I. OPENING OF THE CONSULTATION

1. The Regional Expert Consultation of the Asia-Pacific Network for Food and Nutrition (ANFN) on Nutrition Orientation to Food Production, organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (FAO-RAP) was held in Bangkok, Thailand from 3 to 5 October 2006. Ten participants from eight countries attended the Consultation. Countries included were Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam. Representatives from the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) and the World Health Organization Southeast Asia Regional Office (WHO SEARO) were also invited to participate. Kraisid Tontisirin, former Director of the Nutrition and Consumer Protection Division at FAO, Rome and Professor Emeritus of Mahidol University in Bangkok, was a special invitee. The list of the participants, invitees and guests is given in Appendix 1.
2. Biplab K. Nandi, Senior Food and Nutrition Officer, FAO-RAP and Secretary, ANFN extended his warm welcome to the participants, colleagues from FAO-RAP and guests of the ANFN Consultation. In particular, he expressed appreciation to the participants for their attendance and continued support to the network. He also acknowledged the presence of Dini Latief, Director of the Family and Community Health Division of WHO SEARO, Sudip Kumar Rakshit from the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) and Kraisid Tontisirin. Special thanks were given to Mr. Tontisirin for his continued support to the initiatives of FAO-RAP. All those present were then requested to introduce themselves.
3. Dini Latief addressed the Consultation on behalf of WHO SEARO. She emphasized that eleven countries in the Southeast Asian region make up 20 percent of the global population and that, of the under-five deaths of children, 25 percent were in Southeast Asia. Of the malnourished, two-thirds were attributable to inappropriate feeding practices during the first year of life. She added that, in this region, countries had adopted global commitments to reduce malnutrition. Yet this region still accounts for 79 percent of the world’s malnourished children. The greatest preventable micronutrient deficiencies like vitamin A deficiency (VAD), iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and iodine deficiency disorders occur at alarming rates.
4. The countries within the WHO SEARO region were experiencing a double burden of malnutrition – while the fight against undernutrition was yet to be won, communities faced the additional burden of overnutrition.
5. The Consultation was informed of WHO’s commitment to work in partnership with other UN organizations, specifically FAO. WHO recognized that improved agricultural technology could lead to increased food production and supply which had the potential of addressing micronutrient deficiencies. Moreover, the representative from WHO SEARO cited a number of new opportunities for actions and partnerships. In closing, the representative from WHO SEARO wished for everybody a healthier Asia as everyone strives for the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
6. The Consultation was opened by He Changchui, Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative of the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. He expressed pleasure in seeing familiar faces and congratulated Mr. Nandi for having chosen a very relevant and timely theme for the Consultation.
7. He stressed to the Consultation the important link between agriculture-based strategies and nutrition improvement, specifically in rural-based economies among developing nations. Improved health could have beneficial effects on the next generation only when greater investments in nutrition-linked agriculture and development strategies were pursued. He informed the Consultation that FAO viewed the problem of food security and nutrition in a holistic fashion by promoting the use of integrated food-based strategies and as part of FAO’s catalytic role in assisting nations achieve their “overall right to food” along with goals of the World Food Summit (WFS) and MDGs.
8. He also reminded the Consultation that the main responsibility for poverty and hunger reduction rested with the national governments. Governments must acknowledge the existence of malnutrition and should take action to inform the public of its magnitude, causes and consequences as well as strategies to combat the problems. In particular, a nutrition orientation to food production alongside multi-sectoral approaches and support for district and community leadership should be pursued by the governments since they offer greater possibilities for sustainability of food resources in communities.
9. There might also be a need to revisit agricultural policies particularly for their nutritional implications. This was of importance particularly within the context of supplying micronutrients to people through production of sufficient quantities of fruits and vegetables and not just grains alone. The integration of plants, with emphasis on underexploited indigenous plants, and small animal and fish production were also seen as a means for improving the micronutrient status of populations.
10. He further stated that a well-developed policy environment was one that facilitated and supported small-scale and semi-commercial farming systems that maximized the outputs of micronutrient-rich foods. In this context, the concept of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) had evolved for addressing environmental, economic and social sustainability for on-farm production and post-production practices. This could also help ensure availability of safe and healthy foods and non-food agricultural products. The expanding use of GAP and its applications in the food chain by small-scale producers is a major challenge that must be addressed.
11. He also informed the Consultation that FAO was undergoing reform and one of the important changes taking place was the transfer of the Food and Nutrition Division from the Economic and Social Department to the Agriculture Department under the new name Nutrition and Consumer Protection Division. This change would allow the Division to supplement the activities of the Agriculture Department for a more comprehensive solution of the nutrition issues throughout the food chain.
12. Lastly, he again congratulated the ANFN Secretariat for having chosen a very timely topic and one that would highlight the role of the agriculture sector in promoting food and nutrition security in the region. He acknowledged the presence of the experts from the eight countries represented in the Consultation as well as the experts from the other international organizations and wished everybody fruitful deliberations. The full text of the opening address is given in Appendix 2.
13. Mr. Nandi informed the Consultation that there was a minor revision in the provisional agenda originally circulated which had indicated Sanjib Kumar Saha as Facilitator. In as much as he could not come, Peter Sousa Hoejskov would serve as facilitator throughout the Consultation. Shadhi Prabha Gupta, Technical Adviser of the Food and Nutrition Board, Ministry of Women and Child Development of India and Mirza Altaf Hossain, Executive Director of the Bangladesh Applied Nutrition and Human Resource Development Board were elected as Chair and Vice Chairperson, respectively. Maria Antonia G. Tuazon, Director of the Regional Training Programme on Food and Nutrition Planning (RTP-FNP), Philippines was elected as rapporteur.
14. Mr. Nandi shared with the Consultation the rationale, objectives, agenda, timetable, expected outputs and organization of the Consultation. Specifically, the objectives of the Consultation were as follows: a) to share information on the current scenario regarding food production and nutritional implications for the participating countries, b) to discuss issues concerning availability and consumption of diversified foods, c) to review and suggest adjustments, if necessary, in food production sub-sectors to meet the demands for nutritional adequacy, and d) to discuss the ICN and WFS follow-up activities in the context of the MDGs.
15. The Consultation was organized in such a way as to begin with presentations followed by discussions that were intended to generate a set of concrete recommendations for future actions. Three broad topics were selected: On-going Food Production and Nutrition Improvement Programmes and Projects in the Region; Sharing of Experiences and Best Practices of Successful Food Production and Nutrition Improvement Programmes and Projects in the Region; and Policy Obligations and Appropriate Policy Framework for Strengthening the Interrelationship between Food Production and Nutrition Implications. The timetable as adopted is given in Appendix 3.
16. The expected outputs of the Consultation were greater appreciation for the important interrelationships between food production and nutritional well-being, sharing of experiences and lessons learned from the implementation of food production programs and their nutritional implications and generating a set of recommendations for strengthening strategic actions for improved food production and effective nutrition interventions.