MEASURING THE IMPACT OF WASTE ON AGRICULTURAL ECONOMIC RESOURCES AND FOOD SECURITY FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT CEREAL CROPS IN EGYPT

: The research aimed to identify the economic dimension of the loss and its relationship to the loss in agricultural economic resources and food security of the most important cereal crops in Egypt during the period (1990-2016) by studying the following objetives: (1) the current status of food security of the most important cereal crops (wheat and rice) during the period (1990) - 2016), (2) The nutritional loss of the most important cereals crops (wheat and rice) and its extent related to the loss in agricultural economic resources, through a study (a) the evolution of the amount of loss and its ratio to production and consumption of the study cereals crops during the period (2010-2016), (b) an estimate of the value of the economic loss as a result of the loss in the agricultural resources used in the production The equivalent of the amount of waste Alimentarius for cereals, (3) to measure the impact of losses on the level of food security for the most important cereal crops (wheat and rice) during the study period. This study relied on achieving its objectives, on the economic equations used in estimating the loss in the agricultural economic resources and the equations used in measuring the food security coefficient. This study also relied on the multiple regression analysis by using ordinary least squares method (OLS). The research reached a set of results, the most important of which are: (1) By studying the current state of food security of the most important cereal crops, it was found that the strategic stocks of both wheat and rice amounted to about 10.11, 3.26 million tons during the period (1990-2016), and reached The coefficient of food security for wheat and rice is 0.52, 0.67 each, respectively at the end of the period, (2) By studying the nutritional loss of both wheat and rice and its correlation with the loss in economic resources, it has been shown that the loss of wheat amounted to 3090.85 tons, and then the amount of loss in land resources amounted to about 1.12 million feddans and about 2.73 billion m 3 of water in 2016, as it was found that the loss of rice It amounted to 876.53 thousand tons, so the amount of the loss in the land resources amounted to about 223.60 thousand feddans and about 1.12 billion m 3 of water resources, (3) by studying the impact of losses on the level of food security, it was found that increasing the losses of wheat and rice by 10% leads to a decrease in the level of food security by 1.0%, 33.1% each, respectively. Finally, this study recommends the need to reduce food losses and its negative effects on agricultural economic resources and food security, through the following: (1) the expansion of the use of post-harvest technology for transport, storage and manufacturing operations, (2) the expansion of the establishment of grain silos in various governorates to store grains, for eliminate cereals storing in the open, (3) converting food losses into fodder for livestock in case they are not suitable for human consumption.