DRIVEN TO WASTE: THE GLOBAL IMPACT OF FOOD LOSS AND WASTE ON FARMS

The report estimates that 1.2 billion tonnes of food are wasted on farms annually, representing 15.3% of global production. This waste contributes 2.2 gigatonnes of CO2 eq, approximately 4% of all anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. The analysis reveals that high- and middle-income regions contribute a disproportionate share of harvest waste per capita. The document argues that farm-stage waste is driven not only by direct biological or technical factors but by indirect systemic drivers, including market power imbalances, rigid retail specifications, and the diversion of edible food to animal feed. It calls for a 50% reduction target from 'farm to fork' by 2030 and a shift toward holistic interventions involving governments, retailers, and citizens.

• Global food waste on farms is estimated at 1.2 billion tonnes per year, which is approximately 15.3% of all food produced globally, with a total value of $370 billion.
• Farm-stage food waste has a significant carbon footprint of 2.2 gigatonnes CO2 eq, accounting for roughly 16% of all agricultural emissions and 4% of total anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.
• High- and middle-income countries in Europe, North America, and Industrialised Asia (China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea) contribute 58% of global harvest waste, despite representing only 37% of the global population.
• The land used to produce food wasted on farms globally is approximately 4.4 million km2, an area larger than the Indian subcontinent, with meat and animal products responsible for over half of this land use.
• Freshwater withdrawals for food lost at the farm stage total 760km3, with cereals and pulses (37%) and meat and animal products (22%) being the primary contributors.
• Current definitions of food waste often mask the problem by excluding edible food diverted to animal feed, which can disincentivise reduction and drive overproduction.
• Farm-stage waste is driven by indirect systemic factors, such as asymmetric power balances in supply chains and retail specifications for appearance, which can make harvesting unprofitable for farmers.
• In the US broiler chicken industry, unsustainable rapid growth rates and poor animal welfare contribute to waste levels of 637,000 tonnes per year, or 6.5% of total farm-stage meat product waste in the region.
• In South and Southeast Asia, rice waste is driven by market demand for specific cultivars like basmati, which may be less suited to the land and result in higher waste rates.
• In Uganda and Tanzania, dagaa fish waste levels are estimated at 26-40% of landed catch, often due to a lack of suitable drying equipment and low market prices.

APA

Vierus, T., & Sellgren, G. (2021). DRIVEN TO WASTE: THE GLOBAL IMPACT OF FOOD LOSS AND WASTE ON FARMS. WWF International. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/788/6yoepbekgh_wwf_uk__driven_to_waste___the_global_impact_of_food_loss_and_waste_on_farms.pdf

Chicago

Vierus, Tom, and Germund Sellgren. DRIVEN TO WASTE: THE GLOBAL IMPACT OF FOOD LOSS AND WASTE ON FARMS. WWF International, 2021. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/788/6yoepbekgh_wwf_uk__driven_to_waste___the_global_impact_of_food_loss_and_waste_on_farms.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Vierus |first1=Tom |last2=Sellgren |first2=Germund |title=DRIVEN TO WASTE: THE GLOBAL IMPACT OF FOOD LOSS AND WASTE ON FARMS |publisher=WWF International |date=June 2021 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/788/6yoepbekgh_wwf_uk__driven_to_waste___the_global_impact_of_food_loss_and_waste_on_farms.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{vierus2021driven, author = {Vierus, Tom and Sellgren, Germund}, title = {{DRIVEN TO WASTE: THE GLOBAL IMPACT OF FOOD LOSS AND WASTE ON FARMS}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2021}, month = jun, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/788/6yoepbekgh_wwf_uk__driven_to_waste___the_global_impact_of_food_loss_and_waste_on_farms.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }