Purpose of this Forum
The theme of this year’s Forum is “Contribution to Food Security through Reduction of Food Loss”, which is a global problem. The purpose of this forum is to introduce initiatives related to this theme and to contribute to strengthening the network of JiPFA members through discussions on how their knowledge and skills can potentially contribute to solving issues related to this theme.
background
Due to the effects of the still lingering coronal disaster, bad harvests caused by extreme weather and other factors, and supply chain stagnation caused by war damage such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, shortages and price hikes in energy and inputs for food and food production have become major problems around the world.
Despite these problems, some developed countries and oil-producing countries are facing the problem of food waste, including imported food produced using a lot of energy. On the other hand, developing countries have the problem of food loss, where a high percentage of food produced in developing countries is disposed of due to damage caused by poor roads and other maintenance standards and improper transportation in the process from the production stage to the market. These problems are one of the major impediments to food security.
As a result of the post-facto questionnaire of the 4th Annual Forum, it was found that information and opinion exchange on the midstream stage of the food chain (from collection to market) is scarce in JiPFA. This is an important issue for food loss reduction and energy conservation, especially in developing countries. Therefore, we will introduce and discuss specific initiatives in this area.
JICA will introduce its initiatives, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which has the most knowledge on food loss and food waste, will make comments and recommendations on the development of food loss reduction throughout the food chain, based on the content of the forum. The Forum will also include comments and recommendations on the development of food loss reduction throughout the food chain.
The most popular area of interest in the 4th Annual Forum survey was climate change countermeasures (mitigation and adaptation), which is also linked to food loss, which will be addressed in the next forum. The JiPFA subcommittee on “Agriculture and Resilience (Climate Change)” is scheduled to be held in March 2024, at which information will be disseminated and opinions will be exchanged.
Date and Time
Monday, January 22, 2024, 14:30-16:15 (Online: connection starts 30 minutes before the start)
How to hold an event
Hybrid event (Venue: JICA Kojimachi HQ Room 228+229, Online: Microsoft Teams)
organizing
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
Program (tentative)
(1) Opening remarks
Osamu Kubota, Senior Advisor, JICA
(2) Part 1: Report from the JiPFA Secretariat
Report on JiPFA’s FY2023 Activities and Future Policies, Explanation of the Purpose of the 5th Forum
Kanako Moriguchi, Deputy Director for Planning, Economic Development Division, JICA
Kanako Moriguchi, Deputy Director for Planning, Economic Development Department, JICA JICA’s Approach to Food Security Trends
Takao Shimokawa, Director, Economic Development Division, JICA
(3) Part 2: Reports from outside speakers
(1) Food loss reduction efforts at the production and transportation stages
One of the major causes of food loss during transportation in developing countries is the low level of road maintenance. Although trunk roads are often maintained with financial support from international organizations, the poor condition of roads connecting production areas and trunk roads (called “feeder roads” in sub-Saharan Africa) causes problems such as loss of produce due to damage to the cargo, loss of value, deterioration of perishable produce due to transportation time required by obstacles to movement, high fuel costs, and high emissions of vehicle exhaust gases that contain large amounts of CO2. The transportation obstacles also cause problems such as deterioration of fresh produce due to cargo damage, high fuel costs, and high emissions of CO2-containing vehicle exhaust. The technology possessed by SPEC Corporation hardens soil in a short period of time and makes roads stronger, which contributes to reducing agricultural product loss due to cargo damage and reducing exhaust gas emissions through smooth transportation by improving roads, in other words, mitigating climate change. We have experience in conducting demonstration projects in Cambodia. Please see the following link for details of our efforts in that country, “Project for Promotion and Demonstration of Irrigation, Agriculture, and Rural Road Improvement Technology Utilizing Soil Hardener STEIN”.
The hardener can also be applied to irrigation facilities such as reservoirs and canals as well as farm roads, preventing agricultural water from being wasted. Effective use of precious water is an adaptation to climate change.
Furthermore, the company has been selected for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Overseas Deployment Initiative for Decarbonizing Technologies. For more details, please see page 11 of the link below (List of Decarbonization Technology Overseas Deployment Initiative Decarbonization Products and Packages).
Presented by: SPEC Co.
Mr. Yuichi Kubo, President and Representative Director
Mr. Shiyao Kamibayashi, Sales Manager (JOCV Kenya Community Development OV)
If you have any questions in advance for SPEC Corporation, please click on the link below. We believe that sharing knowledge through Q&A will be very important for JiPFA members.
(2) Food loss reduction efforts in transportation and pre-consumption stages
In developing countries, food loss often occurs not only due to poor road conditions, but also due to poor handling of agricultural products during transportation. Agricultural products produce ethylene, an aging gas, which makes the products inedible and reduces their value by the time they reach the market. In addition, over-loading or consolidation of trucks to reduce transportation costs can result in over-ripening losses to other produce as well.
Microbial spoilage is another major cause of food loss. The most common microorganism is mold. Mold spores cannot be sterilized with existing technology (they require long periods of time, high temperatures, and high pressure, which is not economically feasible).
The packaging material developed by the company has the ability to absorb ethylene gas and inhibit germination of mold spores. This packaging material has the potential to contribute to the reduction of food loss during transportation at low cost while utilizing existing distribution systems. Reducing food loss during transportation will provide safe food, both in quantity and quality, to people in urban areas where population growth is remarkable, and is expected to reduce the risk of hunger among vulnerable urban populations, which is becoming more severe due to climate change.
Please refer to the following link for an overview of the survey that the company is currently conducting in Laos, “Needs Assessment Survey on High Value-Added Agricultural Produce Supply Chain Using Quality Assurance Technology in Laos.
The company had originally planned to expand in India, which has the world’s largest population, but switched to Laos when the country banned the use of plastic packaging materials; see JETRO Business Brief, “India to Strictly Regulate Disposable Plastic (July 12, 2022)”.
The company has also experienced the manifestation of such political risks, and we plan to discuss our experiences at that time. We believe that some of the information will be helpful in predicting the manifestation of similar risks.
Presented by: Nissan Steel Industry Co.
Mr. Hideyo Nishimoto, International Manager, Sales Department, Tokyo Sales Office
If you have any preliminary questions for Nissan Steel Industries, Inc.
If you have any questions in advance for Nissan Steel Industries, Inc. please use the link below. We believe that sharing our knowledge through Q&A will be very important for JiPFA members.
(4) Comments on the realization of food loss (food loss and food waste) reduction from the perspective of international organizations from the entire food chain
Commentator: Ms. Eriko Hibi, Director, FAO Liaison Office in Japan
(5) Closing remarks
Takao Shimokawa, Director, Economic Development Division, JICA
We are considering having a social gathering with the participants at the venue after the forum. Please answer the question about your attendance at the registration URL. (If you choose “face-to-face participation” on the registration link, a confirmation item will appear to confirm your wish to participate in the social event.) (If you have chosen to participate in the face-to-face meeting via the registration link, you will be asked to confirm your attendance at the meeting.
How to apply
(1) How to apply
Please register from the registration URL below.
https://forms.office.com/r/VV91zm3zJr
(2) Requests for application: Please fill out the Forms form completely.
(3) Application deadline: Thursday, January 18, 2024 at noon
(4) We will send a link to Microsoft Teams to the email address you provided in Forms on the afternoon of Friday, January 19, the day before the event.
For inquiries regarding this matter, please contact
(1) For inquiries regarding the application, please contact
Coordination Team, Administrative Support Unit, JICA Issues Division: Kadaishien_chosei@jica.go.jp
(2) For inquiries regarding the content of the forum, please contact
JiPFA Secretariat (in JICA Economic Development Department): jipfa@jica.go.jp
*Please note that we will not be able to respond to inquiries on the day of the forum due to preparations for the forum.
© Source JICA
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