Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum)

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Prof. Vijaya Khader

Member since
Organization: Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University
Country: India
Field(s) of expertise:
I am working on:

My field of expertise: Food Security; Nutrition Security; Health Security; livelihood Security; Food Science & Technology, and Women Empowerment.

My positions: Former Dean, Acharya N G R A University, Hyderabad & Former Principal Investigator, Food Technology, e-PG Pathshala, Former Chairperson, Task Force Committee on Bio-Technology Based Programs for Women. Member Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World EC Member, Indian Woman Scientist Association (IWSA)

Prof. (Mrs.) Vijaya Khader, Former Dean, Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University has been actively engaged in nutrition research and teaching for over thirty three years. Received M.Sc from S.V University with Mary Clark Memorial Scholarship from Canada, PhD & Post Doctoral Fellow from CFTRI, Mysore as a CSIR Fellow. Worked as First Principal at College of Home Science, Bapatla for 11 years and also for one year at college of Home Science, Hyderabad. Headed the Department of Foods and Nutrition, PGRC, Rajender Nagar as the Director, Center of Advanced Studies in the field of Foods and Nutrition, which is the only one in the country.  Instrumental in starting Inter-faculty P.G. Program in Food Science and Technology and worked as a Program Director.  Completed 22 independent research projects on Socio Economic empowerment of rural, Farm, Fisher & Tribal Women. Received two patents Low-cost ice Cream Freezer & Fresh Fish Vending & Display table. Licensed the technology twice. The impact of research on Women Empowerment, Product Development, and transfer of technology for livelihood security reduced malnutrition in adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers, benefited the society at a large.

 Written 4 university level text books receiving Royalty till date.  Also worked as Dean P.G Studies, Director of Extension and Dean of Student affairs. Visited four universities in U.S.A.; Four universities in U.K.; Seoul; Malaysia; Singapore; Egypt; Netherlands; Italy; Beijing; Kunming; Shanghai; Australia; Bangladesh; Taiwan; Cairo; Kuala Lumpur; Kandy (Sri Lanka) and Bangkok (Thailand).

 

Received State Best Teacher Award; Appreciation Certificate from ICAR; Women of the year; Fellow of Association of Food Scientists and Technologists, (AFSTI); Fellow of Society for Promotion of Oil Palm Research & Development (SOPOPRAD) for the year 2022. Outstanding Woman Professional Award from FICCI; Eminent Women Scientist Award from WISE India ;3rd Dr. Rajammal P. Devadas   Memorial award; Women Leadership in Science & Technology from Vigynan Prasar Department of Science & Technology and Oration Lecture award from Home Science Association of India. Served as Member Board of Management of A.N.G.R.A.U. highest body of the University. Involved in developing portal on Rice in Human Nutrition namely http://www.rkmp.co.in/general-domain/rice-in-human-nutritio. Work on fisher women posted on the global website, http://genderaquafish.org, run by the Asian Fisheries Society. Chair Person of the Task Force Committee on Biotechnology based program for Women for a period of 3 years (2014-2017). Principal Investigator for ICT enabled Higher Education at National level on production of course ware –e-Content for P.G.   Food Technology by National Mission for Education & Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. Of India (2012-2019). Co-Chair of the Agriculture, Food Processing & Rural Development of The Federation of Telangana Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Executive Board Member of Women in Science and Engineering, member of INWES a Canada based international network. E.C. member of Indian Women Scientist Association (IWSA).  Full Member Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) since 2006. Technical expert for the online review of Biotechnology ignited Grant proposals received from startups and entrepreneurs for early-stage funding through BIG, BIRAC. Participated in nine sessions Tutor briefing workshop on the ENACT professional course on nutrition education organized by FAO. Technical Expert for National program on Climate Change and Human Health to strengthening of certain climate sensitive health areas like nutrition and food security in the country. Fellow of Society for Promotion of Oil Palm Research & Development (SOPOPRAD) for the year 2022

Website: www.vijayakhader.in

This member contributed to:

    •        Sustainable Innovative Food Technologies, Agribusiness to develop new products supported by Industry, Experts, which lead development. Any Franchise aspirant with entrepreneurial spirit, Reconstruction of Rural India by redefining the rural Education System. Education & Health sectors have become Industry now. Innovation, Invention and Integration to discuss the Challenges and opportunities. Promote Government Policies, Networking opportunities to transformation of ingredients produced by farmers into value added food products using state of the art equipment and new technology. Connect potential inventers and partners, Exploring the sustainable solutions. Conduct trainings and awareness campaigns on the impact of climate change to food security, nutrition and human health. Children and youth are not only victims of climate change, they are also valuable contributors to climate action in the context of adaptation and resilience. They are agents of change, entrepreneurship and innovations. A climate safe future is with the youth and children.

       

          Food systems governance can be considered as a value itself for sustainable diets, as implies a way of designing the “architecture” needed to achieve its goals. This means that food governance allows, among other things, an appropriate environment for food systems to transform in order to perform in a sustainable way. Sustainable diets need a context specific approach in terms of the socio-cultural characteristics at different levels, food governance represents a value that can help achieving its objectives focusing on a national/regional scale, meaning local structures of food governance to improve the access to sustainable diets.

       

           How food governance and sustainable diets are related, especially since food governance plays a role in supporting the socio-cultural dimension of sustainable diets. This highlights the question regarding how power is managed by different institutions immersed in food systems and the importance of focusing our attention not only in national/regional levels of governance, but also in how local levels organize their knowledge management and decision-making processes to improve the access to sustainable diets. Considering the above, that future research should be focused on continue exploring the value food governance represents for sustainable diets and how the process of governing agriculture can contribute to understand that sector beyond food production for commercialization and visualize new opportunities as a relevant actor both in health and environmental sectors.

       

      The following priorities are indispensable for enabling effective collective action for agri-food systems governance and transformation:

      1.  A new Compact for the Earth – A set of shared, transversal principles, standards and objectives that define a comprehensive approach to restoring and sustaining biodiversity and natural resources, essential ecosystem services, and climate stability while ensuring equitable access to healthy diets for everyone, and reducing poverty and inequality in agri-food systems.
      2. A strengthened Science-Policy Interface for Sustainable Development of Agri-food Systems –Providing universal access to the essential data and analytical methods required to mainstream resilience and sustainability science, promoting accurate and consistent accounting for the impacts of human activities and interventions ,supporting development of science- and evidence based models to guide collective decision-making and inform individual behaviour, and ensuring independent, comprehensive assessment of outcomes across all three pillars of sustainable development.
      3. Reinvestment in the Technical and Scientific Capacities and Infrastructure of UN Institutions – In a largely marketized global economy for food and agriculture products and services, upon which nearly every human depends for sustenance and nutrition, and for livelihoods and incomes, United Nations institutions represent the core accountable infrastructure of global governance for sustainable development of agri-food systems. The global economy is far larger than it was at the time of the founding of the United Nations, and the urgency for effective collective action to protect our planet is greater than ever. Improving Market Functioning, Promoting Fairness and Reducing Inequality – markets at all levels –global, regional, national and subnational – play a decisive and necessary role in the allocation of resources, incomes and investments in agri-food systems, but agri-food systems are generally characterized by some of the most extreme concentrations of economic power and inequality.
      See the attachments:

    • As the global Agri- food systems face challenges to feed an ever-growing global population, resilient cereals like millets provide an affordable and nutrious option. The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring 2023 as the international year of millets. The resolution considers the urgent need to raise awareness of millet’s climate- resilient and nutritional benefits. Millets can play an important role in the livelihood of the masses and contribute to the collective efforts of empowering small land holding farmers, achieving sustainable development, eliminating hunger, adapting to climate change, promoting bio- diversity and transforming agri-food systems.

       To ensure the good quality of raw material, big data comes into play. Helps in increasing the yield of the crop, optimal management strategies for getting the best crop and livestock production under a variety of environmental situations. Throughout the food supply chain from farm to fork, almost a third of the food for human consumption is lost or wasted. With the arrival of social media, the availability of consumer preferences likes and dislikes increased. Apps like Snapchat and Instagram acts as status projecting flatforms for people.

      The waste streams from the food sector may be turned into value added functional ingredients, a significant benefit of employing biopolymers to manufacture packaging materials that decreases waste, promote sustainability and improve economic viability. Many of these biproducts are high in polysaccharides, proteins, lipids and other functional components such as antimicrobials, antioxidants and pigments serve as a good source of value-added ingredients.

      The Argo economics development philosophy must evolve to allow for the coexistence of conventional and alternative agriculture, with the goal of equalising the opportunity. Mini scale processing and utilisation of food products through a short supply chain actually help the small producers balance their resilience over the competition from bulk producer.Balancing the demand and supply is the challenge

    • Policies, investments and programmes related to agriculture and food systems can play a strong role in preventing and reducing malnutrition, provided that they are conceived in a nutrition-sensitive way. Being nutrition-sensitive means incorporating nutrition objectives, concerns and considerations to enable communities to achieve food and nutrition security - avoiding negative impacts on nutrition. Food production; food processing and storage; food trade and marketing; consumer demand, food preparation and preferences reduces the inequalities for food security and nutrition.

      Food production encompasses a range of activities - and relevant actors - including rural and urban crop production; livestock rearing at small, medium and large scale; fisheries; and forestry reduces the inequalities for food security and nutrition.

       Food production also requires managing the underpinning natural resource base (land, water, soil, plants seeds, animal breeds etc.) and supporting infrastructures. Food production is critical for sustaining rural livelihoods and shaping - positively or negatively - natural environments and landscapes.

      See the attachments: