INTERNATIONAL NEWS

INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN

are expected to continue through 2022 , driving up humanitarian needs and acute hunger . An unprecedented drought in East Africa affecting Somalia , Ethiopia and Kenya is leading to a fourth consecutive belowaverage rainfall season , while South Sudan will face its fourth consecutive year of largescale flooding , which will likely continue to drive people from their homes and devastate crops and livestock production .

The report also expects above-average rains and a risk of localised flooding in the Sahel , a more intense hurricane season in the Caribbean , and below-average rains in Afghanistan – which is already reeling from multiple seasons of drought , violence and political upheaval .

The report also emphasises the urgency of the dire macroeconomic conditions in several countries – brought on by the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and exacerbated by the recent upheaval in global food and energy markets . These conditions are causing dramatic income losses among the poorest communities and are straining the capacity of national governments to fund social safety nets ,

income-supporting measures , and the import of essential goods .

According to the report ; Ethiopia , Nigeria , South Sudan and Yemen remain at ‘ highest alert ’ as hotspots with catastrophic conditions , and Afghanistan and Somalia are new entries to this worrisome category since the last hotspots report released in January 2022 . These six countries all have parts of the population facing IPC phase 5 ‘ Catastrophe ’ or at risk of deterioration towards catastrophic conditions , with up to 750 000 people facing starvation and death . 400,000 of these are in Ethiopia ’ s Tigray region – the highest number on record in one country since the famine in Somalia in 2011 .

The Democratic Republic of the Congo , Haiti , the Sahel , the Sudan and Syria remain ‘ of very high concern ’ with deteriorating critical conditions , as in the previous edition of this report – with Kenya as a new entry to the list . Sri Lanka , West African coastal countries ( Benin , Cabo Verde and Guinea ), Ukraine and Zimbabwe have been added to the list of hotspots countries , joining Angola , Lebanon , Madagascar , and Mozambique

which continue to be hunger hotspots – according to the report .

SCALING UP ANTICIPATORY ACTION TO PREVENT DISASTERS The report provides concrete countryspecific recommendations on priorities for immediate humanitarian response to save lives , prevent famine and protect livelihoods , as well as anticipatory action . The recent G7 commitment highlighted the importance of strengthening anticipatory action in humanitarian and development assistance – ensuring predictable hazards don ’ t become full-blown humanitarian disasters .

FAO and WFP have partnered to ramp up the scale and reach of anticipatory action , to protect communities ’ lives , food security and livelihoods before they need life-saving assistance in the critical window between an early warning and a shock . Flexible humanitarian funding enables FAO and WFP to anticipate humanitarian needs and save lives . Evidence shows that for every USD1 invested in anticipatory action to safeguard lives and livelihoods , up to USD7 can be

saved by avoiding losses for disasteraffected communities .

ABOUT THE REPORT Identified through forward-looking analysis , the ‘ hunger hotspots ’ have the potential for acute food insecurity to increase during the outlook period . The hotspots are selected through a consensus-based process involving WFP and FAO field and technical teams , alongside analysts specialised in conflict , economic risks and natural hazards .

The report provides country-specific recommendations on priorities for anticipatory action – short-term protective interventions to be implemented before new humanitarian needs materialise ; and emergency response – actions to address existing humanitarian needs . The report is part of a series of analytical products produced under the Global Network Against Food Crises , to enhance and coordinate the generation and sharing of evidence-based information and analysis for preventing and addressing food crises .

More information and the report can be obtained by visiting the official FAO website . CLA

Refrigeration is an energy-intensive process that accounts for 15 % of worldwide electricity production . To reduce energy waste and maximise production performance , leading companies are flocking to new technologies to capture key energy and production data .

Data – when monitored and managed properly – provides visibility into how you are consuming energy and what the impact to your operation is .

CONNECT YOUR PRODUCTION DATA WITH YOUR ENERGY DATA The fastest path to greater profits in the cold chain industry lies in leveraging real-time energy data to identify energy inefficiencies and waste . Energy management can help companies address three key areas :

Optimising production Reducing or adjusting energy use at the right time requires a comprehensive understanding of your facilities ’ operational and energy patterns . Understanding which assets are performing well and where you can improve operations . Lowering the costs associated with production will in turn lower the price of your goods .

Boosting margins Traditional energy management systems can track basic building systems and weather performance . But without connecting those findings to production processes and data , real-time adjustments cannot be uncovered or matched to a facility . To truly drive energy efficiency , decisions need to be made immediately with real-time data . Imagine being able to change an order when raw material prices rise , alter energy usage during rate spikes , or convert to lower power usage during certain weather events .

REDUCE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT THROUGH ENERGY EFFICIENCY The cold chain industry recognises its impact on emissions , and many are already stepping-up to enact real change . Pressure across key supply chain stakeholders is also driving the need to create energy efficiencies and reduce carbon emissions . Additionally , improving energy efficiency is the most direct way to reduce your carbon footprint .

Financial savings combined with increased sustainability goals are driving industry leaders to reduce their energy usage . Engie Impact found that 75 % of global executives

believe that excellent sustainability execution provides a competitive advantage . Companies such as Danone , Nestle , PepsiCo and General Mills have emerged as sustainability leaders , leveraging energy efficiency and resilient value chains as drivers for increased revenue , decreased costs , and improved operations .

SELECT AUTOMATED TECHNOLOGY TO FAST-TRACK SAVINGS Software , data , and processes are the keys to success . However , few industrial companies are equipped with the right tools and expertise to tackle energy efficiency at scale . For starters , most industrial cold chain facilities run on legacy systems that were never designed for cloud connectivity . Ripping these systems out is not a viable option . Getting data out of the facility requires the integration of myriad IT and OT systems – with industrial-grade security . Then , to make sense of it all , these different data streams must be integrated and normalised . And finally , to actually make better decisions , users need to see the effects of their actions in real time .

This is where advanced energy insights and management software can

be invaluable . Smart sensor and analytics solutions pinpoint exactly how energy is being used , right down to the device level and identify key areas to address to improve operational efficiency .

The world ’ s largest cold chain company uses energy intensity as a key metric – measuring not just energy used , but the amount of energy used for each unit of food production . This process helps normalise the data despite an ever-changing baseline .

Importantly , it also centres the company ’ s efficiency efforts on what ’ s most important : production . That mindset leads to initiatives that get to the very heart of their operations , rather than peripheral loads . For example , space optimisation has allowed them to pack more product into each warehouse , reducing the need for new capacity as the company grows .

A related KPI is energy cost intensity ( also called throughput energy cost ), which accounts for the timing of electricity use . This captures the effects of load shifting and demand response efforts that save money by avoiding peak times . One facility saves roughly USD2 000 a month just by shifting one process to off-peak hours . CLA

Article re-published from the Cold Connection information feed .