title: Challenges and opportunities for reducing food waste in Lagos Metropolis, Nigeria
Creators: name: Ajayi, Olubunmi R
Publisher: name: Griffith University
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: food waste
subject: Lagos Metropolis
subject: food waste management
subject: developing countries

description: Sustainable food systems can contribute to addressing food security, climate change, poverty alleviation, and economic growth. With 870 million undernourished people around the world and food shortages exacerbated by climate change, the United Nations (2015) made food security a priority in 2013. Gustavsson et al. (2011) estimated global food waste at 30% of food production. In 2015, the United Nations member states adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets under the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The goal related to food waste reduction. Goal 12 “sustainable consumption and production” aims to reduce per capita food waste to 50% at both consumer and retail levels alongside reducing food waste in the supply chain and along production lines. The debate on food waste has become significant within the waste industry and has received considerable attention from premier organizations, including the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU), and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The UN (2015) estimated that almost half of all global food production is wasted, representing USD 750 billion. The environmental and climate change impact of the wasted economic resources associated with the production, distribution, and disposal of wasted food is another area of concern. The FAO reported that food waste has direct annual economic costs equal to USD 1 trillion, environmental costs of USD 700 billion, and social costs of USD 900 billion. (FAO, 2013) Food waste research is gradually evolving, especially in developed economies with less research investment in developing countries. After years of waste management in developing countries, research has shown that food waste constitutes a significant portion of municipal solid waste (Asomani-Boateng &amp; Haight, 1999). A large percentage of the municipalities’ budgets are spent on waste collection. This research investigates barriers limiting food waste initiatives and programs effectiveness and identify opportunities for strategic interventions in food waste management in Lagos, Nigeria. Lagos was chosen because it is a progressive state, leading initiatives in the country. Lagos also experiences serious climate change issues and is home to the largest urban agglomeration in Nigeria. Furthermore, Lagos is a mega city, the largest and most populous in Africa. A successful food waste policy in Lagos could filter into other states in Nigeria and serve as a model for other countries. The main question addressed in this research is “what are the challenges and opportunities for developing a zero food waste strategy in Lagos Metropolis?” To attain this goal, the researcher applied qualitative methods in a three phased approach. The first phase involved reviewing journal papers, documents, and literature. Data from the literature informed the selection and analysis of three successful and replicable cases from San Francisco, Taiwan, and South Korea that were evaluated for aspects which could be adapted to Lagos Metropolis. Information derived from the first phase informed the design of questions and other research techniques for conducting in-depth interviews with 14 global experts. Information from the second phase of the study informed the third phase which involved four focus groups consisting of about 68 attendees and in-depth interviews with 21 local experts. The informants represented relevant stakeholders from international organizations, government agencies, private industry, universities, research institutions, farmers, market associations, and non-governmental organizations. There are four main findings from this study. 1) A set was established of barriers limiting effective management of food waste in Lagos. These barriers include the lack of five main elements: food waste policy, end markets, infrastructure, readily available data, and food preservation knowledge. Other barriers are supply chain factors, greed, uncontrolled population density, poverty, consumption habits, culture, and a lack of continuity of policy initiatives and programs, among others. 2) Opportunities for waste management were identified such as implementing buy back programs, enhancing collaborations and partnerships among stakeholders, creating awareness, improving communication channels, investing in sustainable technology like driers for roasting fruits and vegetables, incentivizing farming operations, optimizing pricing for farmers, improving roads and infrastructure, encouraging communities to take ownership through food gardens and composting, and embedding enforcement in the existing regulatory framework to enhance food waste management in Lagos. 3) A food waste reduction framework was developed by analysing best practices and research findings to design and deliver effective responses to food waste in relevant institutions, detailing proven practices in food waste management systems, and synthesizing key success factors.4) A food waste management framework was devised for Lagos State. These findings provide a better understanding of the current state of food waste in Lagos, how it is presently managed, and the barriers and opportunities for developing workable policies, strategies, and sustainable solutions. In this study, guidelines are also proposed for designing, implementing, and evaluating future food waste management programs. In its results, significant policy opportunities were identified for food waste management, strategies, and guidelines to develop a food waste framework towards SDG Goal 12 by 2030. Finally, this study contributes to the scant body of information on zero waste and food waste management studies in developing countries using the case of Lagos, the largest city in Africa. The solutions proposed in this study are robust and have implications for other developing countries facing similar problems and could help mitigate climate change impacts facing the global community.