Food Losses and Wastage along the Wheat Value Chain in Egypt and Their Implications on Food and Energy Security, Natural Resources, and the Environment

Abstract

Pushing yield frontiers of cereals and legumes is becoming increasingly difficult, especially in drylands. This paper argues and provides empirical evidence that food loss and wastage constitute a sizeable proportion of the total wheat supply in Egypt. By following the life cycle of food and using standard measurement protocols, we estimated the levels of food loss and wastage along the wheat value chain in Egypt and their socioeconomic, biophysical, and environmental implications. About 4.4 million tons (20.62% of total wheat supply from domestic production and imports in 2017/2018) is estimated to be lost or wasted in Egypt which is also associated with the wastage of about 4.79 billion m3 of water, and 74.72 million GJ of energy. This implies that if Egypt manages to eliminate, or considerably reduce, wheat-related losses and wastage, it will save enough food to feed 21 million more people from domestic production and hence reduce wheat imports by 37%, save 1.1 billion USD of much-needed foreign exchange, and reduce emissions of at least 260.84 million kg carbon dioxide-equivalent and 8.5 million kg of methane. Therefore, investment in reducing food loss and wastage can be an effective strategy to complement ongoing efforts to enhance food security through productivity enhancement in Egypt.

Geopolitical risks for Egypt wheat supply and trade

“…To address this situation, the authors make suggestions on: (a) increasing mechanization of domestic production (Alwang et al, 2018), (b) reducing agricultural production losses (Yigezu et al, 2021b), (c) changes in crop rotation practices (Omar et al, 2021), etc. However, this will not translate into growth in production or self-sufficiency of Egypt in the short term.…”

“…According to the authors, this technology can reduce wheat imports by 50% in 2025 and reduce dependence on international commodity markets. However, according to Yigezu et al (2021b), the use of the raised-bed method is not welldocumented in Egypt, although the effects are clearly beneficial, especially in terms of the economic efficiency of cultivation. In addition to changing the cultivation technology, it is also possible to expand the range of irrigated plots.…”

Wasted Food, Wasted Resources? A Critical Review of Environmental Impact Analysis of Food Loss and Waste Generation and Treatment

“…119,120 Consumers were also especially targeted as an important aspect to mitigate environmental impacts of FLW. Raising awareness on the importance of reducing FLW and benefiting environmental sustainability, 22,46,79,104,121,122 and education on saving food (especially in schools) via courses and knowledgebased competition 53,108,110 or the use of well-calibrated equipment (especially for farmers 123 ), were mostly deemed as important ways in combating FLW and reducing environmental impacts. On the other hand, dietary structure change (e.g., substituting or reducing beef consumption 124,125 and increasing the consumption of plant food 110,126 ) has also been found as a promising way to achieve environmental stress reductions.…”

Efficacy of Solar Heating System on Mortality, Reproduction, and Antioxidant Enzymes in Trogoderma granarium Everts and Stegobium paniceum (L.)

“…The harvest and post-harvest losses along the wheat value chain are estimated at more than 1 million tons of grain. These losses represent about 13-15% of the local wheat production (Yigezu et al, 2021). This huge loss in quantity and quality is mainly due to the attack of storage insects (Kalsa et al, 2019;Demis & Yenewa, 2022).…”