Sustainable Farming Systems for Food and Nutrition Security

Naveen introduces the Multi Sector Nutrition Plan (MSNP), which is being developed in Nepal. UNICEF, as lead agency of the plan, supports the establishment of links between agriculture interventions, the environment and nutritional outcomes.

Regarding challenges faced by smallholders, he mentions issues such as climate change, land tenure and urbanization and suggests sustainable farming in the field of herbal medicine as a potential area for growth for smallholders.

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Anil states that the documentation of the impact of farming system on environmental and human health is often lacking and proposes the application of a life-cycle approach to study the effect, in particular on biodiversity, water and climate. He then presents the work done by the MSSRF in India in understanding the impacts of food production on the environment, especially on water, carbon and biodiversity. 

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Pierrette addresses the fourth discussion question on what is needed to increase agricultural resilience to environmental stressors. She argues that due to, among others, adverse environmental conditions, some areas are dependent on food produced by other countries. The organization she works for aims to train the local population and raise the awareness of the value of agriculture and the importance of growing food to meet the needs of other countries. 

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Suresh argues that one of the problems in linking research and policy in the context of sustainable agricultural systems, is the fact that there is confusion on the terminology: some people talk about “farming system”, others talk about “agricultural system” or “food systems”. He suggests to select one of these concepts, and then to define “sustainable farming system”. In addition, he stresses the fact that the question of how resilience can be increased is rather context-specific, as it depends on the nature of shocks and the aspect of food security it affects.  

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Sabine introduces us to the Food and Agricultural Approaches to Reducing Malnutrition program carried out by the University of Heidelberg with funding by the German Ministry of Education and Research. The program works with small-scale farmers in Sylhet, Bangladesh, training them in vegetable gardening, poultry rearing and marketing, as well as nutrition, child care and hygiene.

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Deepak discusses the work of the organization he is working for, which is looking at existing farming practices from an environmental point of view, while linking them with the SDGs. The findings stress that an increase in food and agricultural diversity is important for building the resilience of small and marginal farmers to environmental stressors.

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Swaran is working on the social and environmental dynamics of cereal cultivation in Maharashtra, India, where malnutrition is widespread. The research focuses on the perception of millets (which are part of the daily diet in the area) by the local people, disparities between their production and consumption, its resource footprint, and pathways linking it with wellbeing (economic and health status).

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Abdourmihou stresses the positive environmental impacts of Zai, a farming technique which promotes carbon sequestration.

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