Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum)

Dear All:

 

Thanks for the good discussion. As part of the anniversary of the UN High Level Meeting on Non-communicable Diseases, yesterday the ONE blog published a short piece on agriculture and food security (http://www.one.org/blog/2012/09/19/food-is-linked-to-ncds-and-producers-...) that urges a broader understanding of food security. This was much debated in the last FSN discussion [Coming to terms with terminology, ed.], but here we are making the point that the formal definition is not lacking so much as the interpretation for programming purposes of what real food security is – including avoidance of excess calories without nutrition. Achieving that goal requires substantial changes in agriculture and food systems as my report details.

 

You asked what research needs to be done to narrow the gap between agriculture and good nutrition. Here are a few suggestions.

 

Improve understanding of causal links among agriculture, nutrition, and various health outcomes

Develop “mutual metrics” that are understood and endorsed by all sectors to they can work together on common objectives

Produce a generalizable measure of food diversity

Improve understanding of what influences consumer behavior to consume healthy food

Understand how to implement and measure the impacts of policy choices across sectors

 

Thanks.

 

rachel

______________________________________________________________

Rachel A. Nugent, Ph.D. | Director

Disease Control Priorities Network | Department of Global Health

University of Washington | Seattle, WA 98104