Ankara, Turkey – FAO started the implementation of a technical assistance project Reduction of Food Loss and Waste in the SEC Countries within the framework of the second phase of FAO-Turkey Partnership Program on Food and Agriculture. 

Established in 2006, the FAO-Turkey Partnership Programme (FTPP) focuses on achieving food security and combatting rural poverty in countries of the Caucasus and in the Central Asia sub-region through projects operated at the national, multi-country and sub-regional level. In 2014, Turkey and FAO commenced the second phase of partnership under which Turkey committed to contributing an additional $20 million. A range of projects under the Programme’s second phase will address the issues of food security and nutrition, agricultural and rural development, protection and management of natural resources, agricultural policies, and food safety.

Project “Reduction of Food Loss and Waste in the SEC Countries”, in particular, aims to assist recipient countries - Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan - in developing national strategies and action plans for reducing food loss and waste, aligned with national policies and context and based on the "food waste management hierarchy". It will focus on implementing the key strategic actions of the food loss and waste reduction strategy, both at the policy and technical levels, and will target all subsectors of the food system, from farmers to consumers.

Additionally, various consumer-facing communication activities and targeted media campaign will be designed to create awareness and improve understanding of causes and impacts of food losses and waste and to drive behaviour change in individuals and communities. The public sector, as well as food business operators, will be mobilized through direct cooperation, including via a dedicated Community of Practice, and through specialised events.

Other projects ratified under the FTPP-II will focus on the capacity building for sustainable fisheries and aquaculture management and strengthening regional collaboration for management of wheat rust diseases and resistance breeding.