UNECE has been invited to organize an expert-led panel is to discuss and identify innovative, integrated policy measures and smart solutions to make agricultural supply chains more inclusive, sustainable and safe. This is part of the UNECE workshops addressing the Food Loss and Waste (FLW) challenge and how integrated policies or innovative solutions could bring the food back into the supply chains.

Each year, one third of the total food production (1.6 billion tonnes of food) are lost or wasted, rising to 2.1 billion tonnes by 2030. At the same time, more than 870 million people go hungry every night. Food is lost/wasted at all stages of the food supply chain. In developing countries, the losses are highest at the production or farm levels; in the developed countries, there is high waste at the consumption levels. The economic, social and environmental impact of this unsustainable use of resources in agri trade is immense. It affects along the entire food supply chain producers, packers, traders, the large female workforce, and the small-scale farmers, the most vulnerable. This seriously impacts food security in rural and urban areas alike.

The workshop panel is expected to highlight that integrated policy measures, data collection and analysis and smart solutions could contribute to multiple policy objectives and SDGs including sustainable agri trade and development, food security, safety, big data, and innovation.

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