We need to act and it needs to happen now.Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) called food waste, resulting from the impact of production, consumption, and climate change, a major challenge for the world's farming sector in future amid continued population growth globally.
"With the populace continuing to increase, it is estimated that the world's population will reach 10 billion by 2050," Head of FAO Representative to Indonesia and Timor Leste Rajendra Aryal noted in a written statement here on Tuesday.
Aryal pressed for the need to provide food for the world's citizens and nurture this planet.
"This is not just about handling an emergency, but this is about building long-term resiliency and changing the way we produce and consume food," he remarked.
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The food farming system contributes to climate change and is affected by the impact of global warming, he noted.
In several parts of the world, climate change caused lower harvest and livestock productivity, reduced fisheries, and caused changes in the food nutritional composition due to the reduction of protein, minerals, and vitamins, he stated.
Meanwhile, as millions of people face starvation, large amounts of food are thrown away every day, whether it is due to production or the people's tendency to leave leftovers, he remarked.
Citing the FAO, Aryal noted that thrown away food is a waste of valuable resources used to produce them.
Study result from a team formed by the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) indicates that food loss and food waste in Indonesia reached 184 kg per person per year or 48 million tons in a year.
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That quantity of food can, in fact, feed 125 million people to eradicate poverty and address the problem of stunting in Indonesia.
Aryal pressed for making collective efforts to tackle this problem, and to this end, the FAO will work hard with the Indonesian government to transform the food system in Indonesia.
"Everyone should understand that their behavior toward food affects the food system. Global transformation can only happen starting from the individual," he informed.
"How we choose, produce, consume, and throw away food affect other people. We need to act, and it needs to happen now," he expounded.
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Translator: Aditya Ramadhan, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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