There is a food crisis in the country, which is also fast becoming an environmental crisis. How might that be, one may ask, and that is because the more that land is utilised for agriculture (currently over 45.45% of land, which is equivalent to over more than 28,000 square kilometres, is utilised for agriculture [World Bank, 2018]), the less land there is for forests and animals. Changing laws that enable people to encroach into forest lands citing the food crisis leads to more wildlife-related conflicts and might also lead to a decline in the tourism industry since that is what most tourists really aim to see when they visit the country. Forty-nine elephants were killed in just Polonnaruwa alone this year, and if so, it is not that difficult to imagine how other wild animals have been affected or faced death within the year. Most would say that people should be prioritised among all other living beings on earth and therefore, food for humans should become the priority. Of course, people need to eat, but there is also a higher cost factor. This is where food waste has to be considered. Food waste is one of the major contributing factors to the food crisis, which is why we need to address this major root cause. Food wastage occurs at different stages across its journey from growth at farms in rural areas to the plates of the Sri Lankan consumer across the country. In Sri Lanka, the per capita food waste is 76 kilograms annually (United Nations Food Waste Index of 2021). That is over 5,000 metric tonnes (MT) a year. What this indicates is that though we have enough food in the country, a large percentage is lost due to food waste, and cultivating more land to overcome this crisis, which will lead to more wildlife conflicts, will not be the solution as long as the root causes exist.
So how are we wasting food? Most farm produce is literally “lost in transportation” when being transported from the source at the farming site. Even in 2022, the country is severely lacking in standardised food delivery practices which should be applied from collection centres such as from Hambantota to Dambulla, to storage facilities and techniques. Most centres do not have low-cost storage, eco-friendly mechanisms such as solar dryers, or innovative cooling mechanisms like evaporative cooling for fruits. Food loss also occurs when harvesting, as manual harvesting techniques are still used widely, and can result in harm to the produce. Innovative methods and mechanisms Vertical farming is very popular across the world and there are a few such sites in Sri Lanka; however, they are not at scale due to challenges including the cost of hydroponics. The cost is, however, in some ways offset by the lack of need for chemical fertilisers and cleaning post-harvest. Urban farming methods including rooftop and balcony gardening for basic spices and condiment varieties like chillies, can both reduce consumer costs and food wastage. There are tried and tested low-cost cooling and drying mechanisms which are locally made for food storage and transport. Some of these come from Ivy League schools like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and have been tested out and implemented in India. One of them is an evaporative cooling tank made for fruits so that they do not wilt or go to waste during the storage period.
Another is a solar-powered drying machine for drying vegetables and fruits, which makes them easier to store. Most fruits in Sri Lanka go bad during transport and storage due to the lack of adequate facilities. Having more portable storage or collection mechanisms can reduce food waste when collected directly from smallholder farmers as well so that their harvest does not go to waste. Some of these cooling tanks are innovations based on traditional knowledge, such as the clay-based cooling pots utilised in Sri Lanka in many rural areas to date to cool and clean their water. Utilising naturally derived oils and naturally occurring bug repellent plants instead of pesticides and chemicals can add major value to farmers and reduce their reliance on costly fertilisers. This, of course, needs support from farmers as it requires more effort but provides higher returns in organic food markets. Beekeeping is a great value-addition in these instances, as both honey and the harvests thrive. This also adds value in terms of the environment, as there would not be chemicals collecting in our water sources where farming usually occurs. From connecting people close by to enabling purchases from the source, and reducing food miles and transportation distances, technology plays a major role in distributing food to people who need it the most, with great benefits to sellers and buyers. Sellers make a major saving on transport (given current fuel issues!) and related costs while buyers do not pay premiums for purchases from supermarkets. Putting technology to use Apps such as Flashfood and Food Cowboy are readily available abroad and are quite popular. These resell grocery foods approaching their “best before” date at a discount price as well as allowing the sale of food rejected by grocers to environmentally conscious consumers at a discounted rate. The reason some food is rejected is merely based on appearances. Unaesthetic or “not pretty” bananas or other fruits are needlessly thrown away as most consumers are unlikely to purchase them. Therefore, providing them at a lower cost or utilising them for juices and even “achcharu” (pickles) can help reduce food waste. The rise of veganism and vegetarianism has led to new food recipes and diets, which are protein filled and delicious and could be adopted for better nutrition as well. Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton and countless other top performers are vegan or vegetarian. Value-added food types or drying techniques for food can reduce wastage while creating high protein powders and food varieties that are supplemented with nutrients for long-term storage and consumption. Processing and canning food types can also lengthen their shelf lives including fruits and vegetables. These are vital components of food waste reduction and make it easier for export as well.
Technology can also support the reduction of food waste by ensuring that all farmers do not farm the same crop. There are many times when pumpkins have gone to waste due to farmers planting too many of them. Data can support a more varied and distributed farming system. Another solution is drone usage for crop planning, monitoring, and even maintenance which can address the glaringly large labour shortage in farming as well. As most folks no longer want to farm and are migrating, we have a lot fewer people farming in the country. Robots are widely being used globally for harvesting practices, to reduce the loss of produce at the harvesting stage. With fuel costs and related challenges, farming too has become an expensive ordeal. Therefore, solar-powered power sites and drones can reduce the effort through aerial support to both monitor and understand crops. This data can also be used to create historical data for continuous analysis and learning. The path ahead In Sri Lanka, there is much work to be done, and much unlearning and relearning in terms of looking at the food crisis from a systems perspective. Yes, we have been engaging in farming since time immemorial, however, we are yet to understand or devise a proper system that can cater to diverse food habits. Instead of short-term “bandage-like” solutions, we need long-term sustainable solutions that add value in the long run. To achieve sustainable food security, we need to map and understand how farming and food habits work in Sri Lanka. We need to learn from global practices that have achieved great results and adapt them to suit Sri Lanka. We need to collaborate and work with bodies that know how to utilise agricultural technologies in a more efficient way that is more regenerative and in tune with nature. This would enable a more informed decision-making process in farming, which would also enable storage processes to happen as and when needed for diverse crops. We need to understand global trends and see how we can cater to those to create value-added products for export instead of being just the raw materials supplier at all times.
We are in dire need of bridging these technological and administrative gaps to ensure that we achieve better rural development and food security. Without them, needlessly destroying our forests would mean that we lose one of the very few foreign exchange incomes in the country – tourism. Most travellers are very conscious of animal cruelty and come to Sri Lanka for the wildlife. The lack of concern for forests and wildlife will only lead tourists to destinations that better protect their wildlife like Tanzania or even India. We can accomplish this with new innovative thinking and foresight in planning and action, as the old ways are clearly not working.