Rescuing Food for Improved Food Security

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Did you know that global food waste is indeed a thing? Did you know that according to Premium Times over 55% of all fruits and vegetables go to waste in Nigeria each year? It’s a shocking statistic that highlights the critical issue of global food waste. While we waste food, many people go hungry, and it’s time to take action.

In this blog post, we delve into the causes and consequences of food waste, exploring best practices that can help rescue food and improve food security for all. We’ll cover everything from value addition and processing to efficient transportation, awareness campaigns, and sustainable agricultural practices.

Causes of Food Waste

Food waste and loss occur at various stages along the agri-food value chain, including inefficient production practices, inadequate post-harvest management, flawed transportation, and distribution systems, lack of proper processing and storage facilities, market and consumer preferences, and food safety regulations. In developing countries, a significant portion of food loss occurs during post-harvest handling and storage due to lack of proper infrastructure and technologies. In developed countries, food waste is often associated with consumer behavior, such as buying more food than needed, improper storage, and disposal of edible food.

Impact of Food Waste on Food Security

The consequences of food waste and loss are far-reaching and detrimental to achieving food security. Wasted resources, including land, water, energy, and labor, result in increased environmental degradation, greenhouse gas emissions, and loss of biodiversity. Additionally, food waste and loss exacerbate global food insecurity by reducing the availability, accessibility, and affordability of food, leading to hunger, malnutrition, and health issues, especially for the vulnerable populations such as children, pregnant women, and the elderly. This also impacts the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and businesses, causing economic losses and undermining sustainable agricultural practices.

Potential Solutions to Tackle Food Waste

  • Improved inventory management and tracking systems to help reduce overproduction and spoilage.
  • Better packaging technologies that preserve food freshness and extend shelf life.
  • Innovative food processing methods that can convert waste into value-added products, such as bioplastics, bio-fuels, and fertilizers.
  • Implementation of effective supply chain management practices to reduce waste and losses during transportation and storage.
  • Use of technology-based tools such as smart fridges and food-sharing apps to facilitate sharing of surplus food between individuals, organizations, and businesses.
  • Adoption of sustainable agricultural practices that promote responsible production and consumption, such as regenerative agriculture, forestry, and organic farming.
  • Public awareness campaigns to educate consumers on the importance of reducing food waste and loss and encouraging them to take actions such as meal planning, proper storage, and composting.
  • Partnerships and collaborations between food businesses, NGOs, and governments to develop and implement effective food waste reduction strategies.
  • Investment in research and development to improve the efficiency of food production and processing methods and identify new opportunities for reducing waste and loss.

Reducing food waste requires a collaborative effort from everyone – farmers, processors, retailers, consumers, and policymakers. This requires a multi-faceted approach that involves improving post-harvest handling and storage, value addition and processing, efficient transportation and distribution, awareness and education campaigns, food recovery and redistribution, sustainable agricultural practices, and policy and regulatory measures. By working together and implementing best practices, we can make significant strides towards reducing food waste, improving food security, and promoting sustainable food systems.

Join us in taking action against food waste and creating a brighter, more sustainable future for Nigeria and beyond!

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Frank Altman

Non-Executive Director

Pioneer of secondary markets for community development and $3.5B+ in managed funding.

Frank Altman is the founder and first CEO of the Community Reinvestment Fund (CRF), USA, where he pioneered secondary markets for economic development loans. Under his leadership, CRF funded over $3.5 billion in loans across 50 U.S. states. He was instrumental in designing the federal New Markets Tax Credit and is an advisor to the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.

Altman is an Ashoka Senior Fellow and the author of A New Capitalism: Creating A Just Economy That Works For All. He brings global expertise in risk management and capital structures to Babban Gona.

Michael Jainzik

Independent Non-Executive Director

Michael Jainzik works as an independent consultant and brings his extensive expertise in the areas of agricultural finance, international investments, risk management and corporate governance. He is currently based in Rome, Italy.
 
From 2001 to 2011, Michael worked as an investment professional at KfW Development Bank, focusing on international debt financing and equity investments in investment funds and banking institutions, mainly in the areas of agricultural finance and microfinance. From 2011 to 2015 he worked as Director of KfW’s office in Windhoek. In this role, he helped manage and develop KfW’s EUR 250 million portfolio in Namibia. From 2015 to 2017, he took on the position of Head of Corporate Development at Access Microfinance Holding, where he was responsible for structuring and leading a merger process between Access Holding and another company.
 
Prior to joining Babban Gona, Michael served as a non-executive director in Access Bank Azerbaijan (2006-2011, Chairman), Belarusian Bank for Small Business (2008-2011), Rural Impulse Fund II Luxemburg (2010-2011) and AB Bank Zambia (2011-2016).
 
Michael studied economics and management at the Universities of Lüneburg and Witten/Herdecke (Germany) and at ETEA – Universidad Loyola in Córdoba (Spain) and holds a Master’s degree in economics and management.

Alhaji Bello Maccido

Board Chairman

Over 32 years of executive leadership in corporate and investment banking.

Alhaji Bello Maccido is a distinguished leader in the Nigerian financial services sector. He currently serves as the Chairman of FBN Merchant Bank Ltd. and has previously held board positions at FBN Holdings Plc, First Bank of Nigeria Plc, and Legacy Pension Manager Limited.

He holds the traditional title of “Wakilin Sokoto” and is a Fellow of both the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers and the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria.

Alhaji Maccido’s educational background includes an LL.B from Ahmadu Bello University and an MBA from Wayne State University. He is a Barrister at Law (BL) of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and an alumnus of executive programs at Harvard Business School and IMD Lausanne.

Muhammad Sanusi, CON

Chairman of the Board

His Highness Muhammad Sanusi was appointed the 10th Governor and Chairman of the Board, Central Bank of Nigeria on 3 June 2009. He earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Economics from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and also has a first-class degree in Sharia and Islamic Studies from the African International University, Khartoum, Sudan.
 
From working as a lecturer at the Ahmadu Bello University, where he taught Economics, he joined the banking industry in 1985, and by January 2009 had risen to General Manager and Group Managing Director of First Bank of Nigeria PLC, Nigeria’s oldest and biggest bank. Mallam Sanusi has been conferred with a National Award of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and has also been awarded the “Global Central Bank Governor for 2010” by The Banker Magazine, a publication of the Financial Times.
 
He was also voted Central Bank Governor of the Year for Sub-Saharan Africa 2009 (an award he won again in 2010) by Emerging Markets, a publication of Euromoney Institutional Investors. In 2011, Mr. Sanusi was named Forbes Africa Person of the Year for 2011. He was also listed by TIME Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Kola Masha (Managing Director) Prior to Babban Gona, Kola was a Managing Director and CEO of a major subsidiary in the Notore.

Lola Masha

Non-Executive Director

Dr. Lola Masha is a seasoned technology leader with over 15 years of experience at the intersection of mobility, technology, and agriculture. She currently serves as a Partner at Antler, a global early-stage venture capital firm. Previously, she was the Regional General Manager for North, East, and West Africa at Bolt, overseeing strategic operations in a high-growth mobility sector.

Her career includes leadership roles as Director of Trust and Safety at OLX Group (overseeing 30+ markets) and Country Manager for OLX Nigeria. She was also one of the earliest employees at Google Sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Masha holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and a B.Sc. from the University of Virginia.

Kola Masha

Managing Director

First leader of a for-profit social enterprise to win the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship.

Prior to co-founding Babban Gona, Kola was CEO of a subsidiary in the Notore Group, where he led a commercial strategy to sell one million tons of fertilizer and raised $130 million in equity.

He has held leadership roles at GE and Abiomed and served as a Senior Advisor to the Nigerian Minister of Agriculture.

Under his leadership, Babban Gona became the first for-profit social enterprise to win the prestigious Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, recognizing the organization’s innovative approach to transforming smallholder farming in Nigeria.

He holds an MBA with Honors from Harvard and a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering from MIT.

Kola Masha

 

Prior to Babban Gona, Kola was a Managing Director and CEO of a major subsidiary in the Notore Group, one of Nigeria’s leading agricultural conglomerates, where he raised US$24 Million to develop an integrated agricultural trading, production and processing business.

Furthermore, he led the development and execution of Notore’s commercial strategy across West and Central Africa, preparing the company to sell one million tons of fertilizer and establish a modern seed business.

He led the effort to raise $130 million in equity and the restructuring of $360 Million in debt. Kola brings significant leadership experience in venture capital, corporate finance, business development, marketing and operations, across four continents with multiple global companies, including GE, Notore and Abiomed. In addition, Kola brings extensive public sector experience as Senior Advisor to the Nigerian Minister of Agriculture.

In recognition for his leadership in driving positive change on the African Continent, he has received several global awards including the prestigious Eisenhower Fellowship, a leading leadership institute led by General Collin Powell and appointed to the Board of the African Enterprise Challenge Fund, a $250 Million fund that awards grants and repayable grants to private sector companies to support innovative business ideas in agriculture, agribusiness, renewable energy, adaptation to climate change and access to information and financial services. Kola holds an MBA (Honors) from Harvard and a Masters in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.