Mainstreaming Food Loss Reduction Initiatives for Smallholders in Food-Deficit Areas – Component: Community of Practice (CoP) on food loss and waste reduction

Published on February 10, 2022

The Community of Practice (CoP) on food loss and waste reduction was established in the framework of the project titled Mainstreaming Food Loss Reduction Initiatives for Smallholder in Food Deficit Areas. Following on the closure of the Project, with the agreement of concerned parties, FAO continued to support operation of the CoP.

In 2015, under the G20 Turkish Presidency, following the recommendation of Ministries of Agriculture, the Technical Platform on the Measurement and Reduction of Food Loss and Waste (TPFLW) was launched by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

The Community of Practice on food loss and waste reduction (CoP) was integrated into the TPFLW in 2020.

The CoP is accessible at the following link: https://www.fao.org/platform-food-loss-waste/cop/en/ as a dynamic section of the TPFLW website.

The CoP offers a portfolio of options aimed at sharing and exchanging technical knowledge and information to support countries in meeting their SDGs targets, and particularly SDG 12.3. It currently includes a membership of experts originating from more than 100 countries who actively participate in webinars and virtual events, in forum discussions pertinent to food loss and waste and who are recipients of a bi-monthly Newsletter on global food loss and waste issues. FAO is currently in the process of embarking on additional initiatives designed to enhance global collaboration and exchange on food loss and waste reduction with CoP members.

Members of the CoP and visitors to the TPFLW will also benefit from access to knowledge sharing activities of the “Food is never waste coalition” established in the framework of the UN FSS/Action Track 2.