SAVE FOOD: Global Initiative on Food Loss and Waste Reduction

World Seafood Congress 2015

28 Sep 2015

FAO won the poster competition with its ‘Vicious circle of fish losses, vulnerability of natural resources and the poverty trap in small-scale fisheries’

The World Seafood Congress (WSC) is a biannual global event organized by the International Association of Seafood Professionals (IAFI). Its objective is to provide a forum for exchange of the latest knowledge on international market requirements, especially on seafood safety and quality. Last September in Grimsby (United Kingdom), the three-day Congress brought together 350 delegates from 23 countries who attended sessions on sustainability, future product opportunities and the development taking place among international fisheries. The Congress is also known for its poster competition to showcase innovative research. This year, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) won the competition with the poster entitled ‘Vicious circle of fish losses, vulnerability of natural resources and the poverty trap in small-scale fisheries’. The poster presented the findings of an analysis of post-harvest systems conducted in the Volta Basin in West Africa. The study revealed the impact of post-harvest losses – nearly 30% of the landings – on three aspects of sustainable development: food security, the income level of the actors, and the environment, including the sustainability of natural resources. The study mainstreamed the elements of the sustainable value chain in the existing post-harvest loss assessment (PHLA) tools. It is the first ever of its kind to raise such intricate multidimensional issues and clearly establish the cycle of poverty and vulnerability directly perpetuated within the PHL context. The poster supports the fact that reducing post-harvest losses requires thinking outside the technology box, and the need to address other important factors that undermine competitive post-harvest systems and trade.