AS the world observes the fifth International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (IDAFLW) today, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has highlighted how it’s taking action in Jamaica.

This year’s theme, ‘Climate Finance for Food Loss and Waste Reduction’, highlights the crucial role that financial investment plays in reducing food loss and waste and advancing sustainable food systems.

In Jamaica, FAO said it is taking action through its projects: ‘Assessment of Locally Produced Livestock Feed Ingredients to Strengthen the Sector’s Sustainability’ and ‘Insect production as an alternative source of high-quality protein for poultry and aquaculture feed’.

These initiatives focus on reducing dependence on imported animal feed by promoting the use of locally sourced ingredients, especially from food and farm waste. It aims to lower the cost of animal production and, by extension, make animal-based protein more affordable for lower-income households.

Addressing high feed costs through local solutions

Animal feed is one of the most significant expenses in livestock production, accounting for approximately 60 per cent of total costs. Jamaica’s livestock sector, like many others worldwide, has been heavily reliant on imported protein concentrates and energy feed inputs, resulting in high production costs. By utilising locally available resources — including food waste and crop by-products — FAO said farmers can reduce their reliance on imports and lower their operational costs.

The FAO said its initiatives seek to address the challenges of high feed costs by promoting alternative feed solutions, particularly through the repurposing and upscaling of food and farm waste as livestock feed ingredients.

Currently, Jamaica faces significant food waste, with an estimated 30 per cent of planted crops going unused. By diverting this waste into animal feed, the FAO said it aims to improve livestock nutrition, support food security, and reduce the environmental impact of waste.

Building on previous collaborations to reduce food loss and waste

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, food loss and waste estimates amount to approximately $7 billion worth of agriculture produce.

The FAO said, on a global level, over $400 billion is lost yearly between harvest and retail stages. This waste has been attributed to a lack of post-harvest storage facilities and inadequate transportation to take products to market.

Under a previous food loss and waste initiative, the FAO said it worked with the Rural Agricultural Development Authority to provide two cold storage units to assist farmers with post-harvest storage to reduce food loss.

The FAO said its alternative livestock feed projects will build on existing collaborations to strengthen development of national strategies and identify opportunities for policy formulation for more efficient and sustainable food systems on preventing and reducing food losses and waste.

Strengthening local livestock policies and systems

There are opportunities to strengthen the local policy landscape for livestock feed and food security, such as updating standards to include clear guidelines for using food waste and agro-processing by-products as feed ingredients, the FAO said.

Other key recommendations from the organisation for building a more sustainable livestock sector include:

1. Promoting local feed ingredients: Encouraging the use of locally produced feed ingredients to reduce reliance on costly imports.

2. Supporting research and development: Investing in research to explore alternative feed sources and technologies for processing food waste into safe, nutritious feed.

3. Education and training: Enhancing training programmes for farmers and feed manufacturers to ensure compliance with new standards for handling food waste.

4. Public awareness campaigns: Educating the community about the benefits of repurposing and upscaling food waste into livestock feed to foster broader acceptance.

5. Utilising damaged crops: Implementing systems to use crops damaged by natural disasters as livestock feed or as substrates for biodigestors, reducing waste and supporting farmers.

Developing a tailored feed assessment tool

The FAO said a major component of its project on assessing local feed ingredients is the development of a feed assessment tool that will provide the data needed to help farmers create customised feed solutions using locally sourced ingredients. This tool is expected to assess the potential of local industry by-products, food waste products, and crops to be used as animal feed.

The organisation said a survey of feed ingredients is currently being administered in collaboration with the Jamaica Agricultural Society, with trained officers collecting data across 12 parishes.

The tool, which was previously tested in Guyana, is expected to be piloted in Jamaica and eventually rolled out as an FAO resource for assessing the viability of locally produced feed ingredients. This data will enable smallholder farmers and private feed production companies to formulate cost-effective, sustainable feed solutions that reduce their dependency on imports, the FAO said.

Black soldier fly production for animal feed

According to the FAO, insects and more specifically the black soldier fly have several key attributes which make them promising organisms to be used as an attractive and innovative treatment technology for organic waste in general, creating new possibilities for better waste management and building a circular food system:

• Waste biomass is effectively converted into high quality protein (35 per cent protein and 30 per cent crude fat), which is an important resource for animal feed.

• Feeding waste to larvae has been shown to inactivate disease-transmitting bacteria, such as Salmonella spp. This implies that the risk of disease transmission between animals and between animals and humans is reduced when using this technology at farm level or when treating organic waste in general.

• Waste reduction of up to 80 per cent has been demonstrated. This has implications for reducing the cost of waste transport, open dumping, and space requirements for landfills.

• The waste from insect production is called frass and is a substance similar to compost and contains nutrients and organic matter. When this frass is

used in crop production it helps to improve soil conditions.

• A high waste-to-feed conversion rate of 15 – 20 per cent on wet weight basis has been demonstrated, which is a satisfactory output quantity from a business perspective.

There is no need for sophisticated high-end technology to operate such a facility. Therefore, the FAO said it is suitable for low-income settings that rely mostly on simple technology.

Opportunities for sector growth

The FAO said it has identified the small ruminant sector as a key area for improvement through the use of local feed resources. Currently, a significant portion of small ruminant producers rely on concentrate feeds, while the use of alternative feed sources such as fodder banks or improved pastures is minimal. Introducing high-fibre and high-protein products like hay, silage, and by-products from agro-processing could improve livestock feeding systems and reduce costs, the FAO suggested.

Additionally, the aquaculture sector stands to benefit from incorporating food processing by-products into feed, offering another avenue for reducing costs and improving sustainability.

It said that by harnessing local resources such as cassava, yam, brewers’ grains, and breadfruit, Jamaica’s livestock sector can transition towards a more sustainable and cost-efficient future. Incorporating these alternatives will not only reduce feed costs but also improve the nutritional quality of feed for poultry, swine, and small ruminants.

The FAO said it remains committed to finding innovative solutions to reduce food loss and waste while building a more sustainable and resilient livestock sector.

“The ongoing work to develop local feed alternatives and improve feed policies will play a critical role in ensuring food security and making animal-based protein more affordable for all,” said the FAO.