RCE Kuching - 2021

Location

Malaysia
MY
Food Surplus Processing for Covid-19 Front-liners & Communities-in-need
Basic Information
Title of project : 
Food Surplus Processing for Covid-19 Front-liners & Communities-in-need
Submitting RCE: 
RCE Kuching
Contributing organization(s) : 
WormingUp
UCSI Hotel
Green Buddy Sarawak
Focal point(s) and affiliation(s)
Name: 
Mukvinder Kaur Sandhu
Organizational Affiliation: 
UCSI University Sarawak Campus
Name: 
Asst. Prof. Christopher Wan Sageng
Organizational Affiliation: 
UCSI Hotel Kuching
Format of project: 
Food Processing Project
Language of project: 
English
Date of submission:
Monday, September 13, 2021
SDGS , ESD for 2030
At what level is the policy operating?: 
International
Geographical & Education Information
Region: 
Asia-Pacific
Country: 
Malaysia
Location(s): 
Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Address of focal point institution for project: 
UCSI University, Lot 2976, Block 7, Muara Tebas Land District, Sejingkat
Ecosystem(s):
Target Audience:
Higher, Youth (Informal)
local communities
Socioeconomic and environmental characteristics of the area : 
Kuching is one of the twelve administrative divisions of Sarawak in Borneo. It is the most populous division of Sarawak comprising the districts of Kuching, Lundu and Bau with an area of around 430 sq km. Kuching is also the capital of Sarawak and occupies both banks of the Sarawak River. Most communities benefitting from this program work as day-job contractors and have been severely impacted by the restrictions imposed as a result of the pandemic.
Description of sustainable development challenge(s) in the area the project addresses: 
The Covid-19 pandemic has caused threat to the native community in the villages at Padawan and Bau area of Sarawak region where there were movement control order and lockdown, resulting in breadwinners and wage earners lose jobs, fell ill & some die, farmers are not able to plant and harvest their crops and sell their agriculture produce, trading restrictions and farmers not able to access markets. Thus, it led to the impact on community livelihoods, their health, nutrition and food systems. RCE Kuching and UCSI University, partnering with Worming Up recognize the opportunity to develop a sustainable strategies to address the challenges facing the health of the people and the agri-food sectors. Thus, food processing for distribution was done to address the underlying food security and malnutrition challenges in tackling rural poverty and to ease their hardcore earning income to enable them live normally.
Contents
Status: 
Completed
Period: 
July, 2021
Rationale: 
During the pandemic, rural farmers were unable to bring their fresh produce to market, resulting in some food surplus. However, this food surplus processing has utilized edible leftovers and rejected food; mainly bananas and pineapples. About 195.1 kgs of bananas and 170.8 kgs of pineapples were still edible, but they were either overripe or had the wrong shapes or sizes to be used in food preparation. With the food surplus and numerous generous donations such as margarine/butter, oil, flour, eggs, sugar, chocolate and recyclable and biodegradable plastic containers and sponsors from the community, RCE Kuching, our suppliers, staff and students were able to prepare some tasty food.
Objectives: 
This partnership was set up to fight food poverty by providing food aid relief to help Sarawak communities that are in need and lighten their burdens during this challenging period affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. An equally important purpose of this initiative was to lead food waste reduction efforts at the varsity level as a community.
Activities and/or practices employed: 
The food preparation was led by UCSI Hotel, UCSI University Sarawak campus’ dedicated teams of staff and students who were passionate about preparing the food into cakes, breads, and jams. All prepared foods were delicious and well-packaged using biodegradable packaging.
Furthermore, all leftover banana and pineapple peels that were classified organic food waste or kitchen waste were recycled and placed in UCSI community garden composting areas to be converted into compost.
Subsequently, the Wormingup teams distributed and donated the food packs to front-liners and communities-in-need. The dishes prepared were distributed to the needy in Kampung Haji Baki, Padawan Kampung in Bawang Semadang, Payang, Gayu, Serumah, Pejabat Fama Negeri Sarawak Food bank (FAMA) food bank, Kompleks Kebajikan Laila Taib (PERYATIM) (in collaboration with FAMA, Persatuan Nelayan Negeri Sarawak, PENESA (NELAYAN), Padungan Area communities (urban poor) and Rumah anak-Kanak Toh Puan Hajah Norkiah.
This programme has also served to show gratitude to frontliners and communities who have been working courageously and relentlessly to aid the nation’s fight against Covid-19. The food packs were delivered to front-liner in PKPD officer stationed at Kampung Git, Kampung Punau, Kampung Bunuk, Kampung Payang and Padungan Branch police station.
Size of academic audience: 
300
Results: 
A total of 300 community members and frontliners benefitted from this programme. It is a programme that required for the skills of the culinary arts students and UCSI Hotel kitchen teams to be put to use for the communities. The cakes, breads and jams made were distributed according to the needs of the various communities identified.
Lessons learned: 
This was a learning experience for many involved, which included having to manage and turn the surplus fruits into some innovative dishes to now only increase their shelf life but also show our gratitude to the frontliners and benefit communities-in-need in Kuching.
Key messages: 
This program involved putting the skills of youth and individuals to good use including having to increase the shelf life of otherwise discarded fruits. This not only benefitted the communities-in-need and frontliners but also put on display the multi-stakeholder model for success.
Funding: 
Funding was obtained from RCE Kuching, its member organisations, donations-in-kind and reuse of packaging materials.

Pictures:

File Name Caption for picture Photo Credit
Image icon BANANA.jpg (144.96 KB) BANANAS
Image icon PINEAPPLE.jpg (179.1 KB) PINEAPPLES
Image icon BANANA CAKE.jpg (76.37 KB) BANANA CAKES
Image icon PINEAPLE MUFFIN.jpg (73.94 KB) PINEAPPLE MUFFINS
Image icon Banana Bread and Pineapple Muffins.jpg (66.11 KB) BANANA BREAD AND PINEAPPLE JEM WITH BIODEGRADABLE PACKAGING
Image icon FOOD PREPARATION 2.jpg (97.91 KB) FOOD PREPARATIONS 2
Image icon FOOD PREPARATION 3.jpg (110.1 KB) FOOD PREPARATIONS 3
Image icon FOOD PREPARATION.jpg (90.26 KB) FOOD PREPARATION
Image icon FRONTLINERS FOOD DISTRIBUTIONS.jpg (95.81 KB) FRONTLINERS FOOD DISTRIBUTIONS
Image icon KAMPUNG DISTRIBUTION.jpg (92.2 KB) VILLAGE DISTRIBUTIONS
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
(https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs) and other themes of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
SDG 1 - End poverty in all its forms everywhere 
Direct
SDG 2 - End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture 
Direct
SDG 3 - Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages 
Indirect
SDG 4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 
Indirect
SDG 12 - Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns 
Direct
Theme
Disaster Risk Reduction 
Indirect
Agriculture 
Indirect
Waste 
Indirect
ESD for 2030-Priority Action Areas
Priority Action Area 2 - Transforming learning and training environments 
state: 
Direct
Priority Action Area 4 - Mobilizing youth 
state: 
Direct
Priority Action Area 5 - Accelerating sustainable solutions at local level 
state: 
Direct
Update: 
No