Thumbnail Image

Overviews of food systems and agro-industry, value chains, and food loss and waste in the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Year of publication 2018

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 75 p.

Author LeGrand, T.

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Book (stand-alone)

ISBN 978-92-5-130620-8

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) Many countries in the region have seen positive changes in agricultural development in recent years associated with countries’ reforms during the transition period after the Soviet Union collapse, as well as due to support from international organizations. This report overviews eighteen countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The report examines agriculture sectors and food systems, relevant programmes, it reveals the status of agro-processing sector and value chain development activities, and it covers food loss and waste. In the final analysis it was concluded, that more research and data collection are needed to understand the extent of food loss and waste at regional and national levels. It is recommended to update the regional agro-industry briefs that were compiled by FAO in 2014, and to supplement the briefs with the information on value chain development and food waste and loss. The report encourages better dissemination and sharing of results from partner organizations’ work on value chains, post-harvest handling, agro-processing and particularly food loss and waste activities. The report highlights that food loss and waste in the Europe and Central Asia region is not addressed in a uniform way. The report recommends to conduct more farmers’ trainings in harvesting techniques and improving access to infrastructure and markets (especially for smallholders). Companies and service providers in cold value chains should be supported in handling and increasing capacities. One of the highlighted challenges is a matter of connecting rural producers with logistics centres. Better integration of smallholder farmers into value chains is needed. Improving the enabling environment is crucial and will depend on enhancing the capacity of supporting institutions, including better understandings of current situations and challenges in order to provide countries and relevant stakeholders with solutions on improving effectiveness of value chains, including measures to reduce food loss and waste at all stages of the value chain.

Language English

Also available in:
No results found.

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Thumbnail Image
    Document
    Reduction of Food Losses and Waste in Europe and Central Asia for Improved Food Security and Agrifood Chain Efficiency 2014
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    This study represents one of a number of UN/FAO-supported research initiatives on the subject of food losses and waste. It builds on the ground breaking research and conclusions of the Global Food Losses Study commissioned in 2011 from the Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology, updating its data and consolidating its analysis of the impact of food losses and waste on the Europe and Central Asia region. Drawing on research conducted into food losses and waste in the Europe and Central Asi a region and more broadly, the sections below present the context and importance of addressing the issue of food losses and waste in the region, review the ongoing debate in this relation and current national and multi-national initiatives to reduce losses and waste. Finally the study used recently conducted country studies commissioned by UN/FAO in two middle-income countries (Turkey and Ukraine) and one low-income country (Armenia) to provide an overall assessment of the levels of food loss a nd waste in the Europe and Central Asia region, as well as to analyse critical loss points and provide present policy options to reduce levels of loss and waste. The study focuses on low and middle income countries of the region since high-income ECA states, primarily EU members have both already conducted extensive research and developed programs for loss and waste reduction and are also served directly by the major ongoing FUSIONS project in this sphere. This study was informed by in-depth a nalysis of priority agri-food chains in the region, selected on the basis of their economic importance, employment generation, contribution to foreign exchange and contribution to food security. At least one agri-food chain was selected for analysis from each of the following commodity groupings: cereals, fruits and vegetables, meat and dairy. Critical loss point analysis was then conducted for each of five agri-food chain phases, i.e. agricultural production, post-harvest handling and storage, processing and packaging, distribution, and consumption.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Journal, magazine, bulletin
    Agricultural Inputs and Commodity Price Bulletin in the Syrian Arab Republic, August 2022– Issue #8 2022
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    Agriculture, including crop and animal husbandry, forestry, fisheries and agro-processing, post-harvest handling and marketing, provides a source of livelihoods for most smallholder farmers in the Syrian Arab Republic (SAR). The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Syria works on strengthening value chains and food production systems by building technical and productive capacity of stakeholders, mainly farmers, expanding their knowledge and understanding of the local context and situation by sharing reports that aim to make agricultural production more sustainable, gender sensitive, market-driven and climate smart. The Organization in Syria releases the “Monthly Agriculture Input and Commodity Price Bulletin - AICPB”, which provides timely insights from 35 districts across Homs, Hama, Aleppo, Tartous, Deir-ez-Zor, Rural Damascus, Al-Hasakeh and Dar’a governorates. The purpose of the bulletin is to inform relevant stakeholders, including the Food Security and Agriculture (FSA) partners supporting agricultural and food security interventions in the country, about the prevailing price trends of agricultural inputs and commodities. The bulletin is a periodic resource as markets and market information, play an important role in enhancing food security, income generation, resilience and rural-urban market linkages. Regular dissemination of market information benefits smallholder farmers in their market-oriented production endeavor.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Journal, magazine, bulletin
    Agricultural Inputs and Commodity Price Bulletin in the Syrian Arabic Republic, June 2022– Issue #6 2022
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    Agriculture, including crop and animal husbandry, forestry, fisheries and agro-processing, post-harvest handling and marketing, provides a livelihood for most smallholder farmers in the Syrian Arab Republic. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Syria works on strengthening value chains and food systems by building the technical and productive capacity of stakeholders, mainly farmers, expanding their knowledge and understanding of the local situation by sharing reports that aimed to make agricultural production more sustainable, gender-sensitive, market-driven and climate-smart. The Organization in Syria releases the “Monthly Agriculture Input and Commodity Price Bulletin - AICPB”, which provides timely insights from 35 districts across Homs, Hama, Aleppo, Tartous, Deir-ez-Zor, Rural Damascus, Al-Hasakeh and Dar’a governorates. The purpose of the bulletin is to inform relevant stakeholders, including the Food Security and Agriculture (FSA) partners supporting agricultural and food security interventions in the country, about the prevailing price trends of agricultural inputs and commodities. The bulletin is a periodic resource as markets and market information play an important role in enhancing food security, income generation, resilience and rural-urban market linkages. Regular dissemination of market information benefits smallholder farmers in their market-oriented production endeavour.
Show more

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

No results found.