidly among urban women. In urban areas, 20 percent of women are overweight, compared to 4 percent in rural areas. The rise in urban overweight is driven by lifestyle changes associated with urbanization and unhealthy food environments, which are associated with poor quality diets and reduced physical activity. -Overnutrition and diet-related noncommunicable diseases are especially prevalent in Addis Ababa. -Food safety is a challenge, and evidence is lacking on how to improve vendor safety knowledge and practices to protect consumer health. -National social protection programs often fail to reach the urban poor and lack explicit nutrition interventions in urban areas. -There is a need to design and test urban nutrition interventions that address both over and undernutrition (such as double-duty actions) in urban populations.

Year published

2024

Authors

Margolies, Amy; Amunga, Dorcas; Zerfu, Taddese Alemu; Ruel, Marie T.; Olney, Deanna K.

Citation

Margolies, Amy; Amunga, Dorcas; Zerfu, Taddese; Ruel, Marie; and Olney, Deanna. 2024. Resilient Cities urban nutrition profile: Ethiopia. Resilient Cities Country Profile. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/159790

Country/Region

Ethiopia

Keywords

Eastern Africa; Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Nutrition; Stunting; Children; Micronutrient Deficiencies; Diet; Rural Urban Relations; Food Safety

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Project

Resilient Cities

Record type

Report

Blogs

Reducing food loss and waste for climate outcomes: Insights from national consultations in Bangladesh, Malawi and Nepal
IFPRI Blog
 | 
August 21, 2024

Reducing food loss and waste for climate outcomes: Insights from national consultations in Bangladesh, Malawi and Nepal

By Suresh Babu, Yogendra Karki, Innocent Pangapanga, Md Sadat Anowar, and Nandita Srivastava

Integrating key goals of food system transformation.

Interview: IFPRI's Rob Vos on the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste Reduction
Interview/Q&A
 | 
September 28, 2023

Interview: IFPRI’s Rob Vos on the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste Reduction

Ways to address a global challenge.

International Day of Zero Waste: Reducing loss and waste in fruit and vegetable supply chains
IFPRI Blog
 | 
March 30, 2023

International Day of Zero Waste: Reducing loss and waste in fruit and vegetable supply chains

By Swati Malhotra

Innovations and other efforts to maximize food preservation from farm to fork.

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Events

Food Loss and Waste in Fruit and Vegetable Supply Chains
IFPRI Policy Seminar

 | 

March 14, 2023, 9:30 – 11:00 am

Food Loss and Waste in Fruit and Vegetable Supply Chains

Virtual Event: March 14, 2023 – 9:30 AM- 11:00 AM EST. The seminar will take a closer look at fruits and vegetables, which are among the healthiest but most wasted foods. Given their perishable nature, great care, attention, and cooperation along all parts of fruit and vegetable value chains are required to reduce food loss and waste.

SDG 12.3 - Food Loss and Food Waste: A Once in a Generation Opportunity
IFPRI Policy Seminar

 | 

March 10, 2022, 9:30 – 11:00 am

SDG 12.3 – Food Loss and Food Waste: A Once in a Generation Opportunity

Virtual Event: March 10, 2022 – 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM EST. At this seminar, young changemakers associated with the World Food Forum will pose questions and engage in a dialogue with a panel of leaders.

UNFSS Science Days Side Event: Promise of the Commons for Sustainable and Equitable Food Systems
Series/Special Event

 | 

July 7, 2021, 7:00 – 8:00 am

UNFSS Science Days Side Event: Promise of the Commons for Sustainable and Equitable Food Systems

Virtual Event: July 7, 2021 – 07:00 AM to 08:00 AM EDT. This side event will present evidence from a new study of the value of ecosystem services from the commons in India. 

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News

February 24, 2023 | In the News

Knowledge Bank can prevent post-harvest crop wastage (Protho Malo)

In an op-ed by Shoumi Mustafa, a research coordinator at the International Food Policy Research Institute (in Dhaka) writes in Protho Malo (Bangladesh) that approximately a third of all food produced in the world in a year is lost or wasted in post-harvest operations (PHL). Recent estimates suggest that 1.45 crore (145 million) tons of […]

January 18, 2023 | In the News

Solving the problem of food waste in PHL (Business Mirror) 

Business Mirror (The Philippines), in an article about food waste and loss in the country, writes that the problem does not only occur in Philippine households, but in countries throughout the world. Food waste and loss is not merely what happens with consumers, but “Our farmers also incur postharvest losses, which the Food and Agriculture […]

February 06, 2022 | In the News

How vegetables can stay for 30 days without spoilage (The Guardian)

The Guardian (Nigeria) published an article on food spoilage. Food spoilage, which is the loss of food meant for human consumption due to inefficiency along the food supply chains, reduces the net availability of food for human consumption. Lack of food, because of spoilage, intensifies poverty, hunger, and malnutrition.  IFPRI estimates that a 10 percent reduction in […]

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Our experts

Nina Jovanovic

Nina Jovanovic

Associate Research Fellow, Development
Strategies and Governance

Karl Pauw

Karl Pauw

Senior Research Fellow, Foresight
and Policy Modeling

Mariam Dawoud

Mariam Dawoud

Program Manager, Development
Strategies and Governance

Razin Kabir

Razin Kabir

Senior Program Manager, Poverty,
Gender, and Inclusion

Ester Jimmy

Ester Jimmy

Research Associate, Innovation
Policy and Scaling