Global Forum on Food Security and NutritionA global knowledge sharing network facilitated by
the Agricultural Development Economics Division of FAO

Communities use knowledge that is passed from generation to generation to prepare their food. Each teqnique and has its very peculiar implications on the socio-economic dynamics of a typical rural household. Can we consider indigenous methods of food preparation as a viable means for achieving food security and nutrition in rural poor communities?

A large percentage of word poverty is rural, largely directly or indirectly associated with smallholder farming. Smallholder farmers produce most of the food consumed locally, and food security at a world scale thus importantly depends on the investments made by external actors and by the smallholders themselves in their agricultural production. What are the constraints that limit these investments and what can be done to encourage investments in smallholder agriculture.

Social protection has risen rapidly up the development policy agenda in the last decade. Although increasingly dominated by conditional and unconditional cash transfer programmes, the wide range of instruments that aim to alleviate poverty and manage livelihood risks often have direct, intended implications for food security.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) commissioned study "Global Food Losses and Food Waste" roughly one third or 1.3 billion tons of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year gets lost or wasted.

Agriculture and food systems face the challenge of meeting the growing demand for more and higher quality food, but also of doing so in a way that is sustainable, equitable and meets the nutritional needs and preferences of consumers. How should we move ahead to make sure that agriculture and food systems are up to this task?