THE MISSION
Because of inadequate technologies and the lack of educated personnel for food preservation in developing countries, more than 50% of their harvested food is often lost to spoilage. The WORLD FOOD PRESERVATION CENTER® LLC's mission is to provide a world-class education to young students/scientists in developing countries in advanced technologies and methodologies for food preservation and to conduct research on postharvest food preservation technologies especially adapted for developing countries, such as solar refrigeration, biological control, and active and intelligent packaging. The world is facing one of the most urgent crisis of our time: how to feed a rapidly growing population. It is estimated that the world's population will grow one quarter by 2050 and reach 9.6 billion people.
Multiple studies have shown that at the present rate, even when accounting for increased yields, food production will fall far short of being able to feed this increased population.
The solid lines represent projected crop supplies; the dotted lines crop demand. According to the United Nations FAO, one-third of the food that we harvest worldwide is lost or wasted before it is consumed. This is enough food to feed 2 billion starving people a year.
It is clear that in order to be able to feed the world's rapidly growing population we need to save more of the food that we already produce. At present, we cannot do this effectively because we have invested so little in technologies to preserve food—or in educating young students/scientists and farmers in developing countries in postharvest technologies. |
THE VISION
After receiving a Ph.D. or M.S. at a 'Sister' University of THE WORLD FOOD PRESERVATION CENTER® LLC's, young students/scientists from developing countries will return home and establish independent research, education, and extension programs. These programs will result in the implementation of the most advanced food preservation technologies specific to their respective countries. The result will be a growing network of professionals and institutions that will have a major impact on world hunger and health—and contribute to the profitability of farmers. Presently we are investing 95% of our agricultural resources into the production of food and only 5% into the preservation of food. This doesn't make sense. The return on investment in technologies that preserve food has been shown to be far greater than investments in food production, as yields can grow each year only marginally.
There are a number of excellent programs in place to reduce postharvest losses of food in developing countries, but unfortunately most of these are dependent on the continual input of experts from the developed world, who have uncertain budgets. Due to the historically meager investments in methods to preserve food after it is harvested, we also have a limited arsenal of technologies to recommend for the postharvest preservation of food.
The WORLD FOOD PRESERVATION CENTER® LLC's mission is a unique and more sustainable way to reduce postharvest losses in developing countries and reduce world hunger.
It educates young aspiring scientists in developing countries in the latest technologies for the postharvest preservation of their food. The lack of a continuous power grid in developing countries results in an inadequate cold chain for the storage and transport of harvested food causing major food losses. Innovative research is conducted at the THE WORLD FOOD PRESERVATION CENTER® LLC's 'Sister' Universities on solar refrigeration, container storage and transport, biological control, and active and intelligent packaging.
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