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News | 2022-06-07
Potatoes farmland China

New project to support sustainable food production in China

In collaboration with China Chain Store and Franchise Association and Institute of Agriculture Economics and Development, IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute will support sustainable agriculture food production in China. The aim is to reduce food loss and packaging, as well as the use of pesticide and fertilizers.

– The project will contribute to increase the overall resource utilization and efficiency along the food supply chain. It will also provide guidelines on food safety and innovative logistics, thus contributing to higher efficiency, circular economy and less pollution and waste, says Gao Si, Head of the IVL China Office.

In China around 2.2 billion tons agricultural product are produced every year. About half of the production is fruits and vegetables. However, agricultural product supply system cannot meet the fast development of consumption and industrialization. Due to inefficient and un-regulated cultivating and distribution system, the agricultural supply in China is still not very well organized. This also creates risks for food safety, food loss and waste, and increases various environmental pollution such as overuse of pesticides and fertilizers, which poses pressure on biodiversity.

To reduce the use of chemical, the project SAFE will use experiences from Europe and integrate the knowledge in training system for retailers and farmers. Via “train the trainers” the project will raise awareness and the capacities of farmers and cooperatives in more eco-efficient agricultural production, improved processing, and packaging. This includes introducing returnable plastic crates for fruits and vegetable, along with informing about relevant guidelines, standards, and policy proposals.

– IVL's main work in the project is to demonstrate the environmental benefits of increased efficiency along the food supply chain, less food loss and extended goods shelf life. This will be based on the methodologies of LCA – life cycle analysis, and LCC – life cycle costs, says Juanjuan Yao, Project Manager at IVL China.

For more information, please contact:
Juanjuan Yao, juanjuan.yao@ivl.se

SAFE stands for Supporting Scheme for MSMEs by Building Sustainable Agricultural Fresh Food Production and Logistics in China. The project is part of the Switch-Asia Programme, which helps Asian countries to tackle global challenges. Supported by the European Union and its international partners, SWITCH-Asia promotes Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP). Read more about the project on the EU Switch Asia website External link, opens in new window.

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