How Farmers' Associations Advocates "Food-Cherishing" to Drive Net-Zero and Green Living in Farming Villages

Denny Lee（China Productivity Center Agricultural Innovation Department I ）

Global greenhouse gas emissions have caused irreversible changes to the world's climate, and consequently increased the likelihood of extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, and typhoons. This severely affects global and domestic food production, elevates the risks in food supply, and poses a serious threat to people's basic need for food. Therefore, effective reduction of greenhouse gas emissions has become an issue that all parties need to address in depth.

However, the general public's perception of carbon reduction often focuses on long-promoted practices such as reduction of fossil fuel use or electricity consumption. The carbon emissions associated with food and beverages in the daily life are often overlooked. Research indicates that the food and beverage industry generates about 30% of the global greenhouse gas emissions, from agricultural production, transportation, processing, warehousing, distribution, cooking, to food waste management.

Therefore, how to effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions from food-related sectors is an issue worthy of consideration and involvement by upstream and downstream industry players.

In addition to the increased use of renewable energy and accelerated adoption of low-carbon production technologies across the industry chain, concrete carbon reduction actions within the industry are crucial. According to a report by the International Energy Agency, changes in consumers’ daily behaviors are also key. If properly implemented, these changes are estimated to contribute to an 8% reduction in emissions towards the global net-zero goal.

“Net-Zero Green Living”, one of the 12 Key Strategies implemented by National Development Council for Taiwan’s Pathway to Net-Zero Emissions in 2050, is to address this. A total of 63 policy actions are put in place to assist all citizens in building a green life. In addition to care for agricultural production in farming villages, farmers' associations as an important institution for rural development in various regions should explore how to respond to the national development policy of promoting green living.

The range of businesses operated by farmers' associations, i.e., agricultural product centers, supermarkets, and farmers' direct sales outlets, are closely related to the life of rural residents. Therefore, the Agriculture and Food Agency under the Ministry of Agriculture began in 2022 to support farmers' associations to launch “food-cherishing” sales at the abovementioned premises to advocate zero-waste consumption. This article will further discuss how the food-cherishing business can become a catalyst to strengthen carbon reduction and green sustainability for farming villages.

From sale of food-cherishing items to promotion of zero-waste and low-carbon diets

In response to the national policy towards net-zero emissions and zero hunger, the Agriculture and Food Agency, Ministry of Agriculture started in 2022 to assist farmers' associations to set up the food-cherishing section at their business premises. The purpose of the food-cherishing section is to advocate awareness and literacy about cherishing food and reducing waste. After two years of supporting efforts, the food-cherishing section has been rolled out at 168 premises owned by farmers' associations all over Taiwan.

A closer look at the operation of the food-cherishing section reveals that most items are discounted near-expiry products, to reduce food waste or destruction. There are also some consignment sales of imperfect fruits and vegetables, to offer affordable local fresh ingredients to the community and promote local production for local consumption. In sum, the approach taken by farmers' associations for the food-cherishing section can be summarized as a change in distribution channels and behavior to reduce the disposal rate of unsold products.

However, simply selling near-expiry products or imperfect produce may have a limited impact on driving the change of consumers' lifestyle and behaviors. In fact, farmers' associations may assume further tasks in the promotion for net-zero green living, zero-waste and low-carbon diets during the process of selling food-cherishing items by leveraging their capabilities in home economics, 4-H (head, heart, hands and health), and advocacy.

For example, consumers today often lack knowledge about food ingredient handling and cooking because of high reliance on eating out. This reduces their willingness to purchase fresh ingredients for cooking and indirectly increases the likelihood of food waste.

To improve this situation, farmers' associations may integrate the resources for food and agriculture education and promotion into the food-cherishing sales points. They can collaborate with chefs who cherish food ingredients to design different recipes based on the concept of whole foods and demonstrate onsite to teach consumers how to eat by purchasing and preparing appropriate ingredients. This will help rural households to create delicious dishes by following these recipes and properly handling ingredients.

This approach can increase consumers' willingness to buy fresh ingredients, drive the sale of agricultural products and reduce waste. Through repeated interactions, consumers can gradually develop the concept of whole food use and food cherishing and steer away from the past habit of bulk buying and towards "planned purchasing" or "cooking as much as you eat" at appropriate amounts. This ensures food cherishing by consumers and establishes a zero-waste mindset.

Reuse of Food-cherishing Items and Rural Community Services

In addition to promotion of lifestyle changes, balancing of local agricultural production and sales is another essential function of farmers' associations. During this process, some agricultural products are discarded due to grading or processing factors and become off-spec or second-grade products. The reuse of the off-spec products is also an important way to promote food cherishing, reduce food waste, and encourage green living in rural areas. Surplus food kitchens at communities in many urban areas may serve as a reference case and provide strategic insight.

To meet the rising demand for long-term care of the elderly in recent years, central and local governments have been promoting projects such as green care, community meal services, and outreach centers in farming villages to establish local care and support for the elderly. Meal provision or communal dining is an important service in these projects, requiring a rich supply of food ingredients. Effective use of off-spec products from the supply system of farmers' associations will maximize the utility of these resources.

Off-spec products are usually the agricultural products that do not meet the grading standards or requirements of the auction market. However, the nutritional value of these products remains the same, and they can be equally delicious when properly cooked.

To avoid the waste of the off-spec products and enhance the effectiveness of the promotion for food cherishing, farmers' associations can provide the off-spec products to their home economics classes and green care stations or collaborate with local community development groups. The consumption of large quantities of off-spec products to provide meal services gives new life to these visually unappealing agricultural products.

This approach not only allows the elderly to enjoy nutritious meals but also demonstrates the spirit of mutual aid and cooperation among local rural groups. It will enhance the momentum of rural services for the elderly.

Moreover, with some ingenuity, the handling of off-spec products and meal services can even add value to educational and cultural heritage. For example, our ancestors developed many food preservation techniques for different rural environments and crop types in various regions to avoid any wasting in the past when resources were scarce.

For instance, the farmers in the Yunlin-Chiayi-Tainan area preserve young watermelons by making “smooth melon pickle” as an essential accompanying ingredient for other dishes. This has become an important food memory and culture in the region. Different farming villages have different preservation techniques. If properly recorded and passed down, these become a unique heritage for the culinary culture in rural areas of Taiwan for future generations.

Therefore, in addition to consumption of off-spec products for meal services or communal dining, farmers' associations and communities may design co-learning activities during meal events. Community elders can share and teach how agricultural villages in the past handled off-spec products and pass on various food-cherishing ideas and wisdom to the next generation. This will enhance the overall value of the food-cherishing initiative driven by farmers' associations.

Next Steps for Promotion of Food Cherishing

In summary, farmers' associations' food-cherishing campaign can realize the concept of food cherishing through promotional activities or cooperation with local communities. This makes it easier for rural consumers to learn and practice, gradually expanding the act of food cherishing from near-expiry products to general ingredients. It will foster a culture of food cherishing, establish the habit of zero-waste living, and effectively reduce food waste in agricultural areas.

Going forward, how can farmers' associations expand their influence beyond connecting with rural communities through the abovementioned food-cherishing section?

Plastic reduction may be first step forward. Current regulations require packaging for food-cherishing items for sale. For instance, products with traceability records need intact packaging to avoid mixing.

However, selling fruits and vegetables without packaging or with recyclable bags can contribute to plastic reduction. Additionally, if farmers' associations can promote food cherishing through distribution channel partnerships to achieve the efficiency of advocacy for food cherishing. Lastly, how to clearly quantify the external benefits of food cherishing, such as carbon emission reduction, is worth continued research and discussion by all parties amid the trend for net-zero.

If a well-defined calculation method can be established, incentive measures can be designed accordingly to support businesses that embrace the concept of food cherishing and cultivate and encourage the culture of food cherishing by drawing consumers' attention.

However, dialogue among government agencies, industry players, academia and consumers is necessary to consolidate opinions into consensus regarding how to implement food cherishing practices across all sectors of the society. This can be achieved through various mechanisms such as regulations, policies, and markets, thereby guiding the society as a whole towards responsible production and sustainable consumption.