Collection and recycling of urban food waste in peri-urban livestock farms in China and Vietnam.

• Duration: 2015 - 2016
• Study site: Vietnam and China
• Funded: by the first phase of the INRA-CIRAD initiative on “Global Food Security” (GloFoodS program)

The global food transition is characterized, among other things, by an increase in demand for animal products. The urbanization of consumption patterns leads to more food waste especially with the development of catering. The re-use of this waste to feed animals is one way to reduce food losses and waste. Since the Industrial Revolution, the monogastric livestock (pigs and chickens) located on the periphery of urban areas enable the recycling of a portion of food waste in cities. While some industrialized countries, such as France and Australia, have banned the practice for reasons of animal health, others are stepping on the outskirts of their cities.

In China and Vietnam, Networks of actors (formal and informal) collect food waste from city and suburban and transport it to livestock farms. Despite the scale of the phenomenon, few information is available about it.

The "Blue Barrels” project focused on better understanding and discussing alternative practices for the management of urban food systems. This project is based on a multidisciplinary approach combining geography (spatial streams), economics (value chain analysis) and animal and agricultural sciences (breeding / feeding system).

The project identified different types of waste suppliers (hyper-center, residential areas, periphery areas) and the main actors involved in this value chain. The project defined their practices, their concerns their impact and their needs. A study on livestock systems analyzed the economic, technical, social and health influence of the use of food waste as animal feed.