"Reducing produce waste and loss for sustainability" - Diane M. Beckles

Lightning Talk: Reducing produce waste and loss for sustainability
By Diane M. Beckles, Department of Plant Sciences, University of California

The problem of loss and waste of fruit and vegetables is grave and unacceptable in a time of the challenges to agriculture in the form of global climate change and population growth. Extending shelf-life and improving quality would collectively minimize the economic, and environmental inefficiencies associated with produce waste and loss. There are multiple solutions, including engineering and data management approaches, but a focus on breeding for better crops is supported by newer technologies such as gene editing. Therefore additional scientific research focuses on understanding the biological processes occurring in fruit and vegetables after harvest, that would improve postharvest traits could lead to actionable outcomes with tangible benefits for sustainability. This talk makes the argument for such a focus.
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As part of the National Science Foundation-sponsored Convergence Accelerator Conference for Food Security in Extreme Environments and Food Deserts on 19-21 May 2021, participants submitted lightning talks exploring emerging solutions that can be applied to sustainable food systems in extreme environments and/or ongoing efforts by researchers, industry, foundations, and government agencies in this area. These talks have not been screened or edited by the organizers, and conference organizers, sponsors, and partners do not endorse nor take responsibility for the contents of the videos. For more information about the Conference, visit www.convergentfoodsystems.org.