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FLW intervention roadmap

The roadmap approach provides a structured, yet adaptable approach to outline possible FLW reduction pathways and structure coherent actions.

The roadmap approach consists of two main components:

Selection of the most promising FLW reducing interventions. The EFFICIENT protocol developed by Kok et al. (2021a) is used to identify the most promising FLW reducing intervention.
Design of an implementation strategy for FLW reducing interventions in the food system. A FLW reducing strategy is designed using specific intervention criteria as presented by Soethoudt et al. (2021).

What type of insights does the methodology generate?

Assessment of the feasibility of different FLW interventions
Required complementary supportive actions to implement the FLW reducing and mitigating intervention successfully
Structured overview of expected implementation time (short, medium, long), intervention level (micro, meso, macro), intervention type (hardware, orgware, software) and implementing actor (private sector, governmental organisation, non-governmental organisation) of interventions and supportive actions
Visualisation of a FLW reducing roadmap

What type of questions does the methodology help respond?

How can we facilitate a structured approach to design and implement a FLW reducing intervention successfully in the food system context?
What are the minimum requirements for implementing a FLW reducing intervention successfully in the food system?
What supportive actions to reduce and mitigate FLW are needed, should be prioritised, and are feasible in the short, medium and long term?

Links to publications

Case example: application of the FLW intervention roadmap

The FLW roadmap approach has been applied to several case studies (beef, chicken, fish, onion, potato and rice). These case studies provide examples of what a FLW reducing intervention roadmap can look like. Roadmaps are not blueprint models and, in practice, will need to be adapted and updated regularly. A summary is provided of the FLW reducing intervention roadmap developed for the onion value chain in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Case context

Bangladesh is not self-sufficient in onion production. Therefore, in addition to domestic production, Bangladesh imports around 664 thousand tons of onions, primarily from India. As onions are a seasonal crop in Bangladesh, the combination with unregulated imports, dependency on India and high FLW in the supply chain can cause huge price fluctuations. Consequently, onions are not accessible year-round for a large percentage of the local population in Bangladesh.

Users and approach

The intervention roadmap approach and results of the onion case study can be used by policy makers, NGOs and the private sector to design effective FLW reducing strategies and action plans. In the current situation, actors see a lot of challenges and bottlenecks in the supply chain, but they do not know where to start to improve the food supply chain. The methodology that was applied enabled stakeholders to adopt a structured, yet flexible approach to outline possible FLW reducing pathways and structure coherent action towards improved food value chains and reducing losses.

Insights and results generated by the FLW intervention roadmap approach

Selection of promising FLW reducing interventions:

For onion, the prioritised FLW hotspot is at the stage of the wholesaler, as they face losses due to rotting and damaged onions. The root causes of loss in onions in Bangladesh include improper harvesting and curing, lack of proper storage, inappropriate moisture content and improper handling during transport. The selected technological intervention required to address the root causes is to invest in sufficient and effective storage capacity and use.

Implementation strategy of FLW reducing interventions in the food system:

Although the selected intervention is a pure technological intervention (hardware), just building this intervention will not successfully reduce FLW in this supply chain. Supportive actions focussing on organisation, skills and competences are needed for the correct application of the selected intervention in the food system. In addition, a combination of actions on the micro, meso and macro scale, and in collaboration with multiple stakeholders, is needed to sustain the intervention in the long term. The figure below shows the intervention and supportive actions over time to create an implementation strategy in the food system. In this specific case study supportive actions include sourcing funding, carrying out a pilot study, conducting research, providing training and implementing chain coordination before a newly built storage facility can be used effectively.

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