Every year, 931 million tons of food end up in the trash, while 811 million people go to bed hungry.
As the sun rises high over the vast Sahelian plains, many cooking pots remain desperately empty. Behind this poignant image lies the stark reality of a food crisis that is hitting vulnerable populations particularly hard. As the international community celebrates the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, the figures underscore the absolute urgency of action: in a world where one in eleven people suffers from hunger and 811 million go to bed hungry every night, approximately one-third of global food production is lost or wasted, representing nearly 931 million tons of food thrown away each year.
On the ground, thousands of internally displaced people embody this daily distress. Fleeing violence and repeated climate shocks to find refuge in new locations, these families patiently queue outside World Food Programme distribution sites, mothers carrying their youngest children securely strapped to their backs. For them, humanitarian aid is the only bulwark against famine. Yet, budget cuts and drastic reductions in rations directly threaten their survival. These cuts in humanitarian aid leave millions of people completely unable to meet their basic needs, exacerbating a daily life already severely strained by instability.
This heightened vulnerability in Cameroon is part of an unsustainable global paradox highlighted by FAO and WFP reports. On the one hand, global food waste consumes the equivalent of 1.4 billion hectares of cultivated land—the size of two billion football fields—and squanders enormous water resources. On the other hand, in Cameroon and across sub-Saharan Africa, losses are not simply due to overconsumption, but occur significantly upstream, during the production, post-harvest, processing, and transport stages, often relying on inadequate infrastructure. Nearly 58 percent of these post-harvest losses occur in middle- and high-income regions, underscoring the urgent need for profound structural reforms in global supply chains
Faced with these challenges, the World Food Programme (WFP) and its humanitarian partners emphasize that the fight against hunger absolutely requires strengthening sustainable agri-food systems and optimizing the supply chain. In Cameroon, where small-scale farmers are facing significant crop losses, the urgent need is for investment in appropriate preservation technologies. Proven solutions, such as the use of airtight bags, low-cost drying techniques, and reinforced protective packaging, help preserve cereals and safeguard farmers’ harvests against harsh weather and difficult roads.
Combating food waste and reducing post-harvest losses are not merely ecological options, but a moral duty and a strategic imperative to guarantee national food sovereignty. On this international awareness day, strengthening solidarity and improving resource management remain essential guiding principles. Enabling every Cameroonian family to put food on the table, overcome food insecurity, and live in dignity will be key to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
