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:
- Why and how food is lost at farm level in Ireland;
- How much of that is edible;
- What solutions can facilitate the redistribution of surplus food from the horticulture sector to consumers and FoodCloud’s network of community groups around Ireland.
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:
- Complete a short online survey to develop essential knowledge about the potential for redistribution of edible surplus food from the Irish horticulture sector. The survey can be accessed here, will take no more than 15 minutes and will be open for participation until November 30;
- Participate in a pilot project that will provide funding to farm organisations to cover costs associated with recovering surplus that might otherwise not be harvested for onward distribution to charities via FoodCloud. This redistribution pilot is similar to the UK’s ‘Surplus with Purpose’ project.