Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum)

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    • Dear FSN-Moderator: Kindly help us to publish the following in response to the call on agrifood systems transformation; 

      "In response to the current call on agrifood systems transformation, we would like to direct the readers to our multidisciplinary approach to improve food safety, productivity and nutrition security highlighted by Agrilink USAID (https://agrilinks.org/post/cold-and-dry-chain-reduce-food-loss-and-waste) and comments in FAO-FSN Forum on best practices and scalable solutions for the integration of biodiversity into agriculture (https://www.fao.org/fsnforum/comment/12332)."

      Regards

      Dahal et al. 

      Peetambar Dahal, PhD

      Subject Matter Expert (Food Loss and Waste Cohort 5)

      Seed Scientist (Retd.), University of California, Davis, USA

      Former Coordinator of NRNA Americas to Agri Promotion Committee; Asta-Ja RDC-USA; Nepalese Agricultural Professional Association  (NAPA), USA

      See the attachments:

    • Dear FSN-Moderator, 

      In response to your call for experiences, best practices and scalable solutions for the integration of biodiversity into agriculture, our team describes a dry chain technology recently appreciated and highlighted by the Agrilinks, USAID. 

      Peetambar

      Peetambar Dahal, PhD

      Subject Matter Expert (Food Loss and Waste Cohort 5)

      Seed Scientist (Retd.), University of California, Davis, USA

      Former Coordinator of NRNA Americas to Agri Promotion Committee; Asta-Ja RDC-USA; Nepalese Agricultural Professional Association  (NAPA)

      See the attachments:

    • Dear FSN Moderator:

      Please include the following contribution on the above topic.

      "The hidden costs of agri-food systems transformation are related to making the foods safe and nutritious. In contrast to the cold chain that has been used for decades to minimize nutrient losses and improve food safety of high moisture content products, the dry chain was realized and proposed recently in 2018 for low moisture content seed/food/feed products.  We have previously elaborated on the need to implement the dry chain at farms to make low moisture content seed/food systems sustainable and safe.  In addition, we have gathered and produced research evidence including through a research project in collaboration with UNICEF-Nepal. 

      Here, we would like to share the link by USAID Agrilinks that has embraced and appreciated the dry chain to reduce food losses in the developing countries “Cold and Dry Chain to Reduce Food Loss and Waste”. Since dry food losses in the developing countries are associated with infection by toxic molds and insects, and nutrient decline in the storage, there is an urgent need to embrace and disseminate novel intervention soon after harvest to enable dry seed/food/feed systems to be safe and sustainable.

      Peetambar Dahal and Krishna Belbase (Formerly with UNICEF, New York)"

      Subject Matter Expert (Food Loss and Waste Cohort 5)

      Seed Scientist (Retd.), University of California, Davis, USA

      Former Coordinator of NRNA Americas to Agri Promotion Committee; Asta-Ja RDC-USA; Nepalese Agricultural Professional Association  (NAPA)

    • This suggestion refers to the data value chain and conceptual matrix (Example 4; page 17).

      Food safety is recognized as one of the cross-cutting issues in nutrition. However, both natural (mycotoxins) and artificial (pesticides) food contaminants are widespread in food systems in many developing countries, compromising nutrition and health. Good Agricultural Practices and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) could reduce the food contaminants in both low and high moisture foods. Postharvest good practices like cold chain for high moisture content foods improves quality by minimizing nutrient loss. Analogous new dry chain management for low moisture content foods/feeds products could protect annual dry product losses to rainfall/floodings and insect and toxic mold infestations, improve disaster resiliency, food security, and trade ratios.

      Thus, cross cutting issues and policyies should include food contaminant reduction strategies in both low and high moisture content food/feed products and sensitive monitoring programs as in the developed countries.

       

      Bradford KJ, Dahal P, Asbrouck JV, Kunusoth K, Bello P, Thompson J, Wu J (2018) The dry chain: reducing postharvest losses and improving food safety in humid climates. Trends in Food Science and Technology 71: 84-93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2017.11.002.

      Claes J, De Clercq D, Denis N, Fiocco D, Katz J (2021) How to reduce postharvest crop losses in the agricultural supply chain? McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/agriculture/our-insights/how-to-reduce-postharvest-crop-losses-in-the-agricultural-supply-chain.

      Dahal et al. (2020) Improving nutrition and immunity with dry chain and integrated pest management food technologies in LMICs. Lancet Planetary Health 4:259-260. https://DOI.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(20)30143-1.

    • Why we are not able to protect dry foods from annual floods?

      The title illustrates the status of food security in the developing countries (Nepal, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand and beyond) where a basic food science knowledge has not been used. Immediate consequence is national food crises, toxic foods, and need to ask donors. However, the donors provide partial rotten food in disasters (famine, droughts, earthquake) Illustrating the prevalent global knowledge.

      We published in 2018 that dry seeds and foods at farms must be protected from water using Dry Chain (Trend Food Sci Technol 2018, 71: 84-93), also used in pharmaceutical, processed food and seed industry. When dry seeds/foods get wet, insects and natural carcinogenic molds flourish and nutrients decline. The toxins are transferred to milk and meat products through feeds and affect health of animals and about 4 billion people.

      Dry Chain: Dry food to “milling moisture content” at harvest and store in water-proof bags (Dry Chain) to improve the value chain, minimize insects and toxigenic mold proliferation, and nutrient loss.

      Increases current yields by ~ 25% by minimizing storage losses.

      Improves food trade ratios (Annual food import is about 1/3 of losses).

      Enables quality food stocks locally in each country.

      Increases biodiversity by conserving local germplasms.

      For Fall/Winter/Spring harvest, Sun dry and moisture-proof packaging.

      For rainy season harvests, artificial dry and moisture-proof packaging.

      There is further need to minimize artificial toxins (pesticides) in fruits and vegetable using Integrated Pest Management and sensitive monitoring. A drawn border stand-off occurred between Nepal and India on food toxins (Lancet Planetary Health 2020; 4: 259-260). Food toxins are primary concerns in the developed countries, but profit is primary objective in developing countries. The nutritionists need to take a leading role to help minimize both natural and artificial toxins in foods to complement nutrition and health security.

      See the attachments: