The International Conference on Food Loss and Waste was held in Jinan, Shandong Province from 9 to 11 September. Dr. Li Yutong, Head of CSAM, attended the event, which was jointly organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China and other State Departments as well as the Government of Shandong Province. Themed "Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Promoting Global Food Security", the conference discussed major issues such as the challenge of reducing food loss, global cooperation, responsibility and governance.

Agricultural machinery can offer important solutions for reducing food loss and waste including during grain production and processing. During the conference, experts, scholars from different fields and representatives of the public and private sectors had extensive and in-depth exchanges and discussions, including on mechanization solutions to reduce food loss and waste, which provided reference and guidance for further applications of agricultural machinery in food loss reduction. Mr. Liu Jiayi, Secretary of Shandong Provincial Party Committee, mentioned the Integrated Straw Management Project implemented by CSAM in Shandong Province, complimenting its good results that are being used as a pilot for further implementation in Cambodia, Indonesia and Nepal. This CSAM initiative was also brought as an example of South-South cooperation by Mr. Matteo Marchisio, IFAD Country Representative in China, during a meeting with Shandong provincial leaders alongside the conference.

At the press conference on the implementation and main achievements of the International Conference on Food Loss and Waste held on 11 September, Mr. Sui Pengfei, Director-General of the Department of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, presented the consensus achieved at the conference. Sectors where agricultural mechanization can contribute include: promotion of precision sowing; improvement of mechanization level and standardized operations; enhanced ability of disaster prevention and reduction; promotion of the integration of "five goods", namely good fields, good seeds, good systems, good opportunities and good methods; and loss reduction in production and harvest processes. Actions include striving to promote fine harvest; strengthening integration and matching services; encouraging public services for machine harvest; and “bringing every grain to the granary”.

The conference was meant to expedite the achievement of consensus among the international community to reduce food loss and waste; enhance resilience of global food security against the COVID-19 pandemic; provide inputs for the upcoming Food Systems Summit and G20 Leaders' Summit; promote the agriculture sector’s response to climate change and green development, and contribute to the realization of the 2030 Agenda, especially SDG1 "no poverty" and SDG 2 "zero hunger".

CSAM Head Dr. Li Yutong attended CIFTIS forum, photo courtesy of DaZhong Daily

CSAM’s integrated straw management initiative in Laixi, Shandong Province