APHLIS contributes to tracking of Sustainable Development Goals

APHLIS+ lead Dr Bruno Tran (NRI) and core team member Prof Brighton Mvumi (University of Zimbabwe) attended an Expert Consultation on Sustainable Development Goal 12.3  "Measurement and action to meet the target on reducing food loss and food waste" in Rome during 28^th – 29^th September. The meeting was organised by FAO and attended by a cross selection of the world postharvest loss and food waste experts including WRI, IFPRI, UNEP, the World Bank, USDA, GIZ, SDC, the German Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the EU, the Rockefeller Foundation, WRAP, IFAD, WFP, the AU, and representatives from many countries' universities and development organisations.

The aim of the two day consultation was to reach formal agreement on how the indicators for SDG 12.3 would be defined, measured and reported. Within this remit Dr Tran put forward a proposal outlining how APHLIS could contribute to these goals, based on the previous work of APHLIS and several years of discussions with important stakeholders in the field of postharvest loss measurement. Following detailed and lively discussions, it was agreed by the experts present that FAO would be the custodians of the indicator, based on the newly developed Global Food Loss Index (GFLI). It was agreed that the GFLI would use APHLIS loss estimates to provide the basis for loss figures where direct measurements are not available.

In addition, side discussions with several experts revealed a high level of interest in APHLIS proposed spot measurement of postharvest losses based on APHLIS' rapid PHL assessment methodology. Collaborations are currently being developed which will help to standardise this methodology and facilitate implementation on a large scale. Finally, it was agreed that the pool of postharvest experts would remain an active advisory component to FAO's work on the new GFLI.

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