Please save food! | Vardan Urutyan Urutyan | TEDxYerevanSalon
-
0:16 - 0:19We and Our Mountains,
have you seen this movie? -
0:19 - 0:22I'm sure you did, and I think
you will agree with me -
0:22 - 0:26that this is the masterpiece
of the Armenian cinematography. -
0:26 - 0:28Every time you watch this movie,
-
0:28 - 0:31you discover something new
on a broad range of topics, -
0:31 - 0:35starting from politics
and even agriculture and economics. -
0:36 - 0:38I'd like to share a piece of that movie,
-
0:38 - 0:40that I consider very important
-
0:40 - 0:44for each farmer, an economist
and even a policy maker. -
0:44 - 0:46Let's watch that.
-
0:46 - 0:48(Video in Armenian)
-
0:48 - 0:52[Do you think taking the herd to the city
like this is the right thing to do?] -
0:52 - 0:56[First, we are not sheep sellers;
the State is the one buying it.] -
0:56 - 1:00[We are not supposed to get there
and ask them to buy our sheep.] -
1:00 - 1:04[They need to come and ask
if we have any sheep to sell.] -
1:04 - 1:09[Then they need to send
100 trucks to load the sheep] -
1:09 - 1:11[and get to the slaughter house
in half an hour.] -
1:12 - 1:17[There are 830 sheep ...
70 km distance in two days ...] -
1:18 - 1:23[Each sheep in these two days
will lose at least two kg of weight.] -
1:23 - 1:29[830 times two ... 1,660 kg]
-
1:29 - 1:31[or 1.6 tons of meat loss.]
-
1:31 - 1:36[1,600 divided by 20 makes 80 sheep.]
-
1:36 - 1:38[If someone supplies an extra 80 sheep,]
-
1:38 - 1:40[the State awards him the title of hero.]
-
1:40 - 1:43[His photo gets published
in newspapers in Moscow,] -
1:43 - 1:45[and he gets 1,000 rouble reward.]
-
1:45 - 1:48[Now we are witnessing a loss
of 1.6 tons of meat,] -
1:48 - 1:50[but nobody will blame us.]
-
1:52 - 1:55[While actually we should be imprisoned.]
-
1:56 - 1:57It's amazing, yeah?
-
1:57 - 2:02It's amazing how literate were
the Armenian farmers in the 1960s. -
2:02 - 2:03(Laughter)
-
2:03 - 2:07In one minute, Pavle was able to recognize
-
2:07 - 2:09that he's losing
live weight of the animals, -
2:09 - 2:12calculate how much was lost,
-
2:12 - 2:16and even suggest that, by the law,
they are to be imprisoned. -
2:16 - 2:20He's talking about the prevention,
how to prevent the loss. -
2:20 - 2:23In today's terms, these 80 sheep,
-
2:23 - 2:26which is now Armenia's
top exportable product, -
2:26 - 2:29would be worth about four million drams.
-
2:30 - 2:33There'll be no farmer
that would like to have such a loss, -
2:33 - 2:35if you realized about that.
-
2:35 - 2:39But in the modern world,
it happens over and over again, -
2:39 - 2:41in many sectors of the economy.
-
2:41 - 2:45Globally, food waste and loss
is a hot topic, today. -
2:46 - 2:50About 1/3 of the food produced
in the world for human consumption -
2:50 - 2:52gets wasted or lost.
-
2:52 - 2:56This is nearly 1.3 billion tons
-
2:56 - 3:00or more than half
of the world's annual cereal crop. -
3:01 - 3:05The issue should concern
not only the rich, developed countries -
3:06 - 3:09but also small developing
countries, such as Armenia. -
3:09 - 3:13Because in Armenia, agriculture
and the food processing together -
3:13 - 3:17make about 30% of the GDP of the country.
-
3:17 - 3:20We have a lot of people
employed in agriculture, -
3:20 - 3:22about 36% of the work force,
-
3:22 - 3:24and most importantly,
-
3:24 - 3:30we still have a high rate
of rural poverty, about 32% nationwide, -
3:30 - 3:35but in certain regions we have
even more, alarming rate of rural poverty. -
3:35 - 3:37Preventing food waste and loss
-
3:37 - 3:40will have a positive impact
on raising incomes; -
3:40 - 3:44improving food security,
food quality and safety; -
3:44 - 3:48on economic development;
and on the environment. -
3:48 - 3:52We need to recognize
that the food waste and loss -
3:52 - 3:56also represents waste of resources
used in the production. -
3:56 - 4:01Like in my case,
if I lose apples and the wheat, -
4:01 - 4:03then I also lose the resources
I used in the production -
4:03 - 4:05of these apples and the wheat,
-
4:05 - 4:09like energy, water, land, input.
-
4:09 - 4:13So, irrespective of the economic
development of the country, -
4:13 - 4:16the food waste and loss
should be kept to a minimum. -
4:17 - 4:19We are losing food
across the food supply chain, -
4:19 - 4:23starting from egg production
to the consumption stage. -
4:23 - 4:25In the field
-
4:25 - 4:28because of improper harvest timing,
-
4:28 - 4:29poor machinery,
-
4:29 - 4:31mechanical damage;
-
4:31 - 4:34in the post handling
and the storage stage -
4:34 - 4:36because of inappropriate
storage conditions, -
4:36 - 4:38poor temperature control;
-
4:38 - 4:42in the processing stage
because of mechanical damage, -
4:42 - 4:46during packaging and processing;
-
4:46 - 4:51in the groceries and markets,
because of unsold food, -
4:51 - 4:52outdated food,
-
4:52 - 4:54poor storage conditions;
-
4:54 - 4:56and in our homes.
-
4:56 - 4:59Was it because of wrong
shopping behaviour? -
4:59 - 5:01Plate waste?
-
5:01 - 5:04And again some poor storage?
-
5:05 - 5:06In fact I'd like to mention here
-
5:06 - 5:10that the loss is measured for the products
-
5:10 - 5:13that are directed to human consumption.
-
5:13 - 5:17Though sometimes, people,
especially in rural areas, argue that: -
5:17 - 5:19"We don't waste anything,
we don't trash anything. -
5:19 - 5:22We just feed to our cows and pigs."
-
5:22 - 5:25It's kind of an expensive food
for the cows, right? -
5:25 - 5:29I wonder if they ask the cows
what to buy for the dinner. -
5:29 - 5:30(Laughter)
-
5:30 - 5:32As to asking,
-
5:32 - 5:35we did a survey on food waste
and loss in Armenia -
5:35 - 5:38on several selected commodities,
-
5:38 - 5:41and we got shocking results.
-
5:41 - 5:43In fact, the methodology is based
-
5:43 - 5:46on Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations, -
5:46 - 5:51and all allocation and the conversion
factors have been considered. -
5:52 - 5:53Here's what we have.
-
5:53 - 5:58About 30% of the wheat available
for human consumption in Armenia -
5:58 - 6:00gets wasted or lost every year.
-
6:00 - 6:04This is about 129,000 tons.
-
6:05 - 6:10The monetary value
of that would be 32 million dollars. -
6:10 - 6:14And this is in a country
where wheat is a strategic crop, -
6:14 - 6:16very important for food security.
-
6:16 - 6:19We are a net importer of wheat.
-
6:19 - 6:23We are importing about 60%
of the total wheat we need in the country. -
6:23 - 6:28If we just add these three numbers
and convert to money, -
6:28 - 6:31it would be 40 billion drams.
-
6:31 - 6:33Our statistics state
-
6:33 - 6:37that in order to eliminate poverty
from our country, -
6:37 - 6:40we need about 84 billion drams.
-
6:40 - 6:44We are throwing away, just in the case
of these three commodities, -
6:44 - 6:47about 40 billion drams.
-
6:50 - 6:52Where exactly we trash the food?
-
6:52 - 6:54It depends on each commodity.
-
6:54 - 6:55In the case of potato,
-
6:55 - 6:58the most of it happens
during the production stage, -
6:58 - 7:02mostly due to mechanical damage
in the harvest time, -
7:02 - 7:06and also some in the storage
because of the poor condition. -
7:06 - 7:09And it happened to myself.
-
7:09 - 7:12Couple of years ago,
I rented a cold storage facility -
7:12 - 7:15to keep my apples for the New Year,
-
7:15 - 7:17as many farmers do,
-
7:17 - 7:19and I lost 30% of it.
-
7:19 - 7:22It was about 1.5 tons, that time.
-
7:22 - 7:25This was because of poor
temperature control, -
7:25 - 7:27there was no proper disinfection done,
-
7:27 - 7:28poor boxing.
-
7:28 - 7:31Overall it was poor storage facility.
-
7:31 - 7:34And many farmers still face such problems.
-
7:34 - 7:36In the case of wheat,
-
7:36 - 7:40about 26% of the loss
happens during the production. -
7:41 - 7:43And these last two numbers, like 22, 15,
-
7:43 - 7:46which is the later stage of supply chain,
-
7:46 - 7:5037% of wheat or bread and pastry,
-
7:50 - 7:54we are losing in our homes
or supermarkets. -
7:54 - 8:00The wheat loss, at the farm level only,
equals to nine million dollars. -
8:01 - 8:02Or in other terms,
-
8:02 - 8:08we can buy 90 brand new
high technology combine harvesters. -
8:08 - 8:10It's kind of ridiculous, right?
-
8:10 - 8:11From one side,
-
8:11 - 8:14because of mechanical damage
due to poor machinery, -
8:14 - 8:18we are throwing away
90 brand new combine harvesters -
8:18 - 8:20every year.
-
8:21 - 8:25In fact, in Armenia
we have 1,400 harvesters. -
8:25 - 8:27According to statistics,
-
8:27 - 8:31about 83% of them are operational.
-
8:31 - 8:33But how operational are they?
-
8:33 - 8:35It's a big question.
-
8:35 - 8:36I remember back in the mid 90s
-
8:36 - 8:39when I was studying
at the Economics University - -
8:39 - 8:41I see a lot of young people,
-
8:41 - 8:44I'm sure you've studied depreciation.
-
8:44 - 8:44Yes?
-
8:45 - 8:49I studied physical depreciation,
financial depreciation, -
8:49 - 8:52accounting depreciation
and - a kind of a funny term - -
8:52 - 8:54moral depreciation.
-
8:54 - 8:56Have you heard of a moral depreciation?
-
8:56 - 8:58A kind of a Soviet term, right?
-
8:59 - 9:02But I didn't realize that
until in Canada, a couple of years later, -
9:02 - 9:06I saw a combine harvester
working in the field without a driver, -
9:06 - 9:10through a GPS control satellite,
just the high-tech stuff. -
9:10 - 9:13Then I realized: compared to this machine,
-
9:13 - 9:16our machines will be morally depreciated.
-
9:16 - 9:20What should an Armenian farmer do,
or what the farmer is doing, -
9:20 - 9:24when a physically and morally
depreciated machine, -
9:24 - 9:25like this one,
-
9:25 - 9:29is trying to harvest
the food of the farmer? -
9:30 - 9:31He is praying.
-
9:31 - 9:32(Laughter)
-
9:32 - 9:35Because you never know
what will happen to that machine -
9:35 - 9:37when the harvest is over.
-
9:37 - 9:39But one thing is certain:
-
9:39 - 9:44Until the harvest is over,
farmers look as tired as the machine. -
9:45 - 9:46What to do?
-
9:47 - 9:50Let's act just as Pavle,
from the movie, suggests: -
9:50 - 9:53Recognize, calculate and prevent.
-
9:54 - 9:55Recognize the fact
-
9:55 - 9:58that we are wasting and losing food.
-
9:58 - 10:02We need to make people
aware of this very important issue. -
10:02 - 10:05Calculate the amount lost.
-
10:05 - 10:06As Peter Drucker said:
-
10:06 - 10:10"If you don't measure,
you are not able to manage." -
10:10 - 10:11And prevent.
-
10:11 - 10:15Of course, I'm not saying that we need
to jail everyone - as Pavle says. -
10:15 - 10:18But we can educate the farmer,
-
10:18 - 10:21we can invest in resource
sufficient technologies, -
10:21 - 10:23we can invest in new machinery,
-
10:23 - 10:28we can build modern enough
cold storage facilities for our farmers. -
10:28 - 10:31Or simply change our behavior.
-
10:31 - 10:36Gnel Ghazaryan, a live stock farmer
in Arpi village of Vayots Dzor, -
10:36 - 10:40already changed his livestock management
behavior of the farming practices. -
10:40 - 10:44He's transporting all his animals
to the mountainous pastures -
10:44 - 10:47using trucks - like Pavle suggested -
-
10:47 - 10:53and he saved, last year,
four tons of animal live weight. -
10:53 - 10:55After this study,
-
10:55 - 10:59I also completely changed
my food-purchasing behavior. -
11:00 - 11:02I don't think my wife is happy about that.
-
11:02 - 11:06I'm now acting as a food guard in my home.
-
11:06 - 11:10I stopped purchases
of bulk quantities of food. -
11:11 - 11:14I'm now doing more frequent
purchases in less quantity, -
11:14 - 11:17paying attention
to the storage conditions, etc. -
11:18 - 11:22The results are visible
in our family budget. -
11:22 - 11:25If some people can change behavior,
-
11:25 - 11:28why can't others do the same?
-
11:28 - 11:32If we all change our behavior,
collectively as a country, -
11:32 - 11:35if our development people
and policy makers -
11:35 - 11:38pay more attention
to food waste and losses -
11:38 - 11:41and the prevention of that mechanism,
-
11:41 - 11:44the results will be visible
in our country budget. -
11:44 - 11:48And pretty soon, we'll be able
to eliminate poverty from our country. -
11:48 - 11:51So, go home and, please, save food.
-
11:51 - 11:52(Applause)
-
11:52 - 11:53Thank you.
-
11:53 - 11:55(Applause)
- Title:
- Please save food! | Vardan Urutyan Urutyan | TEDxYerevanSalon
- Description:
-
Vardan Urutyan, Director of the ICARE Foundation and Associate Professor at Texas University, shares his insights on the rising amount of food waste in Armenia.
Vardan Urutyan is the Director of the International Centre for Agribusiness Research and Education (ICARE) Foundation, Yerevan. H’s also an Associate Professor of the Texas A&M University, USA. He holds a PhD degree from the Armenian State Economics University and completed a post-doctoral program in Agribusiness Finance and Risk Management at the University of Guelph, Canada. Dr. Urutyan stood at the sources of establishing ICARE in 2005, which is a leading institution committed to develop sustainable capacity in the Armenian food and agribusiness sector through implementation of state-of-the-art educational, career development and research programs. As a recognized international expert, Vardan has been working with the leading international research and education institutions, NGO sector and government in dozens of countries in Europe, America, CIS, and elsewhere. He is an author of the book “Agricultural Cooperatives” and over 30 research articles published in many different countries.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDxTalks
- Duration:
- 11:59
Peter van de Ven approved English subtitles for Please save food! | Vardan Urutyan Urutyan | TEDxYerevanSalon | ||
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Dr Prem P. Atreja accepted English subtitles for Please save food! | Vardan Urutyan Urutyan | TEDxYerevanSalon | ||
Dr Prem P. Atreja edited English subtitles for Please save food! | Vardan Urutyan Urutyan | TEDxYerevanSalon | ||
Dr Prem P. Atreja edited English subtitles for Please save food! | Vardan Urutyan Urutyan | TEDxYerevanSalon |