Enough Food to Feed the World, yet so much goes to waste!

Here we are again. In this last quarter of 2024, there have been many meetings and conferences on different aspects of the food systems. I am sure there are people who are moving from one meeting to another. What are they looking for, we may ask? I am sure they are looking for something not just new, but also relevant. The positive aspect here is the hyped attention to ending world hunger, and ending poverty as well. Clearly it is the poor who go hungry. From the last issue of AJFAND we published, there is growing interest in postharvest issues for better nutrition. Again, the question is: what is the point of pushing for increased productivity only to end up with more of it getting lost through bad management and lack of policy, lack of financing and lack of expertise?. This is where the discipline of Food Science and Technology plays a key role. From harvest to consumption, handling storage properly to avoid loss, cleaning, processing and packaging all require food scientists with different expertise. Food processors, food microbiologists, food packaging experts, food engineers, food lab analysts, food chemists, molecular scientists, space nutritionists, and many more are required. We agree there is enough food in the world to feed everyone. However, most of the extra we produce goes to waste. Also, a lot of what we produce goes towards making people obese, while others go without. And when we process it, we do not have enough expertise to make sure as much nutrition as possible is retained. Do you get what I am saying? This is the right time to engage on these crucial aspects. Let us highlight these issues going forward: capacity building, reducing waste, creating jobs, financing innovative projects, providing affordable financing, and thus addressing SDG2 (ending hunger by 2030) in a serious way. It requires political and good will all round. Our young people need hope, and there is no other way of doing this. There are many opportunities now in agripreneurship, not just to create jobs but also to feed Africa. There is no shortage of innovative minds and ideas. We need good policies and affordable financing to accompany all this. It is one good way of addressing SDG2, ending world hunger by 2030, and addressing youth unemployment.