NEW YORK—The head of the Food and Agricultural Organization has called for a more efficient use of natural resources to reduce waste and pollution.
“We must use existing biological resources more efficiently, and waste less, instead of relying on finite fossil-based resources,” the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Qu Dongyu, told a high-level event held at the UN General Assembly to commemorate the first-ever International Day of Zero Waste.
Qu said in a video message that as the world population is predicted to grow close to 10 billion people by 2050, there is an immense challenge to meet the rapidly growing global demand for food and non-food agricultural products—projected to increase by up to 56 per cent by 2050.
“To meet this extra demand for agricultural outputs, including food, fiber, fuel and fodder, in an equitable and sustainable way… We must produce and consume in a more sustainable and healthier manner, with fewer inputs,” says Qu, adding that a circular and sustainable economy offers systemic solutions to address these challenges.
The UN official stressed that bio-economy is a current FAO strategic priority to reduce waste and pollution, as it values and promotes responsible production and consumption of renewable natural resources, contributing to climate action, biodiversity conservation and ecosystems restoration.
“For example, waste and residues along agri-food systems can be turned into beneficial products such as biomaterials, biochemicals, biopharmaceuticals, and bioenergy. In the bio-economy, there is no such thing as waste,” Qu said.
FAO estimates that over 13 percent of global food production is lost between the production and wholesale stages of the supply chain. Furthermore, global data indicates that an additional 17 percent is wasted at the retail, food service and consumer stages. Food quality is also compromised throughout the entire supply chain.
These losses occur while over 800 million people are undernourished and almost 3.1 billion cannot afford a healthy diet.
Moreover, food loss and waste contribute to 8-10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
The FAO chief warned the 193 members of the UN General Assembly that wasting food and non-food agricultural products, as well as inputs like plastics, puts unnecessary pressure on the environment.
“It essentially means that we have wasted land and water resources, we have created pollution and we have emitted greenhouse gases with no purpose,” he said.
Qu urged world leaders to identify the hotspots where losses and waste occur and to urgently address the inefficiencies and inequalities in global agri-food systems to make them more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable.
“Reducing losses and waste will not only contribute to our environment, but increase the availability of fruits and vegetables, and improve access to healthy diets”, he said. FAO News