Que No Se Pierda la Cosecha / From Food Waste to Culturally Valued Communities

Commodities

• Fruits: bananas, citrus, papaya, pineapples
• Vegetables: sweet potatoes, taro
• Additional Plants: ginger, herbs, native plants

Practices

• Sustainable Communities: food access and security, food loss and waste recovery/reduction, food sovereignty

El Departamento de la Comida will serve as a leader in developing best practices to build capacity within rural farms, food hubs, small businesses, and community groups to reduce food loss/waste (FLW) through refining and sharing our replicable, scalable food hub model for FLW reduction. We envision our role in reducing FLW as similar to the role of mycelium in soil—to nourish, sustain, and create connections between producers, consumers, and food. This project addresses the prevalent issue of FLW in Caguas, Puerto Rico by implementing a multifaceted strategy centered on community engagement, education, and innovative food recovery methods. 

Collaborating with the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez, our initiative begins with the development of a comprehensive vulnerability map. We will develop a map of our local ecosystem of markets, farmers, and consumers to determine where and why food loss and waste occurs in our communities. This research will provide crucial information that will allow us to focus our efforts on critical areas, and track changes in the locations and distribution of vulnerable sites over time.

Key objectives of the project include creating pathways for food rescue and educating local farmers on sustainable production practices to minimize surplus. Over a three-year period, we will partner with Trito Agro-Industrial Services to implement tailored solutions for underserved farmers and food businesses, emphasizing producing only what is needed, integrating improved harvesting and storage techniques, and planning for natural disasters. Concurrently, surplus produce will be rescued and transformed into shelf-stable products through our food hub kitchen, reducing waste while increasing economic opportunities for farmers.

Central to our approach is the establishment of our food hub kitchen as a test site for developing and refining standard operating procedures to minimize FLW while upcycling produce. Our food hub will also provide nutritious meals to food-insecure community members. Through educational workshops and cooking classes, we will empower residents to adopt practices that simultaneously reduce FLW in homes and support local agriculture. This initiative strengthens food sovereignty and fosters a resilient local food system capable of withstanding external shocks, such as natural disasters. 

Evaluation will be integral to our project’s success. We will track the impact of our activities on underserved farmers and communities, measure the volume of food recovered, and align with regional priorities for FLW initiatives. By continuously evaluating and adapting our strategies based on data-informed insights, we will achieve sustainable reductions in FLW, enhance economic vitality, and promote food security throughout Caguas.

Our project represents a holistic and community-driven approach to tackling FLW, leveraging local partnerships and innovation to create lasting positive change in Puerto Rico’s food landscape. By empowering stakeholders and implementing evidence-based practices, we envision a future where FLW is minimized, and every community member has access to nutritious food options. The lessons learned and materials produced through this project will be disseminated to other food rescue organizations as a replicable and scalable model of successfully implementing FLW in communities that are systemically underserved and overburdened by the impacts of climate change.

1. Develop a vulnerability map of our local ecosystem, including markets, community kitchens, food retailers, farmers, and schools to determine where and why FLW occurs. Analyze and share the data collected to inform project activities.
2. Create pathways to strengthen food rescue from 10 local farms or food businesses and educate them to identify FLW in their operations, learn to reduce the volume of surplus food generated, and determine other ways to increase crops utilized or sold. 
3. Refine and codify standard operating procedures for our Kitchen program to minimize FLW of bought, donated, and rescued food during processing and other operations. 
4. Identify the quantity of surplus produce within our food chain and donate to other community groups as well as transform at least 25% into value-added and shelf-stable products annually through our Kitchen program, workshops, and point of sale.
5. Provide value-added and shelf-stable products to community members experiencing food and/or nutrition insecurity and for events like natural disasters where it is likely food access will be a greater need.
6. Work with producers and farmers to improve animal nutrition through diverted surplus food converted to feed.
7. Grow our capacity to host educational and training workshops for our community focused on reducing FLW, sharing actionable practices and community-based strategies and preparing culturally-significant, traditional meals. 
8. Engage in a constant cycle of evaluation of data collected and trainings offered to incorporate iterative changes for continuous, responsive improvement of the project. 
9. Strengthen supply chain resiliency in San Salvador and neighboring communities connected to our food system in order to increase community self-reliance in providing for our own food needs.
10. Serve as a leader in developing best practices to build capacity within rural farms, food hubs, small businesses, and community groups to reduce FLW through refining and sharing our replicable, scalable food hub model for FLW reduction.