By Kaveh Zahedi, Assistant Director-General and Director of the Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment, FAO

Vast amounts of food are lost or wasted across the food chain, often before they ever reach our plates. But the real scandal of food waste is not only what it does to the climate or to landfills. It is that so much of it is not waste at all. Across agrifood systems, residues and byproducts that could generate energy, fertilizer, feed, materials, and income are still being discarded as if they had no value.

This is where the sustainable bioeconomy comes in. Increasingly recognized as a key solution for economic resilience and climate neutrality, the bioeconomy turns what the food system leaves behind into something productive. Agricultural residues and other byproducts can be converted into energy, fertilizers, feed, biomaterials, and other goods, cutting waste while creating income, jobs, and new value from resources already in circulation.

More than 13.2% of food is lost after harvest, while another 19% is wasted at retail, food service, and household level. This is not simply food slipping through the cracks. It is systemic waste of land, water, energy, labor, and value across the agrifood system. Addressing it will require action at every level, from governments to local communities.

This challenge – and opportunity – is a critical climate action priority. Food waste decays quickly, producing methane emissions in landfills. In fact, it contributes to as much as 14% of global methane emissions. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas (GHG), far more potent than carbon dioxide (CO2) over shorter timescales, and a major driver of global warming. The result is rising pressure on ecosystems and agriculture alike, through shifting habitats, changing species ranges, and intensifying drought, wildfires, and extreme heat.  

Sustainable bioeconomy solutions

The rapidly expanding capital of Côte d’Ivoire, Abidjan, is home to one of the most unusual waste management solutions of all: flies. With support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), the ‘BioDAF – Bioeconomy in Abidjan’ initiative is tackling mounting food waste and rising food insecurity. The project uses black soldier fly larvae to transform market food waste into sustainable livestock feed and affordable organic fertilizer, reducing reliance on costly imports. Within 14 days, the larvae convert waste into protein-rich feed and nutrient-dense frass, or excrement. Turning tonnes of market food waste into a valuable product helps avoid significant methane emissions while reducing soot and other air pollutants.

In Pakistan, a Global Environment Facility (GEF)-funded FAO initiative is showing how bioeconomy solutions can convert discarded banana stems into a sustainable textile fiber. This fiber could even be used for jeans, offering a durable, biodegradable alternative to traditional denim. Using these crop residues reduces pollution from burning and offers farmers a new source of income. Historically, banana fiber was used in Japan and the Philippines, and it is now gaining renewed attention for its low water and chemical footprint as an eco-friendly alternative to less sustainably produced fabrics. The project is a perfect demonstration of how waste-to-value innovation can strengthen livelihoods while easing pressure on natural resources.

Keeping food fresher, longer

According to a report on cold chains by FAO and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), 526 million tonnes of food – around 12% of the global total – are lost or wasted due to insufficient refrigeration. Around the world, people are working in different ways to prevent these losses.

One example comes from Tanzania, where the dairy sector relies on traditional farming systems based on grazing on mostly communal land. Only about 12% of the 2.5 billion liters of milk produced in Tanzania each year moves through formal channels, where cooling and collection systems are more likely to be available. Yet close to 90% of rural households do not have electricity. As a result, when dairy farmers cannot deliver evening milk, the raw milk is usually left unrefrigerated overnight. Between 30% and 40% of milk is lost due to limited access to markets, poor handling practices, and a lack of modern energy for cooling and preservation. With the support of the Tanzanian Dairy Board, the FAO Investing in Sustainable Energy Technologies in the Agrifood Sector (INVESTA) project piloted an initiative that used milk cooling systems powered by biogas digesters.

In Jamaica, an estimated 30% to 40% of crops such as tomatoes, onions, and leafy vegetables are lost due to poor post-harvest handling, a lack of temperature-controlled storage, and delays in reaching markets. Through the recently approved Green Climate Fund (GCF) ADAPT Jamaica project, the Government of Jamaica will be working with FAO to install energy-efficient, temperature-controlled storage.

Developing countries could save 144 million tonnes of food annually if they had the same level of cold-chain infrastructure as developed countries. Reducing the waste of food and agricultural residues would cut emissions, save water and energy, and make better use of farmers’ hard work.

Approaching COP 31

Recent FAO analysis shows that an increasing number of countries have embedded the management and reduction of food loss and waste, including agricultural residues, into their nationally determined contributions (NDCs).

As we approach the 2026 UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 31), hosted by Türkiye, countries have a chance to put practical solutions for reducing food loss and waste at the center of climate action and cooperation, because reducing food loss and waste is one of the fastest, most cost-effective ways to cut emissions, strengthen food security, and deliver on the ambition of the COP 31 Presidency.