Farm to Fork conference takes first step to building sustainable food practices

Egypt needs to revert back to traditional food practices for a sustainable food system, participants in the Farm to Fork conference agreed on Monday.

The conference, the first of its kind in Egypt, focused on sustainable business practices in the local food and restaurant industry, and was held at downtown Cairo’s Semiramis InterContinental Hotel.

It brought together chefs, restaurateurs, non-governmental organizations and members of the Ministry of Environment to think about building a network integrating different stakeholders in the sustainable food sector. Participants gathered around workshops, presentations and a small market showcasing the latest sourcing options, from organic to seasonal and local to fair trade. 

Organized by the GIZ Responsible & Inclusive Business Hub MENA, the Semiramis InterContinental, the Egyptian Chefs Association and the Chamber of Food Industries, the Farm to Fork conference discussed all issues related to the food value chain — from when it is produced, to when it is transported, stored and prepared, and finally consumed.

Minister of Environment Laila Iskandar was originally set to inaugurate the conference, but was replaced by Moustafa Foda, another member of the ministry.

“Environment and food sustainability are completely linked,” Foda said, “Sustainable development relates to what we eat, agriculture, biodiversity and all aspects of our daily lives.”

Participants were then split into four breakaway sessions, each aiming to discuss issues and solutions in sustainable sourcing.

“In our crisis of food insecurity, it is important to go back to sustainable traditional practices through our food heritage,” argued Habiba Hassan Wassef, a pioneering nutritionist and senior researcher at the National Research Center. Wassef, who is in her mid-80s, discussed Egypt’s heritage at the food heritage session.

The session was co-led by Bassem Khalifa from Ma7sool Productions, a company that aims to video-document Egypt’s food heritage and diversity, and Aurelia Weintz, a founding member of Slow Food Cairo, a local branch of an Italian organization.

Wassef noted that many foods we assume to be Egyptian, such as falafel and molokheya, are not in fact indigenous, while other less-known ingredients such as kishk saeedi are native to the country and should be valued as such.

“We need to return back to our traditional foods, as they were historically a stable food system,” said Khalifa. “The very poor food security policy system has led to a poor, malnourished and obese population.”

Weintz, who is also part of Nawaya, a local agricultural NGO, discussed how her organization has been working with farmers in Fayoum to produce local Begawi chicken.

“Focusing on food heritage also means emphasizing the role of the farmer in this unique production techniques, and making their sources of income sustainable,” she said.

Other panels discussed promoting self-sufficiency with restaurant gardens, discovering different types of sustainable farming products and sustainable food retail.

Later, a roundtable debate focused on the importance of making sustainable farming mainstream.

“There is a revolution in sustainable farming. It is increasing dramatically every year,” said Mounir Makar of Makar Farms. “But advocacy and collaboration with the ministries of environment and agriculture must continue.”

Amr Bassiouny, from Egyptian Hydrofarms, noted that organic farming does not necessarily mean more expensive foodstuffs, and pointed to his organization as an example.

“It costs me LE30 to make a garlic and chilli peppers solution instead of the pesticides, which cost LE150,” he claimed. “In the long term, I don’t use chemicals that destroy the land.”

However, there are several obstacles on the road to expanding such a sector in Egypt, the speakers cautioned.

Chefs noted that without transparency and a proper supply and demand system, many are unaware of what ingredients are available, and therefore much of the food goes to waste.

“We need to bridge communication between all actors,” said Clement Soustra, chef at the Semiramis.

Jennifer Smolak, from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), added that food losses are immense in Egypt, where up to 54 percent of fruits and vegetables are lost due inefficient transportation systems, food waste from retail and other causes.

To address this problem, the subsequent presentations focused on how to minimize food waste through alternative cooking methods.

For example, chefs can cook vegetables in their entirety, known as the “root-to-tip” method, and prepare meats with the “nose-to-tail” method, noted Alia al-Askalany of Lulu’s Kitchen.

The third and final phase of the conference explored alternative methods to ensure sustainable food consumption. Participants split into four separate sessions to discuss solutions in this final phase of the food value chain.

This included methods such as upcycling in restaurants — a process beyond recycling which converts waste materials into products of better quality or environmental value —  or curating menus in a manner which is adaptable to the different seasons.

One of the sessions also discussed the importance of boosting the sustainable food scene in Egypt.

There are already many farms in Egypt that utilize sustainable practices, such as Sekem, Wadi Food, Habiba Organic Farm and Makar Farms, pointed out Hydrofarms’ Amr Bassiouny.

“Sustainable farming does not necessarily mean organic,” noted Wassef. “In fact, in some cases local produce might be of greater priority than organic produce, as it could be more sustainable for farmers and small producers in local areas.”

Others noted that there is a lack of systematic regulation of labeling and awareness of what the label “sustainable” means in Egypt. Some said that sustainable farming tends to be seen as upper class, and that steps need to be taken to ensure the sharing of knowledge between different actors in the food supply chain.

Many gave the example of Nawaya, which trains farmers throughout the country, as an organization which aims to spread these sustainable methods to agricultural workers.

The conference concluded that it is also crucial for consumers to be more conscious of the food they eat, its source and its fair impact on all those involved in its production process.