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• THE INFLUENCE OF GOVERNANCE ON FOOD LOSS AND WASTE: A TANZANIAN PINEAPPLE VALUE CHAIN PERSPECTIVE

  Anna Kanyangemu

  Betty Waized

  Florens Turuka

  Views:

  0

  Food loss and waste remain a substantial challenge in agricultural value chains, particularly in developing countries. This study examines the influence of governance of food loss and waste within the pineapple value chain in Tanzania. Using qualitative methods, data were collected in Dar es Salaam. Geita, Morogoro, and Pwani regions through focus group discussions, interviews, and observations. The study mapped actors and explored the role of governance, power dynamics, and coordination, drawing on resource dependence and institutional theories to explain how actor relationships, power imbalances, and institutional influences shape food loss and waste. Three types of governance structures were revealed- Spot market, captive, and relational structures, affecting food loss differently. In the captive governance structures, pre-finance arrangements lock farmers into selling only to specific traders, often leading to significant on-farm losses when market conditions shift. Spot markets, on the other hand, generate losses when harvested fruits do not meet the informal standards set by buyers, such as size, ripeness, and other physical attributes, due to limited market information. Weak coordination, information asymmetry, and power imbalances among value chain actors contribute to substantial food loss and waste. Main challenges faced by farmers include poor access to markets, financial constraints, and weak bargaining power. Institutional gaps, including weak regulatory frameworks and inadequate support from government and private sector, exacerbate inefficiencies. The study emphasizes that governance plays a central role in shaping food loss and waste. Strengthening farmers' associations, improving market linkages, and addressing institutional gaps are critical for reducing food loss and waste and increasing value chain resilience. 

• The analysis of agro-economic effects of household food wastage through the example of bread

  9-18

  Klára Hubert

  István Szűcs

  Views:

  501

  In our busy world, where numerous people starve and where the resources are restricted, it is a key issue to pay particular attention to the topic of prevention and decrease of food loss as well as food wastage.Wastage of food produced and delivered to the end user (customer) is an issue arising globally and nationally as well, which results in efficiency loss at economic level in any case. While the FAO study mentions food waste of the order of 1.3 billion tonnes on a world scale, then the annual quantity of food waste in Hungary is estimated at about 1.8 million tonnes, which contains the waste of every member of the chain from production to consumption. On the basis of the data published by the Hungarian Food Bank (2015), the amount of food waste caused by the population is 400 000 tonnes. In compliance with our objectives, inputs – expressed by non-financial and financial indicators – emerge during production are assigned to the quantity of wasted food. Applying the aforementioned method we would like to make customers realize how many resources (land, water, artificial fertilizer, pesticide, seed and gasoil) are utilized needlessly in food verticum by the end products – at present by different breads they throw out. As our calculations prove by 10% waste of breads the utilization of 5 300 hectares of wheat land and 660 hectares of rye land can be considered unnecessary. By 10% waste of breads the financial value of the utilized resources is altogether 3.25 million EUR. Out of this the financial value of utilized artificial fertilizer is 1.10 million EUR (34%), of utilized pesticide is 1.15 million EUR (35%), of utilized gasoil is 0.70 million EUR (22%) and of utilized seed is 0.30 million EUR (9%). Among different breads, white bread is purchased in the greatest volume by the Hungarian households, from which 121 900 tonnes are bought annually on an average. This quantity is equal to almost the 40% of the annual bread sell. If 10% of purchased white bread is thrown out, it results in useless utilization of 2 676 hectares of wheat land in food verticum. The quantity of utilized water arising form wastage is 15.8 million m3. Further losses emerge as regards material inputs: artificial fertilizer- to the value of 0.50 million EUR, pesticide- to the value of 0.58 million EUR, seed to the value of 0.15 million EUR and gasoil-loss to the value of circa 0.35 million EUR. Totally, material input to the value of 1.58 million EUR is owing to the Hungarian households in case of 10% white bread wastage.

  JEL code: Q53

• Food waste in EU countries

  Viktória Vida

  Tünde Zita Kovács

  Adrián Szilárd Nagy

  Hajnalka Madai

  Beáta Bittner

  Views:

  998

  The biggest challenges of our time include meeting the demand growth resulting from the explosion in population growth and achieving sustainable management. In terms of food, the most significant problem is, on the one hand, that a large part of the population is hungry and, on the other hand, excessive food waste, which results not only in wasted food but also in wasted resources used for its production, transport, packaging and storage. Do to this the unconsumed food has a profoundly negative impact on the environment and the economy. There is a pressing need to prevent and reduce food waste to transition to a resource-efficient Europe. In this study, we would like to show how food waste changes in different countries, focusing on Europe. Our results show a significant discrepancy between Member States' data and where waste is generated. We find no significant correlation between GDP per capita and total food waste, but we find a moderately strong correlation between GDP per capita and restaurant waste at the point of generation.

  JEL code: M21