Training of trainers on the reduction of food waste and the preservation of food with the National Union of Tunisian Women

3 May 2019, Bizerte -- In the framework of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) project to reduce food waste in Tunisia, FAO organized in Bizerte on May 2 and 3,  2019 a two-day training of trainers chosen by the National Union of Tunisian Women (UNFT) and the Bizerte City Council.

Delivered by experts from FAO and UNFT, this training of 17 trainers was planned to consolidate FAO's outreach efforts in the Near East and North Africa region under the project, "Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Developing Value Chains for Food Security in Egypt and Tunisia", funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and implemented in collaboration with the Tunisian Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries.

The representation of FAO in Tunisia specified that this training constitutes a starting point for a cycle of awareness sessions (including home visits) that will be organized by the trained women to share the knowledge acquired with other people, men and women, and reach the maximum number of households, in order to reduce food waste, especially during festive seasons. These efforts are being implemented with the support of the National Union of Tunisian Women and the Municipal Council of Bizerte.

Each of the participants has been provided with a training kit which will enable them to share the knowledge acquired according to the methodology developed by FAO based on a training manual adapted to the Tunisian context with all the necessary audio-visual aids.

These activities are part of the implementation of a project launched in 2016 by FAO and follows on studies that made it possible to estimate the wastage and losses in the milk and cereals sectors, to identify their causes and to put highlight the strategic priorities in this area in Tunisia. The starting point of the project was the significant scale of food loss and waste globally and in the MENA region. According to the statistical data, the waste amounts to about 200kg of food per person per year in the MENA region. Among the objectives of the project FAO and its partners is to improve food security (quantitative and qualitative) and reduce the negative impacts of food losses and waste on the economy, the natural resources and the environment.