Fight climate change by preventing food waste

Today, an estimated one-third of all the food produced in the world goes to waste. That’s equal to about 1.3 billion tons of fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, seafood, and grains that either never leave the farm, get lost or spoiled during distribution, or are thrown away in hotels, grocery stores, restaurants, schools, or home kitchens. It could be enough calories to feed every undernourished person on the planet.

left over like these are not Envoronmentally friendly

But wasted food isn't just a social or humanitarian concern—it's an environmental one. When we waste food, we also waste all the energy and water it takes to grow, harvest, transport, and package it. And if food goes to the landfill and rots, it produces methane—a greenhouse gas even more potent than carbon dioxide. About 11% of all the greenhouse gas emissions that come from the food system could be reduced if we stop wasting food. In the US alone, the production of lost or wasted food generates the equivalent of 37 million cars’ worth of greenhouse gas emissions.

As the world’s population continues to grow, our challenge should not be how to grow more food, but to feed more people while wasting less of what we already produce. Thankfully, there are plenty of actions we can take at the consumer level to make a significant difference. From delivering leftovers to those in need to freezing food, shopping smarter, and composting to keep inedible scraps out of landfills, we can all take small steps to curb our emissions.

Here are some of the tips to mitigate climate change from Food waste

Plan ahead and buy only what you need. Going to the store without a plan or on an empty stomach can lead to buying more than we need. To keep your kitchen on track, try to eat leftovers, think of meals you might eat out, and avoid unnecessary purchases by planning your grocery list ahead of time. 

Use your freezer. While there are plenty of benefits to eating fresh food, frozen foods can be just as nutritious. They also stay edible for much longer. A lot of seafood, for example, is frozen before it reaches your supermarket and then thawed and put on display. That means it will only stay fresh for a few days. By buying frozen seafood, you can extend the shelf life of the product considerably. Cooking and freezing food—especially produce—before it goes bad is a great way to avoid having to toss it.

Be creative with leftovers. Before you shop, use the food you already have. Websites like Big Oven, Supercook, and MyFridgeFood allow you to search for recipes based on ingredients already in your kitchen. You can also use apps like Epicurious and Allrecipes to make the most of what's in your fridge and pantry.

Blend, bake, or boil. Fruits and vegetables that are beyond ripe may not look pretty, but that doesn't mean they can't still taste delicious in recipes. Try using your wilting, browning, or imperfect produce to make sweet smoothies, bread, jams, sauces, or soup stocks.

Talk it up. Preventing food waste is the most effective way to shrink its impact on the planet. If we avoid producing food that we don't eat, we can save the land, water, and energy that would have been used to make it. And awareness is a good first step; according to ReFED, educating consumers about food waste could prevent 2.3 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

Uganda to adopt new strategy in the fight against Malaria

BY SAMUEL NABWIISO

The Ministry of Health is developing new strategy which will support the ministry in the fight against malaria in the country, a, disease which is becoming serious killer.

Under the new strategy   the ministry of health will engage the entire stakeholder ranging from policy makers, Medical and Health experts, Religious Institutions and local governments at various levels.

The National malaria Control Prgramme officer at the Ministry of Health Dr. Jimmy Opiga said the Government registered big achievement in the fight of HIV /AIDs in the country, the same strategy government used should be adopted in the fight of Malaria in the country.

“We are going to adopt new strategy which will bring on board all sector players in the fight of the disease  we hope that if its well embraced  by the general public then Uganda will be malaria free state” The manager said this last week during the Malaria symposium in Kampala.

The mass Action against malaria (MAAM) strategy will replace the current approach being utilized by the ministry, which the technical people at the Ministry says it has not been effective in the fight against malaria since it excludes other players of which some are very crucial especially when it comes to mobilizing the locals in the struggle to fight the diseases.

Commissioner  Dr.Patrick Tusiime at the stall of Troikaa Pharmaceutical this was during the Malaria symposium he urged the private sector to support Uganda inthe fight of Malaria  

“Although Government has been coming up with strategies to prevent malaria our local people on many occasion have not been embracing them because they were not massively mobilized by their local leaders and other Influential leaders such as church and traditional leaders with the MAAM strategy such leaders are going to be integrated into the system to help government in mobilizing the local people towards the fight against malaria” He explained.

Speaking at the same event the Commissioner for National Diseases Control at the Ministry of Health  Dr Patrick  Tusiime  said  the increasing incidences of malaria outbreak in the country has economic Impact on the country’s Economy thus the need to  jointly join the forces towards eliminating  the disease out of the country.

“Uganda will not attain middle Income status  when  the country is still challenged with malaria let us join our efforts  towards eradicating the disease out of the country , Government alone cannot  solve the problem without the support of Development partners , private sector and cultural leaders “ He said.

Commenting on the MAAM strategy,Santosh Singh the Senior Country Manager for Troikaa Pharmaceutical an India based company supplying pharmaceutical products in Uganda, said for the strategy to be effective, government need to invest more resources towards the development of Health Infrastructures and recruits more man power to man the health facilities across the country.

“Infrastructures such  as  medical laboratories are vital in the treating of malaria government need to ensure that labs are in place with genuine testing kits and  qualified staffs to utilize the kits .It’s not  good to put someone on malaria treatment when there’s no proof  of malaria” He said.

The commissioner registering in the  Guest Book at the Troikaaa stalls 

He added by advising government   to sensitize the public about malaria saying the mass campaign will play vital role in behaviors changes which have exposed many Ugandans to Malaria.

“The general public can adopt good social behaviors which can limit their chances of suffering from the disease this has been tested in the fight against Cancer and HIV /AIDS in the country where massive mobilization on behaviors changes has been done by the government “ He added .

Is malaria big Health problem in the country? The country accounts for 4 per cent of malaria cases in the whole world, making it to the top five countries responsible for nearly half of all malaria cases worldwide. Other countries are Nigeria, DRC Congo, Mozambique, and India this ios according to the World malaria report published in2018

The ranking of Uganda at that level shows  that the disease isistill big challenge despite the fact that government has been implementing preventive measure such as the distribution of 24 million mosquito nets nationwide in addition to Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) which involves application of insecticides to the inside of dwellings.

New technology to mitigate Aflatoxins in Grains Launched on the Ugandan market

BY SAMUEL NABWIISO

I-Grain a Danish based company in partnership with the East African Grain Council have introduced new technology on the Ugandan market which help grain producers  and exporters  to   mitigate Aflatoxines contamination in Grains.

The new technology Toxi Scrub Detoxification comes at time when almost 56% of the Ugandan grains produced are being infested with Aflatoxin which makes it very difficult for the grains to access International markets.

Under the technology, grains that are infested with aflatoxin undergo processing process where the grains can be treated with Ozone, Once the grains are treated   with Ozone are chemically reconfigured and the aflatoxins are   washed away   this makes the grain safe for Human consumption.

 Commenting on the technology during the Launch recentely at Hotel Africana in Kampala,Gerald Masila the Executive Director of East African Grain Council challenged the Grain Council Members in Uganda to Invest in the technology to ensure that  the grains from Uganda is free from the toxic substance this will open the market gates for the grains  from Uganda both to regional and International markets.

Professor Kaya from Makerere University making presentation about the Aflatoxin situation in Uganda 

“Our members in Uganda should embrace the technology that is the only way to go if they are to compete on the international and regional markets. The East African Grain Council is committed to work with the Government of Uganda to ensure that the technology is embrace by the dealers since Uganda is one of the leading producers of grains in the region”   He said.

 He said for the grain dealers to effectively maximize the economic potentials of the technology. They should pull resources together and set up grain treatment plant that will treat grains that are affected with Aflatoxin  so that the region is fed  with grains that  are safe for human consumption .

 Why the Introduction of the Technology is big game changer in the grain Industry?  The technology will manage the challenges of grain storages and ware housing to ensure that the quality and safety of grains in the storage are well managed. This is motivated by the fact that Uganda is having big challenges of the grain quality produced in the country, information available reveals that the grains are of substandard and health risks to the consumers because of being infested with toxins that are capable of causing diseases such as cancer of the liver.

“Uganda has great prevalence risks of grains that are infested with aflatoxins to the level that are beyond the levels that are allowed by the standard and regulation. According to the research conducted  by Makerere University  indicates that over 56-60% of the grains  produced in Uganda are contaminated with  toxins this makes it not safe for human consumption but people are ending up consuming such grains which is risky decision” Masira  added.

Apart from being Health risky, Aflatoxin Infestation in the grains also is big concern when it comes to trade perception recently when the two Government of Uganda and that of Kenya signed trade deal for Uganda to export 600.00 metric tons of grains to Kenya unfortunately the trade did not happen because when all grains were a aggregated and sampled all the grains failed the test because it was discovered that the grains were highly infested with Aflatoxin and it was rejected in Kenya

Making key presentation on Aflatoxin Professor Kaya   Archileo of Makerere University said East African states should invest more resources towards managing Aflatoxin Infestation in the regional  Grains.

“Most of our Countries in the region depend on grains as their traditional food .That is why it’s Imperative to ensure that the regions is fed with high food that is not risky to their lives “ He said.

Peere Hansen the Director marketing and Sales at i-Grain said the technology which they are introducing in Uganda has been tested in over 15 countries both in Europe and on the African continent   and it has passed the entire test.

“iGrain technology has been adopted by many grain dealers across the world the latest  clients being those in Southern Sudan where we shall be launching  facilities very soon . For the Ugandan grain to access the International markets, the products must be free from any forms of toxics Aflatoxins is one of them and for such  to occur the dealers need to invest in technologies that can mitigate such challenges “ He said.

Speaking on behalf of Government during the Launch of the technology   Godfrey Tukamobona  a senior officer at the Ministry of Trade and Industries  said Government  is committed  to work with private sector especially those  companies that are developing solutions to mitigate technical barriers that hinder trade  between Uganda and the rest of the World.

Use women groups to promote coffee production, Coffee producer organizations have been asked

BY SAMUEL NABWIISO.

Coffee producer organizations have been asked to make use of women groups to promote the production of coffee to speed up production.

The call was made by AgaPeters Kubasu, from Fairtrade at the launch of Butonde coffee beans and beverage that will be sold directly to EU markets.

 Butonde coffee products were produced by three cooperatives also known as Small Producer Organizations, having gone through training by Fairtrade and Africa Coffee Academy for some time so as to bring a quality product on the market.

Woman harvesting coffee beans from her garden Fairtrade wants more Women to be brought on Board  in Coffee  production 

The three cooperatives that came together to produce the product include Ankole Coffee Producers Cooperative Union Limited, Banyankole Kweteerana Cooperative Union and Kibinge Coffee Farmers’ Cooperative Society Limited.

According to Kubasu for the three groups to maintain the production of quality coffee they will have to work more closely with women groups, help them understand the best farming practices and handling of coffee right from the field to the collection points.

“That way, there will be assured quantities for trade both in country and in regional markets that have already been secured since the produces are Fairtrade certified,” he said.

Apart from producing coffee alone, he said through the same groups, domestic consumption will be natured just like it is in Ethiopia where most of the coffee produced is consumed locally.

“By pioneering this approach, farmers are expected to realize value for money as there is likely to be an increase of price at farmgate level, which will improve their incomes, both individually and as groups,” he added.

The development of the product was supported by Fairtrade Africa, through the Growing Resilient Enterprise Agricultural (GREAN) project, in partnership with Vi Agro forestry at a tune of 40000EUROs from the Nordic Climate Facility (NCF). 

 

The GREAN project is providing an opportunity for the coffee producing  organizations to own a new Fairtrade coffee brand, thus engaging them from production and processing, to packaging and marketing – an innovation of owning more of the coffee value chain and retaining the benefits of value addition for their farmer members.

Officiating at the launch of the product in Mbarara recently,Tumwesigye Robert, the Regional Manager for S.Western region at the  Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA), the Regional Manager for S.Western region advised farmers to stick to quality parameters set aside by UCDA to maintain the quality and the available market.

Francis Atukunda the district commercial officer for Mbarara reported that farmers still have challenges of post harvest management, adding that many still harvest immature coffee beans and force them to dry, a practice he said compromises the taste and aroma of the final product.

Water level in Lake victoria to Rise , communities to suffer ,NEMA warns

BY MOSES  KIDANDI

Waters in Lake Victoria are expected to rise by about 4 meters a situation which may come along with Environmental consequences especially to the communities staying on lake shores, Government through Environment Agency has warned.

According to the Executive director of the National Environment management Authority (NEMA).Dr.Tom Okurut the levels will rise by 4 meters in 2021 there by raising an alert to all landing sites across the country and surrounding villages living closer to the lake to adjust to the growing conditions.

Okurut Interacting with the local 

Okurut made the remarks as NEMA embarked on a demarcation exercise of lake shores in mayuge district to pave way for resettlement of 48 villages that were displaced by the National Forestry Authority NFA from the South Basoga central forest Reserve in 1998.

NEMA is demarcating 200 meters off the lake shore for conservation as the Government plans to gazette part of the forest reserve to settle affected locals from the 48 villages.

The resettlement is President Musevenis order directing NFA to hand over five hundred Hectares which is part of the Bukaleeba Forest Reserves to over thirty thousand families that had been evicted.

Naome Karenkaho the manager public and corporate affairs at NFA advised people living in the fishing villages in Mayuge to shift from the low lying areas near the lake to avoid possible catastrophes. 

During the meeting the local applauded government for considering the local people who were chased away by NFA many years

locals inthe meeting 

"We were told to leave the forest reserves this affected our livelihoods but we thank the president for being on our side” Said one of the local who attended the meeting

improved nutrition can save the world

Improved nutrition targeted at young women can reduce poverty. But it's not enough to look at improving what they eat. We must also focus on guaranteeing respect for their rights and those of future generations.

Younger Girl serving herself plate of fruits 

In order to prevent malnutrition from being passed to the next generation, we need to improve the nutritional status of adolescent girls. 

This cannot be done through better nutrition alone, but can be achieved by working in areas such as education, water, sanitation and hygiene, increasing young women's access to resources and empowering their economic independence in order to delay marriage and pregnancy.

Invest more in Environmentally Sound Technologies, UN Environment Report cautions Developing States

BY SAMUEL NABWIISO

Developing Countries have been urged to venture into trading in environmentally sound technologies that can foster new industries thus creating new, jobs, and income growth in developing countries, a new global study suggests.

The research, featured in the report 'Trade in Environmentally Sound Technologies: Perspectives from Developing Countries’, highlights the importance of developing countries for future trade in environmentally sounds technologies and the need for their increased involvement in mitigating climate change .

Environmentally sound technologies, often also referred to as “clean technologies”, are a subset of environmental goods, defined as goods that directly contribute to environmental protection and climate change mitigation.

Solar pannesl ready for production , the report wants Developing Countries to invest in such technologies in order to protect the Environment 

Good example of such technologies includes solar power plants Electrical vehicles among other technologies that release no green House in the Atmosphere. The UnEnvironmnet report comes at a time when the whole world is battling with the effects associated with climate change.

 The report identifies developing countries that have transited from net importers to net exporters of clean technologies by embracing international trade and investment, which has enabled them to build up their technology and production capacity.

As a result, new green industries have emerged as well as growth in incomes and job creation, thus demonstrating how trade in environmentally sound technologies can offer a triple win for the environment, economy and society.

The research suggests other developing countries have the potential to achieve similar outcomes with the necessary domestic policies and technological effort. In this respect, the report recommends that initiatives to support the trade in clean technologies at the international level should be supported by measures at the domestic level, including through capacity building and technical assistance.

“The findings from this study offer important insights that can support and enable developing countries to objectively assess and understand the opportunities, benefits and challenges of liberalized trade in clean technologies. Investing in trade, innovation and use of clean technologies can drive sustainable development by tackling climate change, building resilience and supporting the achievement of the Global Goals and the Paris Agreement” said Anja von Moltke from UN Environment said

The report, published by UN Environment’s Environment and Trade Hub, Oxford University’s Technology and Management Centre for Development and the Department of Industrial Economics and Technology Management at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology suggests that building knowledge and capacity is critical to support developing countries in assessing the opportunities and challenges of the trade in clean technologies.

According to the report, this can help inform decision makers of the potential benefits of participating in specific trade negotiations. The analysis also points to the importance of reducing or eliminating tariff and non-tariff barriers to catalyze greater participation by developing countries’ in value chains, thus bolstering economic and environmental resilience and driving sustainable development.

“Through trade in clean technologies, developing countries also have access to the technologies and other intangible intellectual capital which are embedded in and transferred through the trade in these technologies,” explained Professor Xiaolan Fu of Oxford University.

The Reports comes at a time when   Some Developing Countries especially in the Sub-Saharan Africa are on the course to embrace environmentally sound technologies such as adopting the utilization of solar power as an alternative to Biomass, the latest to join   the group is Uganda; the Kampala Government has tried to encourage   investors to invest in solar Energy.

President after the commissioning of the Gomba solar power plant  

Recently President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Launched a 20MW plant which costed the Invest about UGX200 Million. The Gomba plant is the second to be commissioned in the Country the first mega solar power plant was commissioned in Soroti District in the Eastern Part of the Country.