Forum global sur la sécurité alimentaire et la nutrition (Forum FSN)

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Innovations dans l'agriculture pour améliorer la nutrition. Faites-nous connaître vos exemples de réussite

Le rôle primaire de l'agriculture est de cultiver des denrées alimentaires pour la consommation humaine; le secteur agricole a, de ce point de vue, largement réussi à produire suffisamment d'aliments pour répondre aux besoins énergétiques (ou en calories) d’une population mondialequi ne cesse de croître. Toutefois, la persistance de la dénutrition et de l’insécurité alimentaire et nutritionnelle dans de nombreuses parties du monde, en particulier en Afrique subsaharienne et en Asie du Sud rend compte du fait que beaucoup reste à faire pour garantir un accès équitable à une alimentation diversifiée et nutritive.

Historiquement, les politiques agricoles ont visé à soutenir la production des principales céréales de base comme le riz, le maïs et le blé. Ces céréales sont une bonne source d'énergie alimentaire mais elles manquent généralement de micronutriments (vitamines et minéraux) ; par conséquent, elles font partie de ce qui peut être considéré comme un régime alimentaire nutritif. Récemment, des efforts notables ont été déployés pour définir des politiques et des pratiques agricoles susceptibles d'améliorer à la fois la sécurité alimentaire et la sécurité nutritionnelle.

De nombreuses interventions en matière d'agriculture ont été mises au point pour avoir un impact sur les résultats nutritionnels. Les jardins familiaux et communautaires, le soutien à l'élevage et à l'aquaculture, la production de cultures de rapport et de denrées biofortifiées sont quelques exemples de ce type de démarche. Néanmoins, nous sommes certains que, au-delà de ces interpellations agricoles bien connues, il existe, dans le domaine agricole et en matière d'élevage et de pêche, de nombreuses innovations locales très intéressantes dirigées par des groupes communautaires qui n'ont pas actuellement la base empirique nécessaire pour démontrer l'impact de ces innovations sur l'état nutritionnel qui justifierait leur extension et leur mise en oeuvre à plus grande échelle.

Pour en savoir plus sur ces approches novatrices, le programme Leveraging Agriculture for Nutrition in South Asia (projet sur l'impact de l'agriculture sur la nutrition - LANSA) s'est engagé à organiser cette discussion en ligne en coopération avec le Forum FSN de la FAO.

Le projet LANSA est une initiative de recherche entre de multiples partenaires dirigés par la Fondation de recherche M.S. Swaminathan, à Chennai, en Inde. LANSA a essentiellement pour but de comprendre le rôle des politiques et des pratiques agricoles dans l'amélioration de la nutrition en Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Inde et Pakistan. Un aspect essentiel du projet LANSA est la participation de partenaires locaux dans la réalisation de recherches moyennant un système de subvention de type compétitif , dont le second cycle sera lancé en juillet 2015.

Objectif de cette consultation : Nous savons que certaines innovations agricoles peuvent contribuer à de meilleurs résultats en matière de nutrition, mais nous ne les connaissons pas toutes ! C'est pourquoi cette consultation a pour objet de demander vos contributions sur la base de vos connaissances spécialisées, afin de mettre en évidence des idées potentielles d'innovation dans le domaine agricole pouvant favoriser l'amélioration de la nutrition des populations dans la région de l'Asie du Sud. Nous sommes particulièrement intéressés par les nouvelles interventions dans le domaine agricole qui requierent une recherche formative afin de contribuer à leur mise au point, et/ou à la recherche pour en tester la faisabilité avant leur utilisation expérimentale dans des études plus vastes d’intervention. Nous ne perdons pas de vue non plus l'avenir et l'impact probable du changement environnemental sur la production agricole. L’idéal serait que cette consultation puisse déboucher sur une liste d'interventions prometteuses en matière d'agriculture, susceptibles d'être développées et de faire l'objet de nouveaux soutiens.

Nous vous invitons, sur la base de vos connaissances et de votre expérience (en agriculture, systèmes alimentaires, nutrition, ou tout simplement de votre expérience de la culture de vos propres denrées alimentaires), à répondre aux questions suivantes:

  1. Connaissez-vous une innovation non testée dans le secteur de l'agriculture en Asie du Sud qui pourrait avoir un plus grand impact sur la nutrition et la santé de la région ?
  2. Connaissez-vous une innovation testée ou non testée en Afrique ou dans une autre région du monde qui pourrait être introduite ou adaptée à la région sud asiatique et qui pourrait améliorer les résultats nutritionnels dans le contexte de l'Asie du Sud ?
  3. Parmi ces innovations y a-t-il des interventions agricoles susceptibles de contribuer également à réduire l'impact probable des nombreux changements environnementaux sur la production agricole en Asie du Sud ?

Il s'agit de questions complexes pour lesquelles nous espérons recevoir vos opinions et vos observations pour nous aider à définir les priorités de cette recherche. Nous espérons sincèrement que l'utilisation de cette plate-forme consultative nous permettra de vous sensibiliser et de susciter vos réponses, quelle que soit votre formation ou spécialisation. Nous avons besoin de personnes novatrices comme vous pour résoudre certains des plus graves problèmes du monde actuel. Et –qui sait- vos idées donneront peut-être lieu à un agenda de recherche entièrement nouveau !

Nous sommes impatients de recevoir vos réponses. Merci de nous avoir consacré une partie de votre temps et de nous avoir fait part de vos connaissances et votre savoir-faire !

Meilleures salutations

Professeur M S Swaminathan 

Président-fondateur MSSRF & 

Membre du groupe consultatif du consortium LANSA

Dr. Alan Dangour 

Professeur - LSHTM

Chercheur principal pilier 3 LANSA

Cette activité est maintenant terminée. Veuillez contacter [email protected] pour toute information complémentaire.

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Madeleine Smith

The SPRING Project - John Snow International- Research and Training Insitute
États-Unis d'Amérique

The USAID funded Strengthening Results, Partnerships, and Innovations in Nutrition Globally project staff had the opportunity to visit the USAID Feed the Future project: USAID | Yaajeende  in Senegal, which is led by the National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International (NCBA CLUSA), and focused on nutrition led agriculture. There are many successful innovations in this program, but one that stands out is the Community Based Solution Providers (CBSP) approach, which uses a network of community-based service providers and volunteers to sell and promote nutrition-sensitive products, services, and training. The CBSPs are selected by the communities where they live, and either provide or facilitate access to services and credit by working with larger input suppliers and financial institutions. The CBSPs buy in bulk, and are able to offer products in smaller quantities, and facilitate group purchases and access to credit in order to reach more vulnerable households with limited assets and purchasing power.

Some examples of items and services sold include horticulture and cereal crop seeds, iodized salt, bio-fortified and enriched flours, fresh vegetables, and animal feed. Other services provided include providing or facilitating access to finance and business planning, traditional and mechanized ripping, and crop insurance. An initial evaluation of the CBSP approach shows that individual CBSP micro-enterprises are profitable, and there is growing demand for nutrition-sensitive agricultural products and services. CBSPs have formed regional networks and leadership structures, which will assume the management, leadership, and quality assurance roles, as well as ensure the sustainability and continued growth of the networks.

Please see these project links for additional information:

https://www.spring-nutrition/technical-areas/ag-nut.org

http://ncba.coop

http://usaid.gov/news-information/videos/yaajeende-community-based-solution-providers

Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this highly interesting discussion.

Madeleine Smith

Agriculture Advisor

Strengthening Partnerships, Results, and Innovations in Nutrition Globally

email: [email protected]

https://www.spring-nutrition.org

 

Higher welfare farming usually produces animal products of higher nutritional value

Thank you for this opportunity to contribute to this important research area and discussion. I offer two case studies, one from Asia and one Africa, showing that low technology, often low cost interventions can improve the nutritional status of people and be robust in the face of environmental change. Improved animal welfare is an outcome of these farming systems, and can also act as an indicator of farming that is better for people and the planet.

China case study: dual purpose chickens (attachement 1)

On this farm just outside Beijing, a slower-growing, dual purpose traditional breed of chicken is used to rear males chickens for meat and females are raised primarily for eggs and then used for meat at the end of their laying lives. The products receive premium prices at market due to their high quality. The farm is free range, offering higher welfare to the animals, which enjoy good health outcomes: mortality is low, and antibiotic use is low. It is also likely to be environmentally robust as the feeds are largely grown locally and the manure and crop residues are digested to produce energy. Water pollution is also low.

This model of farming could be applied elsewhere, bringing many benefits. In the UK, research shows that chicken and eggs from free-range and slow-growing breeds are of higher nutritional value than from intensive farming of fast-growing breeds. Meat from male chickens also has superior nutritional value. The research demonstrating this is found in attachment 3 and found online: https://www.ciwf.org.uk/media/5234769/Nutritional-benefits-of-higher-wel...

Research into the nutritional value of the meat from these end of lay hens and males; and the eggs from this farming system would be of value, to support roll-out of this farming style. The successes of this farming model can be used to secure good food and farming elsewhere. It can be used to resist industrial-scale intensive farming with fast growing breeds; wasteful practices; high grain use and associated vulnerability to feed price-shocks, heat and water stress; higher pollution and poorer outcomes for animals, farmers' health and livelihoods. Combining chicken farming with agro-forestry is an additional step that could bring multiple benefits and is worthy of field trials.

Ethiopia case study: water storage (attachment 2)

In semi-arid areas of Africa, access to 
simple technology for storing water can dramatically improve the lives of people and farm animals. This study (2012) found that year-round access to water increased farm yields up to ten-fold, improved food security and nutrition, and farm animal welfare. It also reduced poverty in small-scale farming in the highlands of Ethiopia.

This study shows a mixed farming system where water harvesters have been used to lift farmers from requiring food assistance each year, to being fully independent, productive and self-reliant for food most years. Through saving water for irrigation of crops through the dry seasons, farmers have been able to secure crop productivity for their families and introduce livestock into their farming, adding manure for fuel and fertiliser; draught for ploughing and water carrying; as well as social and economic gains. The food security, nutrition and financial status of these small-scale family farmers have been advanced dramatically through this simple, low cost, easy to maintain technology. It may be adaptable to benefit other semi-arid areas, and areas where the summer melt waters from the Himalayas reduce as the glaciers reduce with global warming.

I hope you enjoy the materials attached and please do contact me for further information. 

Best wishes,

Emily Lewis-Brown,

[email protected]

on behalf of Compassion in World Farming: www.ciwf.org 

 

 

 

Edye Kuyper

UC Davis, Integrating Gender and Nutrition within Agricultural Extension Systems (INGENAES) project
États-Unis d'Amérique

Reviews of existing evidence on the ability of food-based interventions to improve nutrition consistently find that nutrition education (or its absence) is related to the project success in increasing access to healthy, diverse foods. This is also bearing true in high-income countries, where evaluations of efforts to improve access to nutrient-dense foods in low-income neighborhoods are not resulting in the intended dietary improvements.  

Yet innovation in the area of food and nutrition education is often an afterthought, and is typically underfunded. The nutrition community often bemoans a perceived inability to compete with the well-funded corporate advertising campaigns seeking to sell less healthy products. Education efforts also tend to be poorly conceived, inadequately tested among the target audience who may also receive insufficient exposure to the promotional messages.

One promising innovation is FAO’s ENACT course now being implemented in 14 African countries.  Participating undergraduates studying fields as diverse as medicine, agriculture, and nutrition are now equipped to effectively communicate and teach about food and nutrition.

In select African and Asian countries, Alive & Thrive has conducted well designed behavior change campaigns via diverse channels, including mass media as well as interpersonal counseling. This multifaceted approach is demonstrating positive results at scale.

The ability of well-designed food and nutrition education campaigns to deliver desired health and nutrition impacts depends on increased funding and research to these activities. The required investment should not be a deterrent, however: if marketing and promotion were not useful mechanisms for achieving increased consumption of specific foods, lucrative companies would not spend billions of dollars advertising their products. 

Good Farm Management Practices, including Fertilizer Deep Placement, in Bangladesh – Improving Nutrition and Gender Equity

The International Fertilizer Development Center has been active in Bangladesh for over 35 years – working with farmers to increase productivity, advocating for enabling policies and introducing good farm management practices and technologies such as fertilizer deep placement (FDP). FDP accomplishes what agriculture must do in a changing climate: lower pollution, increase efficiency, reduce costs and increase yields. Instead of simply broadcasting prilled urea into a rice paddy (the traditional practice), farmers place small fertilizer briquettes into the wet soil between rice plants. Rice yields increase by an average of 20 percent, farmers use one-third less fertilizer, and nutrient losses to air and water drop by half.

Based on this success, IFDC’s focus now extends beyond rice production to fruit, vegetable and maize crops. Vegetable cultivation in Bangladesh heavily features women as producers.  In 2013, IFDC partnered with the Walmart Foundation to bring best farm management practices, including FDP technology, to 40,000 Bangladeshi women farmers. The goal is to empower women to grow and market more nutritious, high-value vegetables and fruits. This crop diversification provides variety for primarily rice-based diets, which inherently lack balanced nutrients necessary for human health.

Income increases for women farmers utilizing FDP in vegetable crops have averaged U.S. $202 per farm per season to date. Empowering women not only boosts family income but also promotes ground-level nutrition by increasing the amount of healthy food available for home consumption. The project also is developing a private sector, women-led supply system to ensure an adequate supply of FDP briquettes.

Namita, a project trainee from Jessore Sadar, says “The knowledge I gained from the training on FDP technology and nutrition has allowed me to farm vegetables in a new and effective way. I have transformed into a professional vegetable farmer. Now I can help my husband in his business and contribute to my family’s income.” 

Project results are still being collected. It is expected that women empowered through these activities will be positioned for greater involvement in family resource and business decisions, positively impacting family income, nutrition and child health and education.

Dear Colleagues,

As our consultation period draws to a close, we take this opportunity to thank you for your fantastic contributions to this important debate.  We are delighted that we’ve engendered such a tremendous response and very grateful to you all for taking the time to share your thoughts and experiences.

There is clearly a lot of knowledge already in this field, and there are also many innovations in agriculture and the food system more broadly, which have been tested and proposed for further research.  We are grateful for your willingness to share your ideas with us in such a collegiate manner.  We will aim to draw together the general themes and specific ideas generated by the consultation in a single document in the next few weeks so please do keep an eye on the forum page.

Moving forward, the Leveraging Agriculture for Nutrition in South Asia (LANSA) programme plans to launch a Call for Research under its second Responsive Window in July 2015.  We hope to attract research proposals seeking to conduct high quality formative and feasibility research on ‘Innovations in Agriculture for Nutrition’ in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.  We shall use your ideas to shape the Call for Proposals.

We hope that the research funded by LANSA will generate sufficient evidence to support the future scale-up and formal testing of innovations to improve nutrition and food security in the Region.  Please do consider this opportunity and share it with your colleagues when it is announced.

Finally, we thank you again for your support and contributions to this consultation.  It has been an extremely rewarding and refreshing process.

With very best wishes,

Prof. M S Swaminathan

Dr. Alan Dangour

I have read with a lot of interest the different contributions, learnt a lot and had the pleasure to come across old friends. But I wonder if innovation in agriculture (instead of a food system approach) was not too narrow an entry point. We must move beyond the classical supply-driven value chain/commodity approach and revisit production systems from the demand side; re-localize development efforts, support family agriculture and aim for resilient food systems which make the best of existing resources (including indigenous knowledge).

Local government – and in  an increasingly urbanized world, cities – should take the lead and engage in sustainable territorial planning in consultation with all relevant actors,  aiming at food security and environmental sustainability in both rural and urban areas, while protecting and creating decent jobs and fulfilling human rights. Economics are important but there are only one dimension; health staff, sociologists, agronomists, environmentalists and economists must join forces to address complexity and learn together from existing practice.

Food-based nutrition education (in particular cooking demonstrations) can lead to changes in household food production. The promotion of sustainable diets constitutes the logical entry point and goal for sustainable food systems and a long-term solution to malnutrition.

Show us the way!

It is great to hear so many stories of improved agriculture, improved strains, better seeds and biofortification.  What concerns me is that we are not talking enough about the pathways from agriculture to better nutrition.  It is not at all clear that increased productivity, greater income, improved quality or variety of food production necessarily result in improvements in diet and health.  We need to know and show why and how this happens or does not happen. 

There has been some mention in this forum discussion of promising avenues for converting greater availability into better dietary practice:  for example behaviour change approaches, nutrition education, involving women, enabling people to make their own decisions and hands-on home-linked school education.  We need to do much much more in these areas, and integrate it better with the food security initiatives it supplements and catalyses. 

We also need to test what we do, making sure that these approaches get their own impact evaluation, quite distinct from agricultural/horticultural outputs and availability, so that we can show what mix of actions can best influence dietary change and make it last.

We are not alone.  The major players in the fields of agriculture and nutrition have not yet sorted out the answers to the how question.  What is very positive is that the challenge has been proclaimed, not least by this forum, and that we are beginning to try to meet it.

Jane Sherman, Nutrition Education Consultant, FAO, Rome

G.N.V. Brahmam

India

There is nothing new, in the approach of home gardening & Social marketing in alleviating malnutrition, especially MNDs like VAD. But the fact is, its current application in the community is rather sub-optima. In order to emphasise the need, I am herewith attaching two publications (though pretty old), which are based on excellent work carried out by my colleagues, decades ago.

Dr. G.N.V. Brahmam, M.B.,B.S., D.P.H.