1524 bioversity nutrition strategy fullversion 1

7/27/2019 1524 Bioversity Nutrition Strategy Fullversion 1

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BIOVERSITYINTERNATIONAL

NUTRITIONSTRATEGY2011-2021 Resilient food and

nutrition systems:Analyzing the role ofagricultural biodiversityin enhancing humannutrition and health

Jessica Fanzo / BioversityJessica Fanzo / Bioversity


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Bioversity International undertakes, encourages and supports research and other activities on the useand conservation of agricultural biodiversity, especially genetic resources, to create more productive,resilient and sustainable harvests.

Bioversity Internationals aim is to promote the greater well-being of people, particularly poorpeople in developing countries, by helping them to achieve food security, to improve their health

and nutrition, to boost their incomes, and to conserve the natural resources on which they depend.Bioversity International works with a global range of partners to maximize impact, to developcapacity and to ensure that all stakeholders have an effective voice. Bioversity International is partof the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, which works to reduce hunger,poverty and environmental degradation in developing countries by generating and sharing relevantagricultural knowledge, technologies and policies. This research, focused on development, isconducted by a Consortium of 15 CGIAR centres working with hundreds of partners worldwide andsupported by a multi-donor Fund.

Bioversity International 2011

Bioversity Headquarters

Via dei Tre Denari 472/a

00057 Maccarese (Fiumicino) Rome, Italy

Tel. (39-06) 61181Fax. (39-06) 61979661

[email protected]

Major Programme and

Regional Ofces

Other ofces

Turrialba, Costa Rica

Cali, Colombia

Heverlee, Belgium

Yaounde, Cameroon

Cotonou, Benin

Kampala, Uganda

Nairobi, Kenya

Serdang, Malaysia

Los Baos, Philippines

Beijing, China

New Delhi, India

Tashkent,Uzbekistan

Bioversity HQ, Rome, ItalyMontpellier, France

Rome, Italy

Addis Ababa,Ethiopia

Montreal, Canada

Arusha, Tanzania


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CONTENTS

FOREWORD

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Capter one: Te goa manutrition caenge

The global malnutrition burden and addressing the challenge

Agricultural biodiversity as a potential tool for improving nutrition security

Capter two: Nutrition framewor for action

Overarching goal

Key research questions

Objectives of the strategy

Target beneciaries

Implementing the strategy

Capter tree: Deivering te strategy

Research and policy partnerships

Building capacity

Methods, tools and technology

CGIAR Research Programme

Monitoring and evaluation

Priority setting

Chapter four: Scientic advisory council for nutrition

Chapter ve: References

Capter six: Gossary

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

One of the worlds greatest challenges is to secure adequate food that is healthy, safe and of high qualityfor all, and to do so in an environmentally sustainable manner. Burdened by the growing demands ofan ever-increasing human population, it remains unclear how our current global food system can

sustain itself. This challenge is further compounded by climate change, ecosystems and biodiversityunder stress, population growth, increased urbanization, social conict and extreme poverty. For these

reasons, there has never been a more urgent time for collective action to address food and nutritionsecurity on a global scale.

Redirecting the global agricultural system as the supplier of the worlds food in order to ensure betternutrition is crucial so that we can operate from a better understanding of our global agricultural system.It is imperative that research and development start to think about new and sustainable approachesto improving the quality and variety of food produced and consumed around the world. The rolethat agriculture plays in dietary diversity and nutrition outcomes is central, and nutrition must befront and centre as a major outcome and goal of agriculture and production systems, as a potentialavenue to improving dietary diversity, food quality and human health as well restoring or preservingecosystems.

One area that requires further understanding is the role of agricultural biodiversity in improvingdietary diversity and quality. Agricultural biodiversitythe diverse traits exhibited among crops,animals and other organisms used for food and agriculture, as well as the web of relationships thatbind these forms of life at ecosystem, species, and genetic levelsis the basis of the food and nutrientvalue chain and its use is important for food and nutritional security.

Bioversity Internationals nutrition research over the past several years has focused on the roleand impact of traditional foods on dietary diversity and livelihoods. The research agenda is beingexpanded under Bioversitys 2011-2021 Nutrition Strategy to develop strong methodological andempirical evidence on how agricultural biodiversity contributes to dietary diversity and nutritionwith downstream livelihood and ecosystem benets. The new strategy focuses on food and nutritional

system approaches to improving human nutrition and health. The major goal of the strategy andsubsequent programme is to promote the use of agricultural biodiversity within food productionsystems and provide nutritionally-rich food sources that contribute to dietary diversity and, potentially,better nutrition and health. Our major focus is in rural and peri-urban communities in the developingworld.

The strategy has four major objectives:

1. To strengthen the evidence base for the role of biodiversity in nutrition and health and the means ofincorporating agricultural biodiversity, specically, into food and nutritional systems approaches;

2. To ensure the production of more nutritious foods through commercial pathways that reectagriculturally biodiverse practices and cultural preferences;

3. To determine which agricultural biodiversity practices and delivery systems work on the groundin development programmes to improve nutritional security;

4. To mainstream the role of agricultural biodiversity into public health and nutrition policy andpractice by sharing evidence and providing local solutions.

Bioversity International will ensure that the role of agricultural biodiversity is monitored, evaluatedand enhanced within food and nutritional systems of different communities that adhere to differentsocio-cultural traditions within diverse agro-ecosystems in a range of economic and politicalsituations. There will also be a focus and emphasis on the preservation, conservation and sustainableuse of agricultural biodiversity and protection of ecosystems in the developing world, because theseprovide communities with the resources for productive and resilient food and nutritional systems. Wehope that through this nutrition strategy and Bioversity Internationals global research agenda that we

can provide useful evidence, tools and products for use by governments, development programmers,value chain and food sector actors, academic and research institutions, health and agriculture workers,farmers and communities.


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CHAPTER ONE

ThE GlObAlMAlNUTRITION

ChAllENGE

Stevie Mann / BioversityStevie Mann / Bioversity


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The global malnutrition burdenand addressing the challenge

One of the worlds greatest challenges is to secure adequate foodthat is healthy, safe and of high quality for all, and to do so inan environmentally sustainable manner (Pinstrup-Andersen2009). With the growing demand of an ever-increasing human

population, it remains unclear how our current global foodsystem will sustain itself. Compounded with climate change,ecosystems and biodiversity under stress, population growthand urbanization, social conict and extreme poverty, there has

never been a more urgent time for collective action to addressfood and nutrition security globally.

This burdened food system impacts the most vulnerable people,as statistics clearly show. There are currently an estimated 925million people suffering food and nutrition insecurity (FAO2010a). However with food price increases, these estimates maynow be conservative. In addition to those who are hungry, thereare also 195 million children under ve years of age who are

stunted in their growth (UNICEF 2009) and of those children,90% live in just 36 countries (Black et al. 2008). Malnutritiontakes its toll; it is responsible for 35% of all child deaths and 11%

of the global disease burden (Black et al. 2008). Micronutrientdeciencies, known as hidden hunger, undermine the growth

and development, health and productivity of over two billionpeople (Micronutrient Initiative 2009). At the same time, anestimated one billion people are overweight and another 300million are obese in both the developed and developing world(WHO 2006), which contributes to the risk of non-communicablediseases such as diabetes and heart disease. With over-nutrition,many countries and urban communities in the developing

world are experiencing the nutrition transitiongoing fromundernutrition to obesity related to insufcient exercise,

sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy diets (Doak et al 2005; Popkin

2008).

The global community has responded to the malnutrition crisisby focusing on interventions that aim to impact 90% of theglobal population burdened by stunting and that largely addressinadequate dietary intake, disease burden and poor childcarepractices (Bhutta et al 2008). There has been a particular focuson the window of opportunity, specically, the rst 1000 days of

a childs life from the nine months in utero to two years of age(Barker 2007; Golden et al 2009; Victora et al 2008). This window

is critically important because nutritional setbacks during thistime can result in irreversible losses to growth and cognitivepotential and can reduce educational attainment and earningpotential (Martorell et al 1994; Shrimpton et al 2001;Victora et al

2008). The Scaling Up Nutrition Framework for Action (SUN),recently endorsed by more than 100 global partners and policymakers, highlights the need for early childhood and maternalnutrition-specic interventions (Bhutta et al 2008), which aim to:

Promote good child-feeding and hygiene practices;

Provide micronutrient supplementation for young childrenand their mothers;

Support the provision of micronutrients through food

fortication; Treat acutely malnourished children with therapeutic

feeding.

While highlighting core interventions, the four aims listed abovewill be further strengthened with a multi-sectoral approachthat incorporates nutrition-sensitive interventions from othersectors, such as agriculture, education and social protection thataddress underlying causes of malnutrition. However, practicaloperational strategies for localizing and applying sensitiveinterventions must be further claried and dened as to how

such interventions impact nutritional outcomes. Some suggestedagriculture-related nutrition-sensitive interventions include(UNSCN 2010):

Agricultural extension services promoting better cropdiversity and biodiversity for improved nutrition;

Integrated agro-forestry systems that reduce deforestationand promote the sustainable exploitation of nutrient-richnon-timber forest products;

Integrated farming systems exploiting the synergies ofhorticulture, aquaculture and small livestock rearing toreduce waste and expenses on agricultural inputs andincrease food production diversity;

Improved household food production and livelihoods

(i.e. diversication of household food production for self-consumption in order to improve the nutritional quality ofthe family diet);

Education and communication for development andsocial marketing strategies that strengthen local foodsystems and promote cultivation and consumption of localmicronutrient-rich foods;

Improved post-harvest management (food storage,transformation, handling and processing) to reduce lossesin terms of quantity and nutrient content, which alsocontributes to nutrition security.

While the underlying determinants of malnutrition have beenwell understood for decades, the design, testing and scaling ofmore holistic multi-sectoral packages that combine child andmaternal care and disease control with these nutrition sensitive,and largely agriculture-focused approaches, have been limitedin their development and implementation. With the tools andknowledge that are currently at our disposal, there is a renewedglobal focus on interventions that address the root causes offood and nutrition securityboth under and over-nutritionas part of a wider multi-sector approach, which should includeagriculture.

Redirecting the global agricultural system to ensure better

nutrition is important as the supplier of the worlds food. Thecurrent global agricultural system is producing enough food,in aggregate, but access for all to enough food that is affordableand nutritious has been more challenging. Agricultural systemshave largely become efcient at producing a handful of staple

grain crops, mainly maize, rice and wheat. In developingcountries and particularly those in nutrition transition, peopleobtain most of their energy from these staple grains along withprocessed oils and fats and sugars, resulting in diets that oftenlack micronutrients and other necessary dietary and healthcomponents.

Agricultural systems vary across the world spanning large-scale

monocrop landscapes to smallholdings of farmers who typicallylive on less than two hectares of land. Smallholder farmers oftenwork marginal lands without the tools, knowledge and resourcesto improve production, yet in places such as sub-SaharanAfrica, 90% of farmers are subsistence smallholder farmers. Inthe developing world, the majority of smallholder farmers are


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net food buyers and rural households make up a substantialmajority of the worlds 900 million-plus hungry (FAO 2009).Because these individuals buy more than they sell, their accessto affordable, nutritious food is an issue.

It is necessary to understand how our agricultural system canpromote positive nutrition outcomes. Big drivers of trends in foodconsumption globally are the private sector, markets, processedfood and diet shifts. Research and development practitionersmust start thinking about new and sustainable approachesto improving the quality and variety of food produced andconsumed around the world and to develop innovative newroles that agriculture can play that will improve dietary diversityand nutrition outcomes. To do this, nutrition must be a centralgoal of agriculture and production systems and be recognizedas a potential avenue to improving dietary diversity, qualityand health as well as a means of restoring and preservingecosystems. But one size does not t all and this approach must

ensure that agriculture - the backbone of food production - istailored to respond adequately to the diverse conditions of major

agro-ecological, socioeconomic and epidemiological situations.

Agricultural biodiversity as apotential tool for improvingnutrition security

Agriculture is the bedrock of the food system and biodiversity isimportant to food and agricultural systems because it providesthe variety of life (Tansey and Worsley 1995). Biodiversity

includes the variety of plants, terrestrial animals and marineand other aquatic resources (species diversity), along with thevariety of genes contained in all individual organisms (geneticdiversity), and the variety of habitats and biological communities(ecosystem diversity). Biodiversity is essential for humanity,providing food, bre, fodder, fuel, and medicine in addition to

other ecosystem services.

Agricultural biodiversity refers to the biological variety exhibitedamong crops, animals and other organisms used for food andagriculture, as well as the web of relationships that bind theseforms of life at ecosystem, species, and genetic levels. It includesnot only crops and livestock directly relevant to agriculture,but also many other organisms that have indirect effects onagriculture, such as soil fauna, weeds, pests and predators.

FAO (2010b) estimates that of a total of 300,000 plant species,10,000 have been used for human food since the origin ofagriculture. Out of these, only 150-200 species have beencommercially cultivated of which only fourrice, wheat, maize

and potatoessupply 50% of the worlds energy needs, while 30crops provide 90% of the worlds caloric intake. Intensication

of agricultural systems has led to a substantial reduction in thegenetic diversity of domesticated plants and animals. Someon-farm losses of genetic diversity have been partially offset byconservation in genebanks (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment2008). Even so, the implications of this loss of agriculturalbiodiversity for the biodiversity and quality of the global foodsupply are scarcely understood, especially from the perspectiveof nutrition.

Jessica Fanzo / BioversityJessica Fanzo / Bioversity


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Agricultural biodiversity is the basis of the food and nutrientvalue chain and its use is important for food and nutritionalsecurity (Frison et al 2006), where it can potentially act as:

A safety net against hunger;

A rich source of nutrients for improved dietary diversity andquality;

A basis for strengthening local food systems and

environmental sustainability.

Agricultural biodiversity furthermore includes species withunder-exploited potential for contributing to food security,health, income generation, and ecosystem services. Terms such asunderutilized, neglected, orphan, minor, promising, niche, localand traditional are frequently used interchangeably to describethese potentially useful plant and animal species, which are notmainstream, but which have a signicant local importance as

well as a considerable global potential for improving food andnutrition security. Even so the research of Bioversity Internationaland others reveals that the major causes of neglect and underuseof these important species are often related to factors that include

poor economic competitiveness with commodity cereal crops,a lack of improved varieties, enhanced cultivation practices,inefciencies in processing and value addition, disorganized or

non-existent market chains as well as a perception of these foodsas being food of the poor (Jaenicke et al 2009).

Interspecies and intraspecies variability represents a considerablewealth of local biodiversity and, with a better understanding oftheir contributions and use, could have potential for contributingto improved incomes, food security and nutrition. They alsohave considerable potential for enhancing adaptation to globalclimate change. Some of these species are highly nutritious and

have multiple uses. For example, some are strongly linked to thecultural heritage of their places of origin, while some are highlyadapted to marginal, complex and difcult environments and

have contributed signicantly to diversication and resilience

of agro-ecological niches. Many such species are collected fromthe wild or are produced in traditional production systems withlittle or no external inputs (Padulosi et al 2011; Bharucha and

Pretty 2010).

The role of agricultural biodiversity in improving dietary diversityand dietary quality is an area that requires further understanding.The lack of diversity is shown to be a crucial issue, particularlyin the developing world where diets consist mainly of starchystaples with less access to nutrient-rich sources of food such asanimal proteins, fruits and vegetables. Dietary diversity is a vitalelement of diet quality and the consumption of a variety of foods

across and within food groups and across different varietiesof specic foods more or less guarantees adequate intake of

essential nutrients and important non-nutrient factors. Researchhas demonstrated a strong association between dietary diversityand diet quality and nutritional status of children (Arimond andRuel 2004; Kennedy et al 2007; Rah et al 2010; Sawadogo et al

2004). It is also clear that household dietary diversity is a soundpredictor of the micronutrient density of the diet, particularlyfor young children (Moursi et al 2008). Studies have also shownthat dietary diversity is associated with food security andsocioeconomic status, and links between socioeconomic factorsand nutrition outcomes are well documented (Arimond and Ruel2004; Hoddinott and Yohannes 2002; Ruel 2003; Thorne-Lyman

et al 2010; World Bank 2006; World Bank 2007).

It is essential to understand how the global agricultural systemand the benets derived from agricultural biodiversity inuence

the drivers of global dietary consumption patterns, nutrition andhealth status in particular in the developing world.

Felipe de la Cruz / BioversityFelipe de la Cruz / Bioversity


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CHAPTER TWO

NUTRITIONFRAMEWORk FOR

ACTION

Millennium PromiseMillennium Promise


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Bioversity International is a leading research for developmentorganization dedicated to the use and conservation ofbiodiversity in agriculture as a means to combat poverty andmalnutrition and to enhance the sustainability of agriculture. Thepurpose of Bioversity is to research how the use of biodiversityin agriculture can:

Improve sustainable agriculture;

Deliver better nutrition;

Increase smallholder farming incomes.

Bioversity International looks forward to a world in which theglobal population is well-nourished and in which successivegenerations use, value and conserve biodiversity in sustainableagricultural production systems to maximize options for futureadaptation.

Overarching goal

The 2011- 2021 Nutrition Strategy focuses on food and nutritionsystem approaches to improving human nutrition and health.The major goal of the strategy and subsequent programmeis to promote the use of agricultural biodiversity within foodproduction systems in order to provide nutritionally rich foodsources that contribute to dietary diversity and, potentially, betternutrition and health. Our major focus is on rural, peri-urban andurban communities in the developing world.

Bioversity Internationals nutrition research over the past severalyears has focused on the role and impact of traditional foods ondietary diversity and livelihoods. The research agenda is nowexpanding to develop strong methodological and empirical

evidence on how agricultural biodiversity contributes to dietarydiversity and nutrition with downstream benets for livelihoods

and ecosystems.

There will be a particular focus on the role of local and traditionalfoods (LTFs) and neglected and underutilized species (NUS)

amongst rich ecosystem and landscape sources of agriculturalbiodiversity for nutrition security.

Bioversity International will ensure that the role of agriculturalbiodiversity is monitored, evaluated and enhanced within foodand nutrition systems of different communities living by varioussocio-cultural traditions within diverse agro-ecosystems in a

range of economic and political arrangements. There will alsobe a focus and emphasis on the preservation, conservation andsustainable use of agricultural biodiversity and on the protectionof ecosystems in the developing world, which, in turn, canprovide communities with the resources for productive andsustainable food and nutrition systems.

Key research questions

There are important, yet unanswered, questions aboutagricultural and ecosystem biodiversity and its role inimproving dietary diversity and quality and which will helpto ensure nutrition security and increased health benets.

We hope that through this nutrition strategy and BioversityInternationals global research agenda, answers to key researchquestions will become available and will provide clarity forgovernments, development programmers, value chain andfood sector actors, academic and research institutions, health

and agriculture workers, farmers and communities. These keyresearch questions include:

How does on-farm agricultural biodiversity contributeto household consumption and to dietary diversity andquality?

How can we link agricultural diversity to improved nutritionand health outcomes and benets and do these links have an

impact? Can agricultural biodiversity be scaled for commercial

use while maintaining biodiversity and ecosystems andimproving human health?

What does agricultural biodiversity imply for peri-urbanand urban markets and what do trends in urban marketsimply for potential success of agricultural biodiversity?

How can we better use and promote local knowledgeof agricultural biodiversity to improve the health ofhouseholds?

What new tools and methodologies can be created andvalidated that measure agricultural biodiversity associated

with dietary patterns?

Objectives of the strategy

The Nutrition Strategy is divided into two categories with twosub-objectives each:

Research and evidence-oriented: To strengthen the evidence base for the role of biodiversity

in nutrition and health and the means of incorporatingagricultural biodiversity into food and nutrition systemsapproaches;

To ensure that the production of more nutritious foodsthrough commercial pathways reects agriculturally

biodiverse practices and cultural preferences.

Development and policy-oriented: To determine which agricultural biodiversity practices

and delivery systems work on the ground in development

programmes to improve nutrition security; To mainstream the role of agricultural biodiversity as a

standard consideration in policies and practices regardingpublic health and nutrition by sharing evidence and byproviding local solutions.

Women: biodiversitys most vital asset

Women produce 60-80% of the food that is consumed

locally in developing countries (Nagayet 2005;

World Bank 2009). Women are the keepers of food

culture in their communities and play a vital role in

conserving and using biodiversity in their farming

systems (World Watch Institute 2011). Non-staple

minor crops as well as animal husbandry offer

women the opportunity to increase nutrition and

income security for their families (Herforth 2010).


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Target beneficiaries

Bioversitys work will mainly focus on agro-ecosystems thathave agricultural biodiversity potential in areas with a highburden of malnutrition in developing, transition and middleincome countries. The key priority countries will be drawn fromthe 36 countries where 90% of the worlds stunted children live

and which either have a functioning agricultural system or thepotential for improving their agriculture, as well as countrieswith readiness to accelerate action in nutrition (SCN 2009).

The beneciaries of the strategy will include:

Rural smallholder farmers in the developing world.

At least half of the worlds food-insecure people are smallholderfarmers living in poverty. Many of these farmers are women,who are disproportionately poor and vulnerable to malnutrition,which affects not only themselves but their children as well.Although women and children remain the most vulnerable tothe consequences of malnutrition, beneciaries of Bioversity

Internationals work will include entire smallholder householdfamilies.

Populations living in urban and peri-urban settings without

access to diversity.

With the worlds population expected to grow signicantly in

the next 30 years and many more people migrating to urbancentres, there will be a need to increase the nutritional quality andenvironmental sustainability of food production and to ensurethat food distribution and access is more equitable. Sustainableagricultural intensication complemented with improvements

in the nutritional quality of foods will need to be considered withthe growing needs of the global urban population. Working with

private sector and value chain actors will be essential to ensurethat peri-urban and urban consumers have access to affordablefoods coming from agriculturally biodiverse food systems.

Communities at risk of traditional food system loss.

These communities have derived a subsistence base from thenatural resources available in specic ecosystems. Some of these

ecosystems and traditional food systems are threatened or intransition. These beneciaries, include farmers, pastoralists,

forest communities and sher folk, who are some of the most

nutritionally vulnerable, particularly in poverty stricken, food-insecure communities.

Implementing the strategy

Objective one:To strengthen the empirical evidence of agricultural

biodiversitys role in nutrition and health.

The major objective of this research will be to generate a betterunderstanding of the links among agricultural biodiversity, dietquality, and nutrition and health, as well as the overall role ofnutrition within agricultural systems. By establishing a robustset of interdisciplinary projects in relevant agro-ecological

systems, research will determine the main drivers of agriculturalbiodiversity and the role of agrobiodiverse practices andlandscapes in dietary quality and diversity, and in health andnutrition outcomes for rural communities.

Together, the two major research components will reinforceevidence of the vital role and impact of agricultural biodiversity

and local traditional foods in improving diets and, by extension,human health and nutrition. Bioversity International willexplore the interactions of these two components at individual,household, and community levels.

Component one: Agricultural Biodiversity in Diets, Healthand Nutrition. To describe and dene the role of agricultural

biodiversity in diets, health and nutrition, including thenutritional value, usage and consumption patterns of foodsderived from agriculturally biodiverse landscapes, and theirimpact on human nutrition and health outcomes.

Large-scale evidence is necessary in order to chart the impact

of agricultural biodiversity on health in diverse developingworld settings. Another under-researched area is the impact ofa long-term approach towards diversication of nutrient-dense

crops and the effects of such diversication on decits in

micronutrients and other important health factors in globalcommunities. For many populations, LTFs and NUS, wild foods,

and biodiversity in particular plant species like lesser-known

grains and legumes, leafy green vegetables, tubers, crop wildrelatives and forest fruits play an important role in traditionaldiets and, in some cases, income generation. However, little isknown about nutritional value, use and consumption patternsfor most traditional plant foods, and their subsequent impact onhuman health, chronic under-nutrition, over-nutrition and risksof non-communicable diseases.

This component of Bioversity Internationals research willaddress the gap in empirical evidence that links conservationand use of agricultural biodiversity to improved nutrition andhealth outcomes. With this in mind, the research will:

Develop and apply research tools to understand the

composition and consumption of foods from agriculturalbiodiversity (local, traditional, NUS, varieties of majorstaples);

Assess the effectiveness of the use of agricultural biodiversityuse on dietary diversity and quality;

Assess the impact of agricultural biodiversity and local andtraditional foods on nutrition and health outcomes;

Determine how agricultural biodiversity and local andtraditional foods can mitigate the nutrition transition;

Dene the linkages between the conservation of geneticresources on farm and in genebanks and the benets to

human health through characterization of nutrients and

health-promoting non-nutrients of plants; Quantify the cost of and access to diets sourced fromagrobiodiverse systems.

Component two: Nutritional anthropology and sociologyof agricultural biodiversity. To explore food sovereignty andthe socio-cultural and traditional roles of foods sourced fromagricultural biodiversity in communities and households, and tounderstand why we eat what we eat, the right to high-qualityfoods, and the role of traditional food systems in those decisions.

Supporting the use of biodiversity within traditional andindigenous food systems and local cuisines and diets may provide

a buffer against the decline of healthful dietary behaviours. Theanthropology of food is the study of eating habits, that is, theways in which individuals or groups of individuals respond tosocial and cultural pressures and how and why they choose,consume and make use of certain specic aspects of the food

supply including nutrition (Garin 2001; Guthe and Mead


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1945). It is essential to understand the way food supplies areaffected by changes in market structure, public policies, familycomposition, household income, and womens roles, alongwith the socio-cultural, behavioural and political and economicfactors related to food and nutrition. Understanding inequities infood access and how cultural contexts inuence food production,

allocation and use are all critical to creating better nutritional

outcomes. Sadly, these factors are often overlooked.

Food sovereignty concerns what Via Campesina, an organizationrepresenting smallholder farmers around the world, describesas the right of peoples to dene their own food, agriculture,

livestock and sheries systems, in contrast to having food largely

subject to international markets (Via Campesina 2007). It is animportant concept which should be taken into account in effortsto improve nutrition in less-developed countries (de Schutter2011). It is crucial, in order to achieve long-term food security andadequate nutrition, that the production and distribution of foodin developing countries remains, at least in large part, under thecontrol of local populations and national institutions. Although

international markets are essential in providing an efcientalternative to the local production of food, especially staplecommodities, they cannot be seen as the sole method of feedingpeople. The concept of food sovereignty ensures that food isproduced locally, according to national or regional customs,preferences and tastes, by taking advantage of local crops andvarieties and sustaining a biodiverse agricultural paradigm. Thisnot only helps empower local people, allowing them to choosehow to produce food as well as what food to produce, but alsohelps generate valuable income for smallholder farmers andnational enterprises.

Research in this component will focus on understanding why weeat what we eat and the role of traditional food systems in thosedecisions. In this component, Bioversity International will:

Analyze and document the knowledge, practices, and valueof traditional food culture both within households and at thecommunity level as well as safeguard or improve upon thesecultures;

Assess how urbanization, migration and the availabilityof new foods are changing food decisions and choices,particularly towards traditional food and diets;

Promote education and knowledge of agriculturalbiodiversity in traditional health and nutrition practices;

Strengthen food sovereignty principles in the context of

agricultural biodiversity and nutrition for local communitieswithout sacricing self-reliance and income generation.

Objective two:To ensure that the production of more nutritious foods through

commercial pathways reects agriculturally biodiverse

practices as well as cultural and consumer preferences.

The links between what is produced on the farm, the consumerwho buys that food, and the income received by the producerdoes not stop at production (Hawkes and Ruel 2010). Food isstored, distributed, processed, retailed, prepared and consumedin a range of ways that affect the access, acceptability andnutritional quality of foods for the consumer. Value chainsare thus fundamental to consumption, dietary and nutritionperspectives and not only in terms of the supply of foods. Little

emphasis has been given to how consumers can play a role in

inuencing value chains and how changes in the demand for

specic local foods can inuence the processes and outputs of

value chains. There has also been little attention to how actorsalong the value chain can be better informed on enhancing thenutritional value of local foods. Food and nutrition systemsneed to be rethought by creating new business paradigms thatdemonstrate the value of biodiversity while promoting improved

diet and nutrition outcomes.

The research undertaken in this objective aims to understand therole markets and value chains play in improving nutrition anddietary diversication both directly, through an increase in the

production of nutritious foods sourced from biodiverse systems,and indirectly, through an increase in income for smallholderfarmers. Similarly, smallholder farmers can diversify their dietand improve their nutritional status either by producing morebiodiverse foods directly or by accessing more nutritious anddiverse foods in markets through a rise in their disposableincomes. The research will emphasize understanding the rolethat nutritious LTFs and NUS play in creating demand for

biodiverse products from rural and urban consumers and inboosting disposable income for smallholder farmer producers.

Component one: Consumer demand, knowledge and access asdrivers for smallholder farmers to produce and consume morenutritious, diversied foods. To improve our understanding ofhow local and international consumer behaviour can increasethe demand for nutritious food produced by smallholderfarmers and how smallholder farmers, as net buyers of food, canaccess nutrient-rich foods sourced from agriculturally biodiversefarming systems in informal and formal markets.

It is essential to understand how consumer demand for nutritious

foods sourced from agriculturally biodiverse systems drivesup production of these products among smallholder farmersin developing countries. It is also important to understand thereverse - how increased production of nutritious foods sourcedfrom agricultural biodiverse landscapes can increase knowledgeof and demand for these foods. Research in this objective willlook at how consumer knowledge, demand for and access tonutritious foods sourced from biodiverse settings can ensurevisibility and accessibility through nutrition-sensitive valuechains and other market mechanisms in diverse settings.

In this component Bioversity International will work inpartnership with value chain actors in order to:

Seek to understand how markets can be morediversity-friendly for consumers and to understand whatdrives consumer preferences for nutritious LTFs sourced

from biodiverse systems;

Dene the role of women in decision-making regarding

nutrient-rich local food purchases and intra-householddistribution within the household;

Characterize media outlets that disseminate information,promote access and increase knowledge of and demand fornutritious LTFs by urban consumers;

Develop, test, and evaluate new tools to increase awareness,improve access to information, and boost knowledge of

nutritious LTF products among consumers; Create and apply research tools to analyze what

specialized nutritious products (e.g. therapeutic foods andcomplementary foods) could be developed, promoted,


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accepted and scaled for vulnerable populations and at whatcost? The research will consider available local foods andunderutilized crops sourced from biodiverse systems.

Component two: Agricultural biodiversity as a mechanismfor boosting disposable income for smallholder farmers,allowing them to access more nutritious foods. To strengthenour understanding of how agricultural biodiversity and theproduction of LTFs and NUS can lead to a rise in disposable

income for smallholder farmers. What mechanisms could helpapply the use of this additional income to more nutritiouscommodities for the household?

Agricultural biodiversity can help smallholder farmersimprove their economic situation in three separate ways: byreducing production costs, by increasing their income fromthese products and by reducing the volatility of their income.Agricultural biodiversity is especially important because it cancontribute to a decrease in the need for petroleum-based inputssuch as fertilizers and pesticides and reduce the depletion of

natural resources. That said, the main reasons for smallholdersto grow and sell local and traditional foods are not yet clearfrom a nutritional perspective because the role of such foods inimproving incomes and ensuring market demand needs furtherresearch. Another important factor will be to understand howagricultural biodiversity can be scaled for commercial use whilemaintaining biodiversity and ecosystems and improving humannutrition and health.

With this component Bioversity International, working inpartnership with value chain actors, will:

Dene the mechanisms and incentives available to

smallholder famers to increase their incomes and competitive

advantages by producing nutritious LTFs sourced fromagrobiodiverse systems;

Determine how women farmers can be linked in as producersand processors of nutrient-rich foods along the value chainor as ingredient suppliers to commercial manufacturers ofspecialized, local, commercial products for nutritionallyvulnerable populations;

Identify ways to link smallholder farmers and the nutritiousproducts sourced from agrobiodiverse farms to peri-urbanand urban consumers, with a detailed analysis of the trendsin peri-urban markets that determine potential success ofagricultural biodiversity;

Collect and preserve traditional knowledge of smallholderfarmers relating to the production, storage and marketingof nutritious products from agrobiodiverse systems.

Objective three:To determine best practices and delivery systems for

agricutural biodiversity in nutrition and health development

programmes.

This objective seeks to understand how to integrate andimplement agricultural biodiversity tools and methodologies inorder to positively impact nutrition development programmesand food assistance on the ground. Bioversity will undertake

operations research on delivery system approaches used bydevelopment agencies on food systems approaches in differentregional agro-ecosystem hubs through rigorous monitoring andevaluation. The ultimate goal is to ensure that dietary qualityand diversity and, ultimately, health and nutrition outcomesimprove through integrated development work.

Component one: Integration of agricultural biodiversity indevelopment programmes. To design, collaborate, monitor andevaluate development programmes that implement agriculturalbiodiversity with agriculture and nutrition interventions andgenerate evidence of the health and nutrition benets and cost

effectiveness of these programmes.

A new generation of food security and development programmes,which integrate nutrition and health goals has risen to theforefront. Currently there is limited evidence documenting theoperational issues, impact and cost effectiveness of thesenew programmes and few have integrated these biodiverseagricultural practices (Fanzo and Pronyk 2010). Similarly,community-based agriculture programmes designed toimprove human nutrition and health have rarely been scaled upsuccessfully (Bushamuka et al 2008; Iannotti et al 2009). Research

in this area is needed to inform the design of new programmesthrough the collaboration of agriculture, health and nutritionexperts who effectively integrate interventions and fostersynergies through an agricultural biodiversity lens.

In this component, Bioversity International, in partnership withdevelopment workers, will:

Develop best practices that allow development programmesto use agricultural biodiversity to provide nutritional anddietary benets to their target groups;

Dene the added role of local and traditional foods

and ingredients in the development of specialized andtherapeutic food products for complementary feedingprogrammes for children under two, for nutritional therapyprogrammes aimed at HIV/AIDS patients and for acutemalnutrition treatment programmes;

Identify the ways that foods sourced from agriculturallybiodiverse landscapes can be incorporated effectively intoschool meal programmes and school garden projects;

Demonstrate the cost effectiveness and health impact oflocally-produced, nutritious foods distributed in food aidand assistance programmes as well as in other food-basedsocial safety net programmes.

Component two: Value of agricultural biodiversity in food andnutrition systems. To assess the added value of agriculturalbiodiversity when integrated with other components of afood system approach such as ecosystem services, water andsanitation, health care, education, infrastructure and agriculture

production systems.

This research component will focus on qualifying andquantifying the added value of agricultural biodiversity withinfood and nutrition systems. A food and nutrition system isthe sum of the actors and processes involved in transformingraw materials into foods and nutrients into building blocksfor better health outcomes, all of which function as a systemwithin the constraints of biophysical and socio-culturalcontexts. Robust food systems can address underlying causesof food and nutritional insecurity by integrating agriculture,healthcare, water and sanitation, ecosystem services, genderempowerment and education, all of which are crucial for long

term human development. These systems involve people, whoas consumers are the central focus of the work. They ensurethat environmental integrity, economic self-reliance and socialwell-being are maintained and emphasized. A healthy food andnutrition system is accessible, safe, sustainable and resilient. Itensures that links are made between food production and food


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consumption (Sobal et al 1998). There is also an additional rolefor biodiverse non-agricultural sustainable ecosystems that areimportant in dietary diversity and quality for local populations.This component will undertake research to understand andaddress the added value of agricultural biodiversity fornutrition and diets amidst the complexities of food systems inenvironments with vastly different diets, cultures, traditions,

livelihoods, vulnerabilities and levels of marginalization.

In this component and in partnership with developmentprofessionals, Bioversity International will:

Quantify the added value of agricultural biodiversity in foodsystems by characterizing the essential nutrients necessary,the requirements of different populations and age groups,the nutrient gaps and what kinds and combinations of foodprovide key nutrients to ll those gaps;

Examine the nutrient proles of foods sourced fromnon-crop biodiverse systems including livestock, sh and

forest product food systems;

Assess effective on the ground integration of agricultural

biodiversity practices within water and sanitation andpublic health sector programmes;

Analyze the role of women in managing nutritionwithin food systems while conserving ecosystems.

Objective four:To mainstream the role of agricultural biodiversity into public

health and nutrition policy and practice by sharing evidence

and providing local solutions.

While a few organizations have been actively involved inpromoting food-system approaches, generally they have sufferedfrom lack of convincing evidence without providing a localcontext. As a consequence, there remains insufcient evidence

to support well-dened, scalable agricultural biodiversity

interventions that might be linked to improvements in outcomesfor maternal or child health. Not surprisingly, this translates toa rather ineffective environment for policy and mainstreaming,

which might lend support to these food-based approaches.Bioversity International will undertake the sharing of itsexperience and knowledge in research for development to guideand support policy at international, national and local levels.

Bioversitys nutrition programme, through its assessment ofnutritional and livelihood benets from local food products

derived from the rich agricultural biodiversity in the developingworld, will certainly contribute to international efforts to addressglobal food concerns such as the response to soaring food pricesacross the globe, food sovereignty, the effect of globalizationof diets on health and the need to promote the effective

conservation and use of this globally signicant resource.Through the establishment of cross-sectoral policy platformsto promote the mainstreaming of biodiversity, the programmewill create synergies with relevant global initiatives and providelinkages with national programmes and policy frameworks.Bioversity International share the evidence gathered withpartners, governments and organizations for mainstreamingand integration into larger public health and agriculture policyforums and large-scale programming.

In this component, Bioversity International will: Strengthen international development initiatives that

incorporate agriculture biodiversity linked food system

approaches in food and nutrition security, global health andsocial protection policies and programmes;

Promote conservation of agricultural biodiversity and itsrole in improving nutrition security in national nutrition andagriculture plans and policies.

It will be essential to advocate the importance of biodiversity onhealthy diets and to educate the scientic community, the general

public and practitioners in health and agriculture on evidence asit becomes available.

With this in mind, Bioversity will: Increase public awareness of the importance of nutrition and

health; Organize and participate in international, regional and

national meetings with action outcomes that targetBioversitys beneciaries;

Publish research ndings in high impact, peer-reviewedjournals as well as in popular outlets including high prole

newspapers and inuential blogs;

Mainstream nutrition into sectors that are not typicallyaccustomed to considering nutrition in their research, policyor practice.

Starting at the local scale

Successful cases of promotion of food biodiversity

at local and national levels can be scaled up regionally

through the development of educational methods

that address the conservation of agricultural

biodiversity, sustainable development, traditional food

culture and nutrition and health. Compilation

of best-practice case studies and success stories

will also be pursued to promote models and options

for mainstreaming biodiversity into food systems

across developing regions and agro-ecosystems.


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CHAPTER THREE

DElIVERINGThE STRATEGY

Dominic Sansoni / World BankDominic Sansoni / World Bank


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Bioversity International will undertake thorough research andanalysis of food and nutrition systems and how they function indifferent settings. The aim is to better understand the challengesand identify the opportunities, pinpointing the gaps that can beaddressed to improve system resiliency.

Research and policypartnerships

To carry out this research, Bioversity International will assemblea diverse team of scientists and practitioners from differentdisciplines including nutrition, public health, ethnobotany,economics, ecology, agronomy and anthropology. Most of thenutrition focus will be in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia,where food system experts are staffed in Bioversitys regionalofces. As the programme diversies and grows, Bioversity

International will continue to boost its nutrition research capacity.

Bioversity International works in collaboration with partners

to ensure that research results are then translated into betterdevelopment practices and policies that can have an impact acrossmultiple sectors. An integrated global framework for enhancingthe conservation and use of agricultural biodiversity for dietarydiversity, nutrition, health and sustainable development requiresworking towards further collaboration and convergence ofpriorities among agriculture, health, business and environment.Bioversity International will work with research organizationsand universities in the developed and developing world.Work will also be expanded within the CGIAR reform processto ensure better collaborations within the CGIAR system onjoint research initiatives. The research Bioversity International

undertakes will involve the UN system and will complementtheir work at country and global levels. Bioversity Internationalwill ensure that the ultimate beneciaries of our work, including

communities, farmers and women, are involved in every facetof the research. Bioversity International will also ensure thatthe knowledge gained as result of this programme of researchwill be shared with the Scaling Up Nutrition movement forincorporation into country-scale plans.

Partners will include:United Nations agencies Bioversity International will continueto contribute within the United Nations Standing Committeeon Nutrition and will work to direct biodiversity and nutritionobjectives in support of convergent policies in relation to climatechange, food insecurity and poverty. We will also contribute ata global level to food and nutrition security issues and work inline with the Scaling Up Nutrition framework, the Committeeon World Food Security and the United Nations High Level Task

Force on the Global Food Security Crisis.

FAO and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

Implementation of the CBDs Cross-cutting Initiative onBiodiversity for Food and Nutrition (Decision VIII/23, CBDCOP-8, Curitiba, Brazil, 2006) has enabled collaboration withFAO, the CBD Secretariat and other organizations to offer space

for furthering policy linkages with other sectors and the newjoint Sustainable Diets Initiative.

CGIAR Bioversity Internationals efforts are congruent with itsparticipation in the CGIARs Agriculture and Health ResearchPlatform and within the CGIAR reform process. Bioversity

International will work together with other CGIAR centresto carry out the ambitious CGIAR Research Programme onAgriculture for Improved Nutrition and Health.

Academic and research institutions Bioversity Internationalwill ensure that empirical evidence is built in partnership withacademic and research institutions with the capacity for rigorousresearch that amplies and complements the CGIARs own

work. Academic and research bodies have a vast capacity forrobust research projects and Bioversity will contribute to theiragenda by providing increased knowledge and science to theagriculture and nutrition landscape.

Vaue cain actors Bioversity International will partner withprivate sector actors and stakeholders in order to promoteagricultural biodiversity, the use of local foods and their rolein boosting smallholder farmer income. These actors includefarmers, processors, post harvest handlers, media outlets, foodindustry and retail experts who understand that markets andbusiness enterprise are essential to the research and creation

of new delivery systems for nutritious foods. BioversityInternational will work with national and regional governments,farmer associations and cooperatives as well as with small andlarge private sector companies in order to sustain initiativesaimed at boosting the production and distribution of nutritiousand biodiverse foods.

Plant and animal genetic resource centres BioversityInternational will partner with research institutes that work withplant and animal genetic resources as well as with breeders,botanists and botanical gardens to ensure that agriculturalbiodiversity expertise is woven into our nutrition work.

Development agencies, governments and non-governmentalorganizations Bioversity International will work withdevelopment practitioners on the ground to ensure that ouroperations research lls identied gaps in developing countries

and makes an impact on development objectives and outcomes.We will work within development initiatives such as schoolfeeding programmes, voucher and cash-based programmesthat facilitate food access, mother and child health and nutritionprogrammes and homestead food production projects as theoperations arm of research on agricultural biodiversity practices.Bioversity will also ensure that research results will be sharedwith the Scaling Up Nutrition movement for incorporationinto country plans. Bioversity will also work with agriculturalextension and community health workers to ensure that bestpractices and research results are translated into concrete benets

to households and communities alike.

Farmer groups, cooperatives and associations as well as

movements whose aim is to sustain and protect the livelihoods

of smallholder farmers and indigenous people BioversityInternational will work with local farmer cooperatives andassociations to make sure that research is carried out in waysmost valued and understood by farmers. Bioversity will alsocollaborate with international movements and institutions thatshare the same core values and aspirations aimed at improving

the nutrition and the capabilities of smallholder farmers indeveloping countries. Movements and cooperatives that seek toprotect and sustain smallholder famers, indigenous populationsand agricultural biodiversity will also be important to BioversityInternationals work.


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Building capacity

In response to a global mandate to assume a role leading andcoordinating activities that promote the conservation and useof agricultural biodiversity, Bioversity International aims tostrengthen the capacity of developing countries to undertakebiodiversity and nutrition research across disciplines. It

recognizes that to achieve long-term impact and the globalpotential of this strategy will demand an improved capacityfor promotion, social marketing and education about local foodbiodiversity, nutrition and ecosystem health at national, regionaland global levels. Bioversity will leverage its global network ofnutrition leaders to pursue capacity building with:

Academics and universities Bioversity International will workwith academia and research institutes in the developed anddeveloping world to promote food systems learning, coursesand programmes of study in institutions of higher education.

Individuals Bioversity International will assist in the training

of future nutritionists, agronomists and other professionals onfood-based approaches in innovative academic programmes,non-academic certication programmes, government training

courses and other curricula using new methodologies and testedcapacity building tools.

Communities Bioversity International will work incollaboration with farmers and local communities on improvedagricultural biodiversity practices that focus on nutritionand engage community health workers and agricultureextension workers, anthropologists and ethnobotanists in newmethodologies, interventions and approaches to link agricultureand nutrition.

Methods, tools and technology

MethodsA variety of methods and tools will be used to build evidence,perform operations research and monitor, evaluate and assessimpact. Qualitative and quantitative operations research willbe undertaken.

The qualitative methodologies will include focus groups,interviews with key informants and actors along the value chainand in particular women consumers. It will include participatoryand rapid appraisal tools including mapping, seasonal calendars,Venn diagrams, proportional piling and direct observation.

The quantitative methodologies will include surveys for dietaryand market assessments, rapid assessments of vulnerability,mapping exercises, biological measures for serum micronutrientsand anthropometry in order to assess nutritional impact. Researchdesigns will include randomized control trials as well as cross-sectional, retrospective, prospective and case control studies.Ecological studies will also be performed to assess consumptionpatterns and will include local knowledge and trends.

Operations research, also known as delivery system research,is concerned with nding out which interventions, strategies

or tools can enhance the quality, effectiveness or coverage ofagriculture, nutrition and health programmes in which moreanalytical research is being carried out. It will involve a varietyof descriptive processes, such as cross-sectional analyses, case

control studies and retrospective or prospective cohort analyses(Zachariah et al 2009).

Development programme study designs will include adequacy,plausibility and probability methodologies. Adequacymethodology measures the expected change of nutrition statusas programmes are implemented. Programme performance isevaluated and status is assessed before and after the interventions.Plausibility methodology assesses whether the programmeseemed to have an effect above and beyond external factorsand inuences. Probability methodology is used to measure

whether a programme had an impact, and checks for potentiallyconfounding elements by making use of randomization andcontrol groups.

Tools and technologyIn conducting the research outlined in this strategy, a widevariety of tools and technology will be used, includinglivelihood tools for assessing physical, nancial, social, natural

and human capital. Vulnerability assessments and mapping

will be monitored with geographic information systems and theFood Insecurity and Vulnerability Information and MappingSystem (FIVIMS). Other methods based on food security,human development, food sovereignty and rural developmentwill be considered.

Market mapping will focus on access to markets, outcomesrelated to food access and availability, trader and focus groupinterview guides, market location mapping exercises and prices.Local market assessments will include food availability lists,

seasonality, prices and preferences.

Food security tools such as the household hunger scale,

household food insecurity access scale, months of adequatehousehold food provisioning and the coping strategy index(FAO and FANTA-2) will be used.

Other dietary and consumption tools to be used in the research willinclude infant and young child feeding surveys from the WorldHealth Organization (WHO), womens diet quality tools (seeRuel et al 2010 and other papers in that supplement), householddietary diversity scores from Food And Nutrition TechnicalAssistance (FANTA), consumption and composition indicatorsfrom FAO, such as their International Network of Food DataSystems and the new International Micronutrient Assessmentand Planning Programme (WHO). Linear programming

methods will be used to select diets based on local foods thatsatisfy a set of nutritional constraints while minimizing the totalenergy content of the diet, with costs assessed using tools suchas Save the Childrens cost of diets tool (Chastre et al 2007; de

Pee et al 2010).

Nutritional assessments including anthropometry to assesschildrens nutritional status as well as biochemical analysesof micronutrients will be essential to measure the impact ofinterventions or research on nutrition and health outcomes.

Agriculture, ecosystem and biodiversity tools will be employedon-farm and in landscapes and will include a species richness

index (dened as the number of identied and previouslydescribed edible species, either plant or animal, per farm), aswell as a species diversity index, a species evenness index andindividual species-area relationships. Access surveys will includeassessments of access to seed diversity, technology and markets.


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Other areas to be developed include the nutritional functionaldiversity at the farm level, nutritional composition at subspecieslevel and cultural preferences for species and subspecies.

Technology such as mobile phones, satellite positioning systemsand food enrichment technology will also be used.

CGIAR Research Programme

The CGIAR is committed to reducing poverty and hunger,improving human health and nutrition and enhancing ecosystemresilience through high-quality international agriculturalresearch, partnership, and leadership. The CGIARs ResearchProgramme on Agriculture for Improved Nutrition and Health,directly and strategically supports this commitment.

Agricultural production will need to increase if the world isto meet the food needs of a growing population from a nite

resource base. How agriculture develops to do this will have

consequences for the health and nutrition of people. The CGIARResearch Programme is designed to support the overall CGIARagenda by improving our understanding of how agriculture canbetter accentuate the benets and mitigate the risks of agricultural

development for human health and nutrition. The lessonslearned are intended to serve the entire CGIAR agenda withinagro-ecological production systems and along food value chains.

The CGIAR Research Programme emphasizes two groupsof people. The rst is those people who are left behind by

socioeconomic development, who suffer from high rates ofmalnutrition and agriculture-associated diseases and who relyon aid and development support. The second group is made

up of poor people who live in dynamically intensifying andchanging systems in which this type of research can help to directagricultural development towards more benecial approaches.

Aspects of Bioversitys nutrition strategy t well within the

new CGIAR Research Programme and specic components

and objectives of the proposed work will have substantivecontributions to make to the overall CGIAR Research Programme.

Objectives one and three t well with Component one of the CRP,

on nutrition-sensitive value chains, while Objectives three andfour t well within Component four of the CRP, on programmes

and policies.

Monitoring and evaluation

Bioversity International will monitor and evaluate theimplementation of this strategy on an annual basis with anexternal Scientic Advisory Council. The purpose of the Council

is to provide Bioversity with expert, independent advice onnutritional science policy and strategy and to advise on mattersconcerning agricultural biodiversity, food and nutrition security,diet quality and diversity and the role of ecosystems in wellbeing. Members are appointed as independent scientic experts

on the basis of their specic skills and knowledge. (See chapter

four for details of the Council members.)

Monitoring and evaluation will be an integral element of theresearch agenda within each objective of the strategy and alogical framework for the proposed research is outlined on thefollowing page.

Over the years Bioversity International will demonstrateclear, realistic, measurable and rational pathways needed toachieve impact, in collaboration with our partners. BioversityInternational will be accountable for the provision of inputs, forcarrying out activities and for producing both lower-order andhigher-order outputs. Subsequently, we will share responsibilitywith partners for the research outcomes generated, and engage

together in the delivery of the development outcome. Wegive high importance to identifying partners that can shareresponsibility for achieving the research outcomes and that willplay an important role in the delivery of the development results.

Priority setting

Objectives one and two, with a focus on evidence building,will be the major priorities in the rst ve years and through

the life of the strategy. Objective three will be the focus of yearssix through nine, while Objective four will be the focus ofyears seven through ten. All of the objectives will be targeted

in key priority countries and specic agro-ecosystems. We planto ensure that each objective and the different componentsare addressed as part of holistic research projects on similarsites because the various components together will dene the

nutrition and livelihoods impact. Each component may requiredistinct partnerships, tailored research approaches, methods andprogramme designs. Key priority countries will include the 36countries where 90% of the worlds stunted children live, whereagricultural systems are fully functioning or that have potentialfor improvement, as well as countries that are ready to accelerateaction in nutrition (SCN 2009).

D. WhiteD. White


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Logical framework for the strategy

NUTRITION ACTIVITIES

EXPECTED IMPACT

Scaling up

Research and evidence-oriented outputsObjectives one and two

- Research tools to characterize ABD and consumption and composition of

local foods developed and implemented

- Effectiveness of ABD on DD and nutrition outcomes assessed

- Linkages between agriculture and the nutrition transition assessed

- Knowledge, practices and value of traditional food culture documented

- Food sovereignty principles in the context of ABD and nutrition defined

and documented

- Local consumer preferences and role of women in food purchasing

documented

- Value chain media outlets to disseminate information and knowledge defined

- Tools for specialized local products and education developed

- Income incentives for farmers to produce nutritious local foods characterized

- Nutrition access pathways of SHF linked to urban markets documented

- Role of women as producers and processors of nutritious food documented

Outcomes resulting from the use of

outputs by target groups

- Deployment of ABD for improving nutrition

security utilized in rural communities

- Development of nutritionally rich foods

sourced from ABD systems in value chains

and accessed by rural and urban

populations

Changes:

- Improved evidence of the links of

agriculture to public health

- Increased presence of LTFs from

biodiverse systems in value chains and

accessible to urban populations

Overall goal

To promote the use of agricultural biodiversity within food production systems and provide nutritionally rich food sources

that contribute to dietary diversity and potentially better nutrition and health

Indicators to be monitored

Scientific public health and nutrition articles with ABD components and data

Procurement programmes sourcing ABD for specialized nutrition products

School meal programmes and garden projects with ABD practices embedded

National nutrition policies with ABD interventions embedded

Development agencies working on public health programmes integrating ABD increased

Joint agriculture and nutrition strategies implemented in Developing Countries

Changes:

- ABD better integrated into national,

regional and global nutrition, and

public health development

programmes and policies

- Improvements made in multi-sectoral

food system approaches to tackling

malnutrition

Outputs communicated and

disseminated to policymakers and

other stakeholders

Adoption of outputs by target groups

at regional and national levels

Adoption of outputs by target

groups at local level

Outcomes resulting from the use of

outputs by target groups

- Tools and best practices used for

development programmes and policies

- Food development assistance and school

meals effectively integrating ABD

- Nutrient gap analysis and profiles

deployed for use in developing countries

Development- and policy-oriented outputsObjectives three and four

- Best practices for ABD and nutrition linkages for development

programmes developed

- Usage of LTFs in specialized foods and school meals for development

programmes defined and documented

- ABD sourced commodities integrated into select food aid baskets

- Nutrient gap and ABD added value quantified

- Nutrient profiles of non-crop ecosystems identified and documented

- Role of women in food systems approaches characterized

- Research tools to measure added value and impact of ABD in public

health programmes developed

- Nutrition development programmes integrated with agricultural

practices redefined

Scaling outScaling out


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Martin W. Bloem, MD, PhDChief, Nutrition and HIV/AIDS Policy, Policy Strategy and

Programme Support Division

United Nations World Food Programme

Dr Martin W. Bloem is Chief for Nutrition and HIV/AIDS Policyand UNAIDS Global Coordinator at the World Food Programme

in Rome, Italy. He holds a medical degree from the University ofUtrecht and a doctorate from the University of Maastricht andhas joint faculty appointments at both Johns Hopkins Universityand Tufts University. Martin has worked and lived in severalcountries in Asia including Bangladesh, Thailand and Indonesia.He has more than two decades of experience in nutritionresearch and policy. Bloem acted as Senior Vice President andChief Medical Ofcer of Helen Keller International prior to his

appointment at WFP and has devoted his career to improving theeffectiveness of public health and nutrition programmes throughapplied research. His work has led him to participate in task forcesconvened by leading non-governmental organizations such as

the UN Standing Committee on Nutrition (UNSCN), the UnitedNations International Childrens Emergency Fund (UNICEF), theUnited States Agency for International Development (USAID),and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Barbara Burlingame, PhDSenior Ofcer and Leader of the Nutrition Requirements and

Assessment Group

Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN

Dr Barbara Burlingame is Senior Ofcer and Leader of the

Nutrition Requirements and Assessment Group at FAO. Herareas of responsibility include food composition, humannutrition requirements, dietary and nutritional risk assessments,the cross-cutting initiative on biodiversity for food and nutritionas well as the provision of nutrition advice to FAO membernations and the Codex Alimentarius Commission. Since 1995,she has been the director of INFOODS, the InternationalNetwork of Food Data Systems and since 1998 she has beenthe editor of the international, peer-reviewed Journal of FoodComposition and Analysis. She chairs the International Unionof Nutritional Sciences Food Data Task Force and is a memberof several scientic advisory boards. She has authored many

scientic papers and UN publications, and several book chapters

and reference books and been awarded the New Zealand Royal

Societys Science and Technology Medal, Dr Burlingame studiedat the University of California, Davis, and obtained a BSc inNutrition Science and Environmental Toxicology. She did herpostgraduate work in New Zealand at Massey University whereshe obtained a PhD. From 1987-1998, she worked for the NewZealand Institute for Crop & Food Research. She has been at FAOsince 1998.

Fabrice DeClerck, PhDDivision of Research and Development

Centro Agronmico Tropical de Investigacin y Enseanza (CATIE)

Fabrice DeClerck is a Belgian landscape and community ecologistwith a faculty appointment at CATIE in Costa Rica. His primaryresearch activities focus on the biodiversity and ecosystemsin human-dominated landscapes of Mesoamerica. DeClerckholds an adjunct research fellowship with Tropical AgriculturalProgrammes at Columbia University and consults on the role

of biodiversity and conservation in achieving the MillenniumDevelopment Goals (MDGs). He leads research projects onbiodiversity conservation and ecosystem functioning in cattleand coffee agricultural systems, looking at how biodiversity andfunctional diversity can be managed to increase the provisioningof ecosystem services and poverty alleviation. His current workis focused on how the position of agroforestry systems affects

the capacity of these systems to provide ecosystem services.DeClercks research also looks at how functional diversitycan predict ecosystem function, including models of loss offunctional diversity with agricultural intensication and the

contribution of functional agrobiodiversity to human nutrition.DeClerck was a postdoctoral fellow with the Earth Institute atColumbia University where he actively investigated and wroteon the role of ecology in poverty alleviation. He also maintainsan active theoretical ecology research agenda on the relationshipbetween tree species richness and carbon storage in a tropicalforest of Panama.

Glenn Denning, PhDProfessor of Professional PracticeSchool of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University

Glenn Denning is a professor of Professional Practice inInternational and Public Affairs, and Associate Director of theCentre for Globalization and Sustainable Development at theEarth Institute of Columbia University. He helped establishThe MDG Centre, East and Southern Africa in Nairobi, Kenyaand served as its rst Director from 2004-2009, during which

he provided leadership to the centres agenda in agricultureand rural development and its support to the African GreenRevolution. He previously held senior management positions

at the International Rice Research Institute and the WorldAgroforestry Centre and has lived and worked in Asia and Africafor more than 30 years. Denning served on the UN MillenniumProject Hunger Task Force (2004-2006) and is a member of theSenior Steering Group of the UN High Level Task Force on the

Global Food Security Crisis. Dr Denning holds agriculturalscience degrees from the University of Queensland, a PhDfrom the University of Reading, and an MPA from HarvardUniversitys Kennedy School of Government.

Charlotte Dufour, MScFood Security, Nutrition and Livelihoods Group, Nutrition and

Consumer Protection Division (AGN)

Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN

Charlotte Dufour works as Food Security Nutrition andLivelihoods Ofcer in the Nutrition and Consumer Protection

Division of FAO. After obtaining a BA in Human Sciences fromOxford University and an MSc in Public Health Nutrition fromthe London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, she spent

ten years working on nutrition and food security in Afghanistanwith Action Contre la Faim Groupe, URD, FAO, the AfghanMinistry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Public Health and otherdevelopment partners. Dufour has undertaken assignments inEthiopia and Laos. Since 2010 she has been working on the FAO

project Supporting Food Security, Nutrition and Livelihoods in

Sub-Saharan Africa.


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Boitshepo Bibi Giyose, PhDSenior Food and Nutritional Security Advisor

The New Partnership for Africas Development (NEPAD) Secretariat,

South Africa

Boitshepo Bibi Giyose is a Senior Food and Nutritional SecurityAdvisor to NEPADs Planning and Coordinating Agency for

the African Union. Before joining NEPAD, Giyose worked forUNDP/UNAIDS Botswana as the regional project coordinatorfor strengthening the United Nations response to HIV/AIDS insmall-population African countries. She has also worked as theregional coordinator for the Commonwealth Regional HealthCommunity Secretariat for East, Central and Southern Africa, asa nutritionist for the Government of Botswana and as a privatenutrition consultant. Giyose serves on the Global HorticultureBoard and on the Advisory Committee of the CollaborativeCrops Research Programme of the McKnight Foundation. Sheis also a member of the Scaling Up Nutrition Transition Teamand a Technical Advisory Group Member of USAIDs Nutrition

Collaborative Research Support Programme. Alongside hernumerous engagements, Dr Giyose writes a weekly columnon food, nutrition, and health matters for the Botswananewspaper, Mmegi. She holds an MSc in International Nutritionfrom Cornell University and a BSc in Nutrition and Dieteticsfrom Appalachian State University, where she was awarded aDistinguished Alumna Award in 2007. She was selected as PolicyScholar for the US-based School Nutrition Association and wasappointed a delegate of the Global Child Nutrition FoundationsLegislative Action Committee in January 2011.

Anna Herforth, PhD

Nutrition Specialist Health, Nutrition and PopulationThe World Bank

Anna Herforth holds a PhD in international nutrition fromCornell University, an MSc in food policy from Tufts Universityand a BSc in plant science from Cornell University. She hasworked with academics, non-prot organizations, CGIAR centres

and the UN, contributing to nutrition policy and programmesin Africa, South Asia, and Latin America. In each region she

has spent considerable time with agricultural and indigenouscommunities. Currently Herforth is a Nutrition Specialist atthe World Bank, working on nutrition as a multi-sectoral issuerelated to agriculture and the environment.

CJ Jones, PhDKenya Country Manager

Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition

Dr CJ Jones is Country Manager for the Global Alliance forImproved Nutrition (GAIN). Since 1989, she has lived andworked in both east and southern Africa, during which time shehas held a variety of high-level private-sector positions includingtechnical consultant on privatization in Zambia, lead localconsultant for the privatization of Zambia Consolidated CopperMines, founding director of the Lusaka Stock Exchange and

of the African Plantations Corporation and director of severalZambian commercial banks. At the same time, she establishedher own investment company and developed a reputationfor business management and business opportunities at thecutting edge of African industry and for raising signicant new

foreign investment capital. Since 2007, Jones has worked at the

interface between public and private sector investment in EastAfrica and is currently working with GAIN to put key publichealth interventions related to nutrition into effect. For example,GAINs Kenyan food fortication programme, which will reach

27 million Kenyans, and the Maternal and Infant Young Child

Nutrition (MIYCN) initiatives are two that are working directly

with industry to produce nutritious infant foods and make

them available to mothers in low-income groups. An Australiancitizen, Dr Jones was born in rural Australia and receivedher professional qualications from Sydney University and

Wollongong University. Jones is also a qualied educator with

postgraduate qualications in education, administration and

nance.

Anna Lartey, PhDAssociate Professor

University of Ghana

Anna Lartey is an Associate Professor and former Head of

Department in Nutrition and Food Science at the University ofGhana. Dr Lartey attended the University of California, Davis,

as a Fulbright scholar and received her PhD in nutrition in 1998.She received her BSc from the University of Ottawa, Canada,completed a dietetic internship at Kingston General Hospital inCanada and received her MSc from the University of Guelph,Canada. Larteys research focuses on maternal child nutrition

in sub-Saharan Africa and she has published extensively on thetopic. She was Co-Principal Investigator for WHOs MulticenterGrowth Reference Study in Ghana and is the Principal Investigatorfor Ghana in the International Lipid-based Nutrient Supplement

study taking place in three African countries (Malawi, BurkinaFaso and Ghana). Lartey won the University of Ghanas award

for best researcher in 2004. She has served on several WHO expertconsultations on child nutrition and currently leads the Ghanadelegation to the Codex Committee on Nutrition for SpecialDietary uses (CCNFSDU), where Ghana chairs the electronicworking group to revise the Codex Guidelines on FormulatedSupplementary Foods for Older Infants and Young Children. She

is a graduate of the African Nutrition Leadership Programme

and chaired the Africa Nutritional Epidemiology Conference forthe years 2006-2009. She holds the International DevelopmentResearch Centre Canada Research Chair in Nutrition for Healthand Socio-Economic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Sheis currently the President-elect of the International Union of

Nutritional Sciences.

Cheryl Palm, PhDSenior Research Scientist

Tropical Agriculture Programme of the Earth Institute, Columbia

University

Cheryl Palm is a Senior Research Scientist in the TropicalAgriculture and Rural Environment Programme of the EarthInstitute at Columbia University where she is also the ScienceDirector of the Millennium Villages Project. A tropical ecologistfocusing on land use change, Dr Palm received her PhD in soilscience from North Carolina State University after completingher Bachelors and Masters degrees in zoology at the Universityof California, Davis. She served as Principal Research Scientistof the Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility Programme in Nairobi,Kenya from 1991-2001. She has served on the faculties ofNorth Carolina State University and Colorado State Universityand also spent a year as visiting scientist at the University of


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California, Berkeley. She was elected a Fellow of the AmericanSociety of Agronomists in 2005 and is currently the chairof the International Nitrogen Initiative. Dr Palms researchfocuses on land use change, degradation and rehabilitationand ecosystem services in tropical landscapes. She led a majoreffort to quantify carbon stocks, losses and net greenhouse gasemissions following slash and burn and alternative land use

systems in the humid tropics in the Brazilian and Peruvian

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