United Nations System
Standing Committee on Nutrition

 

Working Group on Household Food Security

held during SCN's 32nd Session, 16 March 2005, Brasilia

Co-Chairs: Florence Egal, FAO; Shakuntala Thilsted, DANIDA

About 60 participants attended the meeting of the Working Group on Household Food Security. The meeting started with the following presentations:

  • Follow-up to the 31st Session: Rapid update on the Hunger Task Force process - Patrick Webb, WFP
  • Main conclusions of the Consultation on the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) cross-cutting initiative on biodiversity for food and nutrition, Brasilia, 12–13 March, 2005 - Pablo Eyzaguirre, IPGRI (see Annex 1)
  • Dietary diversity: linking traditional foods and plant genetic resources to rural and urban health in Kenya - Tim Johns, IPGRI
  • Lessons from a multisectoral leadership strategy: the Agriculture-Nutrition Advantage project - Kathleen Kurz, ICRW
  • Initiatives to emphasize nutrition in the DANIDA agriculture sector programme - Jorgen Jensen, DANIDA

Florence Egal then briefly referred to the September 2nd World Urban Forum (WUF) in Barcelona and made a plea to the SCN to bring nutrition on the agenda of the 2006 WUF to be held in Vancouver.

There was general agreement that the presentations were relevant, informative and brought out the links between nutrition, biodiversity and dietary diversity and the need for more systematic partnerships between agriculture and nutrition.

Presentations and discussion brought out the following points:

  1. Nutrition is everybody's problem and nobody's responsibility. There is no opposition to linking nutrition and agriculture but no leadership either. A more systematic integration of nutrition and agriculture would require advocacy and awareness-raising efforts geared to both nutritionists and agriculturalists.
  2. Household food security and nutrition should be brought into the poverty alleviation agenda.
  3. Some participants suggested that the name of the working group be reconsidered with a view to reflect issues related to biodiversity and the right to food.
  4. Development assistance and policies are developed along sectoral lines and nutrition usually does not appear. When it is considered, it is usually an appendix to the health sector. A livelihoods or people-centered approach would be more consistent with the multidisciplinary dimension of nutrition.
  5. Given the need for a locally based approach to both biodiversity and household food security, NGOs and civil society were seen as having a comparative advantage.
  6. Inequity – both between and within nations - was seen as a key determinant of malnutrition. Globalization, treaties affecting food production and pricing, the role of the WTO affect both household food security and the environment. Politics break the links between people and their environment. It was therefore recommended not to limit the analysis to the local and national levels but also to take into consideration the international context.
  7. Household food security strategies and initiatives will be very different according to the target population considered (emergency population who receive food, urban poor who buy food and rural poor who grow or have direct access to food).
  8. Successful promotion of local foods for commercialization should initially be aimed at middle class consumers while generating income for producers. Rural-urban linkages are therefore an important element.
  9. It was agreed that biodiversity and measurement of ecosystems be considered as food and nutrition indicators.
  10. An analysis should be done on the economic dimensions of biodiversity (which for the moment are not captured in national economic analysis) with a view to strengthen advocacy at policy level.
  11. Biodiversity is essential to the ethical and cultural integrity of local communities.
  12. A comprehensive approach to improving household food security requires interdisciplinary teams, including agronomists, nutritionists, economists and food technologists.

Follow-up action

  • Biodiversity, culture, food and nutrition (FAO/IPGRI leadership)
    1. i. in selected countries (link with World Food Day 2005 “ Agriculture and intercultural dialogue”)
    2. ii. at international level
  • Contribution to follow-up of country case study process (linkages with household food security related projects in country) FAO, CINE, ICRW, IPGRI
  • Linkages with MDG process in selected countries (in particular after September MDG+5 UNGA)
  • Step up advocacy/awareness–raising on the relation between nutrition and agriculture.

ANNEX 1


CBD

BIODIVERSITY FOR FOOD AND NUTRITION

Main conclusions of the consultation on the CBD cross-cutting initiative on biodiversity for food and nutrition, organized by the Convention on Biological Diversity in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute 

Brasilia, Brazil, 12 – 13 March, 2005


Call for Action

Biodiversity is essential for food security and nutrition and offers key options for sustainable livelihoods. Environmental integrity is critical for maintaining and building positive options for human well-being. Existing knowledge warrants immediate action to promote the sustainable use of biodiversity in food security and nutrition programmes, as a contribution to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. This would counteract the simplification of diets, agricultural systems and ecosystems, and the erosion of food cultures. Considering the difficulty in precisely identifying optimal diets, a diversity of foods from plants and animals remains the preferred choice for human health. Traditional food systems provide positive synergies between human and ecosystem health, and culture offers an essential context for mediating positive dietary choices.

An interdisciplinary initiative on biodiversity for food and nutrition, based on the ecosystem approach that makes the most of locally-available biodiversity and initiative to address nutrition problems, will assist countries and stakeholders in achieving the MDGS. Without urgent action that directly engages the environmental, agricultural and nutrition and health communities, biodiversity and the positive options offered by domesticated and wild biodiversity for addressing nutrient deficiencies and the emerging burden of non-communicable disease will be lost.

Proposals for Action

  1. substantiating and promoting awareness of the links between biodiversity, food and nutrition
    1. Compilation, review and analysis of existing scientific information, indigenous and traditional knowledge (in a manner consistent with the CBD, Article 8(j)), and case studies;
    2. Development of a communication strategy, and associated publications and other materials to address: the general public; decision makers; local communities; and the nutrition, agriculture, health and environment communities.
    3. Convening of regional advocacy and policy workshops.
  2. mainstreaming the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity into agendas and programmes related to nutrition and agriculture, and poverty reduction. For example, integrate biodiversity into programmes and activities concerning:
    1. Food-based dietary guidelines
    2. Food composition analysis and dietary assessments
    3. Relevant regulatory frameworks and legislation at national and international levels
    4. National Plans of Action for Nutrition
    5. National Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers
    6. The Right to Food
    7. Food security projects and programmes, including: household food security projects, school programmes, home gardens.
    8. Emergency response and preparedness
  3. promoting activities, that contribute to improving food security and human nutrition through enhanced sustainable use of biodiversity
    1. on farm conservation of biodiversity
    2. development of new crops
    3. protection and promotion of biodiversity friendly markets
    4. action research

Invitation to other organizations to contribute to the initiative.

FAO, WHO, IFAD, WFP, UNICEF, UNU and other intergovernmental organizations are encouraged to include biodiversity-related considerations in their programmes and strategies including but not limited to:

  • The Global Plan of Action to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals (prepared through the Secretary-General’s Millennium Project) and in particular its action plan on hunger;
  • the FAO World Food Summit Plan of Action;
  • the WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health; and
  • the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development

Similarly governments and other international and national institutions, IUNS, ICSU and other research and academic associations, civil society organizations and movements, including the Slow Food Movement, local community and indigenous peoples organizations, and the private sector are encouraged to contribute to the initiative.

Next steps

The participants in the consultation recognize the benefits of coming together under a common framework and commit themselves to continue to contribute to the development of the cross-cutting initiative and to undertake the following activities:

  1. Raising awareness in our organizations, networks and communities of practice and at upcoming meetings and events
  2. Preparing an inventory of the existing knowledge base, including published scientific studies, indigenous and local knowledge (consistent with CBD Article 8(j)), case studies et cetera, and preparing a policy-relevant review for publication in a scientific journal
  3. Promoting and facilitating the development of pilot activities including an inter-sectoral project on biodiversity for food and nutrition in Brazil, with a view to further such pilot activities in other countries
  4. Preparing tools to aid implementation of the activities listed above

Follow up in the SCN

The Standing Committee on Nutrition and its participants are invited to contribute to the further development of this initiative within the Working Group on Household Food Security and other relevant working groups and activities.