Foro Global sobre Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición (Foro FSN)

Dear Moderator,

I would like to kindly share this IFA/IPNI publication on “Fertilizing Crops to Improve Human Health: a Scientific Review” as it is probably the first of its kind.

Please find an abstract and the links below:

IFA/IPNI publication on “Fertilizing Crops to Improve Human Health: a Scientific Review”

 

Many studies have shown that enhancing crop attributes with the right fertilizer product at the right rate, right time and in the right place,  can vastly contribute to the health of humankind.  Given the important role of fertilizers in promoting food and nutritional security, it becomes all the more important to invest in research aimed at optimizing the benefits associated with their use.

 

Research needs to support the adoption of 4R - nutrient stewardship - to ensure that the right source is applied at the right rate, at the right time, and in the right place. This concept—embraced by the fertilizer industry—defines “right” as that most appropriate for addressing the economic, social and environmental aspects of sustainability, all three of which are critical to sustain human health. Coupled with appropriate strategic changes to farming systems toward production of a better balance of foods to address the true nutritional needs of the human family, an emphasis on 4R Nutrient Stewardship in agronomic research and extension will enhance the benefits and minimize the potential negative impacts associated with fertilizer use.

 

The International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA) and the International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI)  recently published Volumes 1,2 and 3 online of the publication on “Fertilizing Crops to Improve Human Health: a Scientific Review”.  Volume 1 deals with food and nutrition security, Volume 2 on health-functional properties of food and Volume 3 focuses on fertilizer impacts on selected health risks associated with plant production systems.

Thank you.

Angela Bunoan-Olegario

Senior Agronomist

Agriculture Committee

International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA)

28 rue Marbeuf  75008 Paris, France

 

In my opinion the top 5 things to do to maximize impacts on nutrition would be;

1. At the planning stage incorporate a multi-stakeholder approach in the stakeholders platform to include nutrition practitioners to take care of nutrition interests.

2. Undertake a nutrition causal analysis that best shows likely pathways to nutrition outcomes for a given agric. investment and incorporate that in the baseline assessment indicators.

3. Include practical innovation systems that are cognizant of the food culture of beneficiary communities, capacity to benefit at cottage industry and household level, and not merely investments for mainstream markets and industries.

4. Considering much of the communities in need of this benefits have evolved over time through through subsistence food systems there at times solely for consumption there is need to integrate indigenous knowledge systems in to modern methods so as help individuals connect easily in to modern systems, and balance between consumption and market driven agriculture.

5. Undertake an impact assessment that captures nutrition outcomes and not only production and incomes expected from agricultural investments.

More research is needed to come up with a set of tools and frameworks that are harmonized and widely acceptable to measure agric. and nutrition outcomes based so as to provide a basis for cross cultural, season and regions learning.

On the government side it is important that governments come up with food and nutrition policies, this is the legal basis upon which governments can be made to account, and also the basis for financial commitments. In areas where policies exist their is need to track progress and support any weak links so as to make them practical and of direct benefit to communities.

Thank you for all members

What are the main approaches we collectively see as most important?

The main approaches are collectively as most important is: -

1 – Estimation a gap between productivity of the varieties under experimental research, demonstration fields and farmer conditions.

2 – The range of available suitable practical recommendations that can more effectively.

3 – The range of responses of farmers for these recommendations.

4 – The range of development recommendations with climatic exchange for over come of this exchange.

5 – Available suitable practical recommendations which easily application under farmers condition with law cost.

What are some practical recommendations that can more effectively promote, support, and guarantee the integration of nutrition into agriculture and food security investments?

Some practical recommendations that can more effectively promote, support, and guarantee the integration of nutrition into agriculture and food security investments: -

1 – Integrated pest and weed management by application more methods for over come pest and weeds control such as: -

A - Crops rotations. B - Seed bed preparation. C - Sowing resistance varieties.

D - Sowing recommendations numbers of plant/ unite area.

E - Application the recommendations fertilizer.

F - Sowing some crops have allelopathy effect on weeds in crop sequence with crop rotations.

G – Application technical recommendations pesticide or herbicide.

By followed integrated pest or weed control can be increased quality and quantity of productivity without environmental pollutions, for example: -

Effect of tillage systems sequence and some weed control treatments on some field crops

Two field experiments were conducted in clay soil at Sids Agricultural Research Station, to asses the role of tillage and weed control treatments on weed management through 2- year crop rotation in the period from 2003 to 2006. The first experiment was conducted to study the effect of three tillage systems i.e. to use mouldboard followed by rotary plow, chisel plow three passes followed by rotary plow and chisel plow two passes where these treatments were applied repeatedly every season through four summer and winter seasons in the same plot of every treatment three sub plots weed control treatments (pendimethalin, hand-hoeing and weed check) were distributed to study their effects on weeds and productivity of the different in the rotation. Results showed that increasing tillage by combining mouldboard or chisel plowing with rotary plowing decreased the total weeds biomass/m² by 29.2 and 38.5% and increased seed yield of faba bean by 12.7 and 10.3% than chisel plowing only in 2003/04 season and the respective values during 2004/05 season were 38.2 and 32.8% for weed biomass reduction and 25.8 and 3.2% for seed yield. Similar trends were obtained with the effect of tillage systems on weeds and yield of both maize and soybean. On the other hand , repeating tillage operations seasonally in faba bean decreased total weed biomass/m² by 34.0 , 17.6 and 24.5% in the third season compared to the first season with mouldboard rotary, chisel with rotary and chisel only in the same respective order. Pendimethalin or hand-hoeing resulted in significant decrease in the total weeds of all studied crops accompanied with significant increases in their yields.

The second experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of tillage systems on the control of orobanche management in faba bean. Similar trends were obtained emphasizing that increasing tillage operation by combining mouldboard rotary plowing or chisel plowing with rotary plowing succeeded in reducing orobanche biomass/m² by 23.3 and 18.2% in 2003/04 season and by 41.4 and 33.4% in second season compared to chisel plowing only and causing increases ranged from the 4.0 to 20.2% of faba bean yield. Imazapic or hand weeding show also significant control of orobanche accompanied withsignificant increase in faba bean yield productivity. The role of tillage on controlling weeds may be attributed to the role of rotary or mould plowing in burying great proportion of weed seeds including orobanche to depths preventing germination of such seeds. The effect of various possible integration between both tillage and weed control methods were discussed emphasizing the importance of this integration on weed management tactics in studied crops. Other effects of studied factors on weeds or yield components were also recorded.

2 – Increased the area sowing of food plants.

3 – Increased quality of food artificial.

What research is needed?

The research needed is: - The important research which concentration on breading and improvement traits high yields, resistance of pest and disease, parasitic weeds and climatic exchange. Integrated pest and weed control.

Mohammed Shams Mekky

[email protected]

Weed Research Central Laboratory - Agricultural Research Center

Greetings

In countries like Colombia,  politics and investment are directed to crops and sugar cane for biofuel, palm oil, coffee, cocoa and banana products that bleed the economy as they are exported as raw materials and do not represent large revenue the country, or skilled jobs, plus they do not represent any contribution to the nutrition of the consumer population. Given that investment and policy is directed towards non-food or low nutritional importance, it is very difficult to successfully implement horticultural solutions such as organic farming, consumption on farms, urban agriculture and family.

Dear Moderators,

I would like to submit some answers the questions posed, based upon my fieldwork in horticultural development in over 20 developing countries and 20 years.

 

Based on your own knowledge and experience in the area of improving nutrition through food and agriculture programmes:

1. If you were designing an agricultural investment programme, what are the top 5 things you would do to maximize its impact on nutrition?

       #1: I would make sure the programme paid attention to more than the production of food and increasing yields

       #2: The programme would include interventions aimed at reducing postharvest losses, protectin nutirional value and food safety during the period from farm to consumer.

       #3: The value chain actors involved in food distribution and storage would be key stakeholders in the programme

       #4: Consumers would be provided with training on food storage, processing and cooking with the aim of improving nutritional quality of the food supply

       #5: Capacity building efforts in food and nutrition for extension workers, educators and government staff would be included in the programme.

        

 

2. To support the design and implementation of this programme, where would you like to see more research done, and why?

Many countries "know" they experience high levels of food losses and waste, but there has been little systematic measurement of the causes and sources of these losses. the first step to improving nutition and access to high quality foods is to find out where, when and why foods are being lost, damaged, or losing nutitional value (for exmaple due to temperature abuse or pest attacks).

 

3. What can our institutions do to help country governments commit to action around your recommendations, and to help ensure implementation will be effective?

Assist with capacity building efforts, for example by offering short courses, study tours, workshops, etc on agriculture, food and nutrition development in each region of the world.

Dr. Lisa Kitinoja

The Postharvest Education Foundation

PO Box 38, La Pine, Oregon 97739 USA

Website homepage: www.postharvest.org

Follow us on Twitter: @PostharvestOrg

 

Dear All,

It is yet another important initiative of FSN for streamlining activities of food production and nutrition in the world under the auspices of the FAO of UN.

I am presenting my views against the three questions.

1. If you were designing an agricultural investment programme, what are the top 5 things you would do to maximize its impact on nutrition?

(a)I would conduct a survey across the country to identify the nutritional needs and deficiencies of the people of different age,sex,income and other relevant parameters to determine the possible direction of interventions.

(b)I would survey the availability of various nutritional elements from the locally produced crops,fruits,vegetables,fish,poultry,dairy and other sources for the above mentioned people.

(c)I would select the major food sources that supply the nutrition required by the people and focus most emphasis on these sources for interventions.

(d)I would organize coordinated and concerted programmes with the participation of relevant ministries,research,extension,credit and allied departments and universities in the government and private sectors to make a comprehensive action plan for implementation in phases.

2. To support the design and implementation of this programme, where would you like to see more research done, and why?

I would like to see more research on the following areas:

(a)Food varieties containing more nutritional values so that more nutrition may be available from less quantity of food

(b)Food safety issues to highlight safety in all stages to ensure food that are not adulterated,properly certified and safely consumed.

(c)Wastage or damage of food and nutritional contents in the field,shipment,

storage and distribution systems due to pests,diseases,infrastructural problem,management,regulation,corruption and for any other mismanagement.

(e)I would organize to bring all international donors,UN and other bodies working in my country to support the implementation of our action plans

under a single umbrella to ensure transparency and avoid duplication of activities, corruption and wastage of resources.

3. What can our institutions do to help country governments commit to action around your recommendations, and to help ensure implementation will be effective?

Your institutions can help country governments commit to action around my recommendations to help ensure implementation to make them effective by

providing technical,financial,logistic and management inputs.