As part of its efforts towards a just transition to more sustainable, resilient and efficient production and consumption patterns and reducing demand on our natural resources, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has published new guidelines for action on food loss and waste (FLW) reduction in the Near East and North Africa (NENA).

This trilateral cooperation agreement focuses on empowering rural smallholder farmers by providing them with accessible, affordable and adaptable technologies crucial for ensuring food security, with a component dedicated to postharvest management and handling technologies.

FAO launches a strategic project on “reducing urban food waste for more sustainable urban food systems" in Tunisia.

Saudi Arabia has a rich tradition of coffee which is consumed as a cinnamon-flavored beverage called gahwa. This news feature focuses on the challenges and opportunities for improving post-harvest management of coffee in Saudi Arabia.

FAO Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa and the Statistics Division in FAO Headquarters hosted a webinar focusing on how to produce statistical food loss data at country-level as an orientation for NENA countries to build their food loss measurement strategy. 

The FAO Regional Office for NENA kicked-off a process to develop guidance for member countries to support strategies, policies, institutions and legislation capacity that aim to effectively and sustainably reduce FLW while promoting more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems.

FAO Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa together with the United Nations Environment Programme’s Regional Office for West Asia held a virtual dialogue on “Preventing Food Waste: Innovations and Solutions in the Arab Region”

FAO invited representatives from Near East and North Africa (NENA) countries and experts working in various capacities on FLW measurement and reduction within NENA to discuss a “Code of Conduct” for guiding the public sector in taking action to reduce food loss and waste. 

Sixty teachers from grade schools and high schools in Tunis participated in the validation of the Tunisian version of the first guide on good practices for reducing food waste, prepared by the Regional Office for Near East and North Africa of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

FAO organized this sub regional conference in November 2018 in Tunisia, with experts sharing their experiences and best practices in reducing waste along food value chains, including food banks.