A Game Theoretic Framework for Surplus Food Distribution in Smart Cities and Beyond

Surja Sanyal,Vikash Kumar Singh,Banhi Sanyal,Fatos Xhafa,Sajal Mukhopadhyay

doi:10.3390/app11115058

Abstract

Food waste is currently a major challenge for the world. It is the precursor to several socioeconomic problems that are plaguing modern society. To counter and to, simultaneously, stand by the undernourished, surplus food redistribution has surfaced as a viable solution. Information and Communications Technology (ICT)-mediated food redistribution is a highly scalable approach and it percolates into the lives of the masses far better. Even if ICT is not brought into the picture, the presence of food surplus redistribution in developing countries such as India is scarce and is limited to only a few of the major cities. The discussion of a surplus food redistribution framework under strategic settings is a less discussed topic around the globe. This paper aims to address a surplus food redistribution framework under strategic settings, thereby facilitating a smoother exchange of surplus food in the smart cities of developing countries and beyond. As ICT is seamlessly available in smart cities, the paper aims to focus the framework in these cities. However, this can be extended beyond the smart cities to places with greater human involvement.

Highlights

For the last decade, food waste has been a major contributor towards several socioeconomic problems [1,2], including, but not limited to, global warming, greenhouse gas emissions, water wastage, soil degradation, farmer suicides, price fluctuations, black marketing, and hoarding
This paper aims at addressing a surplus food redistribution framework under strategic settings, thereby facilitating a smoother exchange of surplus food in the smart cities of developing countries and beyond
Surplus food distribution is visibly not a long term solution for food wastage, and the issue has to be tackled at the roots by putting a check on the inclination of the society towards a permanent over-supply of food and a fear of running-out of food

Summary

Introduction

Food waste has been a major contributor towards several socioeconomic problems [1,2], including, but not limited to, global warming, greenhouse gas emissions, water wastage, soil degradation, farmer suicides, price fluctuations, black marketing, and hoarding. More than 30% of all edible products end up as waste [3] Each year, this wastage amounts to billions of tons of food, out of which near 60% is avoidable [4]. Distributing surplus food to areas where it is in deficit utilizes the generation of food waste at the surplus end and alleviates hunger at the deficit end. While this may not be a solution to the whole situation, it targets the 60% avoidable food waste into a win–win scenario for society as well as the economy of the land. The discussion of a surplus food redistribution framework under strategic settings is a less discussed topic around the globe

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Discussion

Conclusion