Irish growers and producers are being sought to take part in a pilot project aimed at reducing food waste at farm level.

The project, which is being led by FoodCloud, aims to connect growers who have surplus produce with community groups located around the country.

Latest research indicates that more than 40% of food produced worldwide is wasted, including an estimated 15% that is lost during harvest.

FoodCloud and researchers from the Circular Bioeconomy Research Group at Munster Technological University (MTU), Kerry, are investigating the potential of surplus food redistribution to reduce farm-level waste.

Growers who choose to participate in this research will help to increase the understanding of:

Social enterprise, FoodCloud, works with retail and businesses across the supply chain to help them redistribute their surplus food to its network of charities and community groups across Ireland and internationally.

Growers can participate in the pilot, which is supported by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), in two ways: