Silicon Valley Insider: The Intersection of Food and Gender

Feb 28, 2020 | Fiorella Riccobono
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When examining the Sustainable Development Goals of The United Nations; zero hunger, responsible production, and climate action are three of the main focal points. In order to take on these goals, we can focus on food loss on farms. 

Food loss refers to all edible food that is lost before it reaches the consumer, which accounts for 64% of all food loss along the supply chain. It is also responsible for 45 trillion gallons of water being wasted, annually. On top of the environmental impact, there are also societal implications. There is a layered relationship with small-hold farmers and food loss. 

Smallholder farmers produce more than 80% of the food required by developing countries. These farmers have a difficult time securing capital in order to build a more robust and sustainable supply chain, but the issue deepens when these farmers are women.