Leveraging Agriculture to Improve Nutrition

Leveraging Agriculture to Improve Nutrition: Challenges and Opportunities
Shenggen FanDirector General
International Food Policy Research Institute
SFNCC International Conference on Food and Nutrition, Beijing, Sept. 10, 2011

Key Messages
Global nutrition faces many challenges.
2. Agriculture presents a key opportunity for improving nutrition.
3. Agenda for nutrition security must take advantage of the linkages between sectors.

Global hunger remains unacceptably high
Number of undernourished (1969-71 to 2010)
Source: FAO 2010

Asia has more than half of world’s hungry
Undernourishment in 2010, by region (in millions)
Source: FAO 2010

Two billion+ suffer from micronutrient deficiencies
Iron deficiency anemia
Africa and South Asia have the highest prevalence.
In some parts of India, 90 percent of girls suffer from this deficiency.
Vitamin A deficiency
163 million are vitamin A deficient in developing countries.
44.4 percent of children in South Asia alone suffer from this deficiency.
Iodine deficiency
1.7 billion people worldwide are affected by iodine deficiency, and 1.3 billion of them are in Asia.
Source: UNSCN 6th Report & Bharati et al 2009

Agriculture: Opportunity to improve nutrition

Economic growth has significant impacts on nutrition
Projected reduction in child malnutrition rate with 2.5% annual growth in income per capita (1990s-2015)
Source: Haddad et al. 2003

Growth impacts depend on country’s economic status
Proportion of undernourished (% of population)
Annual GDP per capita (constant 2000 US$)
Source: Ecker et al. 2010
Note: Nonlinear relationship between growth and nutrition

Agricultural growth is crucial for nutrition in developing countries
Proportion of undernourished (% of population)
Annual agriculture value added per worker (constant 2000 US$)
Source: Ecker et al. 2010

Agriculture-led growth is more pro-nutrition than non-agriculture-led growth
Note: Relationship exists in the long-term but not short-term
Source: Headey. 2010

(Sub)Sectoral growth patterns and conditional factors matter
Agriculture is often considered as homogenous -> diversity of subsectors is ignored
Same growth rate could lead to different nutritional outcomes due to diverse growth patterns and conditional factors,including:
Smallholders vs. large farms
Staple vs. cash crops
Female- vs. male-led households
Less developed vs. developed regions

Structure of agricultural growth is important for nutrition
Poverty-growth and calorie-growth elasticities, Tanzania (2000-07)
Source: Pauw and Thurlow 2010

Conditional factors are also important (1)
Land distribution
Increase nutrition by providing source of income and supporting capacity to produce own food
China’s relative lack of landlessness and egalitarian land distribution led to positive nutritional outcomes
Women’s status
Low status linked to weak land rights, lower levels of education, and lack of access to credit and technologies
Improved women’s status results in greater nutritional benefit to households (different consumption priorities compared to men)

Conditional factors are also important (2)
Rural infrastructure
Increased income through roads -> better links to markets
Better nutritional outcomes through increased access to health care and sanitation services
Health status
Ill-health impairs individual’s nutritional status (weakened immune system, low nutrient intake and absorption)
Health conditions influence ability to take part in productive activities that generate food/income

Pro-nutrition growth strategies
Multisectoral nutrition often a “political, administrative, and institutional orphan”
Need for national and global accountability mechanisms
Focus on sectoral and subsectoral practices and policies that have large role in enhancing nutrition
Increase demand for and access to nutritious foods along entire value chain
Mitigate health and nutrition risks of agriculture
Expand research to develop nutritious varieties of staple food crops
e.g. Harvest Plus Challenge Program, biofortification

Enhancing nutrition through value chains
Source: Ruel & Hawkes 2011

Biofortificationtoimprovenutrition
Increases vitamin and mineral content of food staples eaten by the poor
Targets rural areas where (1) most poor live as subsistence or smallholder farmers, or landless laborers, and (2) lack access to supplements and fortified food products
Cost-effective strategy that requires
an initial investment but then is available
for farmers year after year
Micronutrients are crucial for
healthy development in young children
Bouis and Islam 2010

Nutrition strategies must be country and context specific
China/Vietnam: Changing importance of policy instruments and investments over time
Initially, agric. growth was sharpest tool due to high poverty
Moved towards more targeted approach with focus on disadvantaged regions/groups
Recent growing challenge of overnutrition and obesity
India: Continued need for improved nutrition through
Higher agric. growth, esp. vegetables, fruits, and dairy
Improved women status and rural infrastructure, including drinking water, rural roads, health clinics, and sanitation
Targeted nutrition interventions and social protection

IFPRI 2020 Vision International Conference
10–12 February 2011 | New Delhi, India

Conference Highlights
1,000 participantsfrom agriculture, health, and nutrition sectors & 65 differentcountries
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India gave inaugural address
150 chairs, speakers, and rapporteurs
30 program and side events
Knowledge fair: rapid-fire presentations, e-posters, videos, discussion groups

Way Forward: The Building Blocks
Fill Knowledge Gaps
Minimize Harm
Create a Cooperative Environment
Scale Up Innovative Solutions

(1) Fill the Knowledge Gaps
Learn how different patterns of agric. growth affect nutrition
More program evaluation to build up a stronger evidence base about impacts of different strategies and scenarios.
Invest in research, evaluation, education systems that are cross-sectoral
Universities should encourage multi-disciplinary approaches
Fill gap in governance knowledge at global, national, and community levels
Maximize synergies using policies, regulations and other tools of governance.
Promote leadership that galvanizes cross-sectoral collaboration.

(2) Do No Harm
Mitigate health risks posed by agriculture along the value chain
Better monitoring and assessment of agric. development to identify health hazards and risks.
Improve production and processing technologies, cost-effective, risk-based technologies that are accessible to small farm holders.
Design health and nutrition interventions that contribute to productivity of agricultural labor
Examples: Home-based gardens, HIV/AIDS interventions
Examine downstream effects of subsidies for production or consumption on consumers’ nutrition and health

(3) Seek Out & Scale Up Innovative Solutions
Scale up successful interventions
Learn from case studies at country and project level
Design agriculture, nutrition and health programs with cross-sectoral benefits
Incorporate nutrition into value chain for food production
Look for opportunities across entire value chain, from food production to post-harvest processing
Use all available levers for change (i.e. economic, social, science and technology, governance)

(4) Create An Environment In Which Cooperation Can Thrive
Focus on cross-sectoral partnerships
Eliminate “jargon,” develop a common language
Develop mutual accountability mechanisms
Encourage transparency and openness, develop clear guidelines for stakeholder responsibility and resource allocation
Correct market failures
Promote policies that recognize true value- both positive and negative- of different foods, health services and ag. practices.
Use communication and advocacy to bring about change

“DO IT, TRY IT, FIX IT”: NEXT STEPS
Accelerate research to better shape programs and policies
Raise awareness and interest through communication strategies
Reach out to potential partners, and build links and networks

Leveraging Agriculture to Improve Nutrition

by Shenggen Fan on Sep 13, 2011

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