About the course

Thank you for joining us. Our course explores why food loss matters and how better measurement and management can deliver sustainability and economic benefits. Watch Martha Cross from the University of Reading introduce some of the causes for food loss and highlight the wide impact this has on individual farmers to global food security.

Why this course is important

Figure 1: Unharvested oranges on the ground.

In the previous Step, you saw the above image of an orange grove with unharvested fruit on the ground in varying stages of decay. You may have asked:

• Why weren’t the oranges harvested?
• Why are so many oranges going to waste?
• What is the financial loss to the farmer?
• What are the impacts to the environment and society?
• Are some of the oranges still edible?
• Some of the oranges are spoiling on the ground. Will they be separated?
• What would stop this from happening again?
• What proportion of the orange crop might have fallen?
• How many may be unsuitable for human consumption?

What this course will cover

The course is designed for anyone interested in learning more about food loss in primary production. It will be particularly useful for the primary production sector (e.g. farmers, farm advisors, farm associations and consultants), researchers, public administrators, policymakers and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

By the end of this course you’ll be able to:

• Explain the significance of food loss in primary production
• Define food loss as an economic and sustainability issue
• Describe food loss within the wider food system context
• Recognise the value of defining and improving food loss measurement
• List a range methods and tools to measure food loss
• Identify key food loss stakeholders and opportunities for engagement

If you’re new to the FutureLearn platform or have any questions with how the site works, you may find FutureLearn’s start guide and FAQ pages helpful.

Please note

This course includes video content and other visual teaching methods. Some information is displayed in tables, diagrams, graphs and images.

Gain a certificate

This is an accredited course by EIT-Food for non-degree education and training.

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You have free unlimited access to this course, for as long as it exists on FutureLearn.

You can also get a free digital Certificate when you complete 90% or more of the course and achieve an overall score of at least 70% on the final test. To log your progression through the course, click the ‘Mark as complete’ button at the bottom of each Step or the tick icon if you are using a mobile. You can monitor your percentage completion via the progress page.

You may like to add your Certificate to your LinkedIn page.

Who created the course

Understanding Food Loss is developed by the School of Agriculture, Policy and Development at the University of Reading, with input from experts at institutions including the University of Gent and Fundació Espigoladors with support from all partners in the FOLOU project consortium.

Let’s introduce your Educators.

The Educators won’t be able to join the discussions themselves or respond to individual comments, but the course encourages a strong learning community. The learning is focused around debate and discussion – supporting other learners and sharing your own experience and knowledge. We hope that you will enjoy interacting with and learning from each other in this way. Don’t forget to comment, reply to other learners and ‘like’ comments.