Measurement and management of fruit and vegetable losses in the production stage at the national level in Chile

The project’s main objective is to contribute to reduce food loss, through adapting and validating a methodology for food loss quantification in fruit and vegetables chains, and knowledge sharing on best practices to producers and other relevant stakeholders. Specific Objectives: • Gather information regarding food loss in Chile, in particular in the fruit and vegetable chains that are relevant in the domestic market. • Adapt and validate a methodology for to measurement the losses fruit and vegetables to the Chilean reality, from international methodologies. • Identify the main causes of fruit and vegetable loss in Chile, and better practices to prevent and reduce it. • Design a guide for to prevent and reduce the losses. • Strengthen capacities and promote the exchange of experiences of producers and other relevant stakeholders on prevention and reduction of fruit and vegetables losses. A. Development and validation of a Baseline of FLW for Chile. this activity is underway and includes: i. Literature review about FLW situation in fruit and vegetables chains in Chile; ii. Stakeholders consultation about FLW situation in fruit and vegetables chains in Chile; and iii. Literature review on current methodologies and best practices on FLW assessment e.g. WRAP, FUSIONS. B. Development and validation of an adapted quantifycation methodology for FWL assessment fruit and vegetables chains in Chile. This activiy includes: i. Validation of adapted methodology by key actors and expert consultation; ii. Pilot implementation; iii. Analysis of the information and development of technical guideline on FLW prevention and reduction in the fruit and vegetable chain in Chile. C. Sharing knowledge activities. This activity is programmed for first semester of 2019 and includes national workshops with FLW National Committee Sustainable Consumption and Production(SCP) National Committee, and also the participation in International Seminars on FLW. The main outcome of the project is to enable more efficient and inclusive food systems in Chile, through preventing and reducing food losses in the productive phase of fruit and vegetables chains relevant in the Chilean domestic market through of a methodology design for to measurement the losses fruit and vegetables in Chile, that was validate in 4 food chains of family farms: potatoes, tomatoes, lettuces and raspberries. This outcome will be the result of the generation of information regarding causes of food loss, as well as the identification of the best practices, that should be implemented by producers and other relevant stakeholder. Through the Project it is expected to reach 100 direct beneficiaries from the Chilean fruit and vegetables chains. These beneficiaries will receive the knowledge regarding the best practices on how to prevent and reduce food loss. Additionally, ten relevant actors from Argentina and Uruguay will also be considered in the knowledge sharing activities. On the other hand, the project will benefit indirectly the whole fruit and vegetables sector. According to the agricultural census of 2007, there were 34.000 horticultural farms and 97.552 fruit farms in Chile. The vegetable surface in 2015 was of 63.776 hectares while, there were 305.000 hectares for fruit production. Stakeholders involved in prevention and reduction of food losses and waste are invited to contribute with their lessons and experiences. We want to engage actors from public and private sector already measuring FLW to share their progress and methods, but also all those interested in the sustainability of the chilean food system.