Prabhu Pingali, Katie Ricketts, and David Sahn present at the 2013 FAO/WHO International Conference on Nutrition Preparatory Technical Meeting in November 2013.

1. Agricultural Pathways to
Improved Nutrition
Joint FAO/WHO International Conference on Nutrition
Preparatory Technical Meeting, 13-15 November 2013
FAO Headquarters, Rome, Italy
Prabhu Pingali
Professor of Applied
Economics
& Director, Tata-Cornell
Initiative for Agriculture
& Nutrition, Cornell
University
Katie Ricketts
Research Associate, TataCornell Initiative for
Agriculture and Nutrition,
Cornell University
David Sahn
International Professor of
Economics in the Division of
Nutritional Sciences &
Department of Economics,
Cornell University
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Image: Alina Paul-Bossuet

2. Nutrition-Agriculture Pathways
Household food access (quality, quantity and diversity)
• Raising incomes
• Ensuring market availability of low-cost nutritious food
• Dietary diversity
Meeting individual dietary needs and ensuring nutrient
absorption/utilization
• Food choice and intra-household allocation
• Good health and prevent infection
Also, look at reverse causality, between health and
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nutrition, and agricultural productivity.

3. Malnutrition is multidimensional
Focus on women and girls during childbearing years, and
infants/young children:
First 1,000 days from conception to 2 years old
• in utero: prenatal care; nutrient/prenatal supplements;
• ~ 6 months: promote exclusive breastfeeding
• 6 -12 months: weaning; public health measures
– water and sanitation; primary health care to avoid infection-nutrition
interaction (e.g., bed nets, immunization, ORT)
– education, women’s empowerment, and basic nutrition messaging
– safety nets and cash and conditional transfers??
• low income elasticity of nutrition outcomes
• possibly greater effect with conditionality, e.g., health care
Overall, limited direct role of food systems -- largely through increased wealth,
incomes and education
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4. …as well as other nutrition problems
• Micronutrient deficiency
• Nutrition and cognition
• Emerging epidemic of chronic disease
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5. A FRAMEWORK FOR CONSIDERING POLICIES THAT LINK FOOD SYSTEMS
AND AGRICULTURE TO NUTRITION OUTCOMES
Food system
classification
Characteristics
Small-scale and
subsistence systems
•
•
•
•
Little to no Green Revolution gains
Low per capita income
Low agricultural productivity
High malnutrition
Intensive cereal crops
systems
•
•
•
•
•
Green Revolution gains
Low-medium per capita income
Moderate agricultural productivity
Persistent malnutrition
Often poor market linkages
Commercial/export
systems
• Medium-high per capita income
• Higher opportunity for agricultural productivity
• High levels of nutritional inequality and coexistance of
undernutrition and overnutrition
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6. SUBSISTENCE SYSTEMS
Much of Africa and other regions that missed out on the productivity,
income, and food supply growth of the Green Revolution.
Characteristics
Productivity
Food value chains
•
•
•
•
•
•
LITTLE TO NO GREEN
REVOLUTION GAINS
LOW PER CAPITA INCOME
LOW AGRICULTURAL
PRODUCTIVITY
HIGH MALNUTRITION
•
•
•
•
•
FOCUS ON NEGLECTED
STAPLES AND TRADITIONAL
CROPS: RESEARCH, EXTENSION
AND INPUTS
TRADITIONAL AND NONTRADITIONAL CROPS
CULTIVATED BY WOMEN
PROMOTION OF KITCHEN
GARDENS, BACKYARD
LIVESTOCK
ACCESS TO LAND AND
PROPERTY RIGHTS
BIOFORTIFICATION
CONDITIONAL FOOD/CASH
TRANSFER PROGRAMS
•
•
UPGRADING TRADITIONAL
MARKETS
SMALL SCALE POST-HARVEST
STORAGE AND PROCESSING
IMPROVING FOOD SAFETY
AND QUALITY
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7. INTENSIVE CEREAL CROP SYSTEMS
Much of Asia and Latin America that experienced the productivity gains of the Green
Revolution suffer from sustained poverty, malnutrition, poor market linkages, and lack
of dietary and production diversity.
Characteristics
Productivity
Food value chains
•
•
•
•
•
•
GREEN REVOLUTION GAINS
LOW-MEDIUM PER CAPITA
INCOME
MODERATE AGRICULTURAL
PRODUCTIVITY
PERSISTENT
MALNUTRITION
•
•
•
•
LABOR SAVINGS TECHNOLOGIES FOR
WOMEN
FOCUS ON ACCESS TO INPUTS,
INCLDING WATER AND FERTILIZER
INFORMATION AND EXTENSION
SYSTEMS..
FINANCIAL SERVICES
SUSTAINED CROP PRODUCTIVITY
GROWTH AND DIVERSIFICATION
TOWARDS MICRONUTRIENT RICH
FOODS.
•
•
•
CONNECTING SMALLHOLDER
FARMERS TO GLOBAL
/DOMESTIC RETAIL CHAINS.
EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN
IN CASH AND COMMERCIAL
CROP SALES
DEVELOPMENT OF
COOPERATIVES
EXPAND OPPORTUNITIES FOR
FOOD PROCESSING AND
FORWARD LINKAGES IN FOOD
SYSTEM TO CREATE
EMPLOYMENT OFF FARM
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8. COMMERCIAL/EXPORT-ORIENTED
COMMERCIAL/EXPORT-ORIENTED SYSTEMS
High-growth export-driven countries Latin America
SYSTEMS still need supportintransitioning to and Asia that have
specializing farmers
agriculture as a
global/domestic business.
Characteristics
Productivity
Food value chains
•
•
•
•
•
MEDIUM-HIGH PER CAPITA
INCOME
STILL LARGE OPPORTUNITY
FOR PRODUCTIVITY GAINS
NUTRITION INEQUALITY
(UNDER-NUTRITION AND
EMERGING EPIDEMIC OF
CHRONIC DISEASE)
•
•
•
•
GREATER ATTENTION TO
SUSTAINABILITY AND
ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION
FINANCIAL SERVICES
INPUT MARKETS AND
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
DIVERSITY INTO HIGH VALUE
ADDED CROPS
AGRIBUSINESS
DEVELOPMENT
•
•
•
•
INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS
AND REGULATORY SYSTEMS FOR
SMALLHOLDER INTEGRATION
INTO FOOD VALUE CHAINS.
STRENGTHENING OF PUBLICPRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS TO
ENCOURAGE GENERAL RURAL
INVESTMENT,
FORTIFIED FOOD PRODUCTS
IMPROVED REGULATORY
ENVIRONMENT FOR FOOD SAFETY
FOCUS ON SECTOR BEING THE
SOURCE OF FOOD AS A SOURCE
OF MODERATELY PRICED WAGE
GOODS FOR GROWING URBAN
MANUFACTURING AND
INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT
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9. Role of Health and Nutrition in
Agricultural Development
• For poorest populations in Africa and South Asia
• Health and well-being in rural areas lag far behind urban areas
• Productivity effects more serious where physical labor critical input
• Women are particularly vulnerable
- Employment patterns:
- women play a predominant role in the production of food crops ;
especially in Africa.
- Biological vulnerabilities:
- women have special vulnerabilities related to reproductive health
and they are adversely affected by health and nutrition risks.
- Life responsibilities:
- women have a set of unique responsibilities in the home,
particularly in terms of the care of children.
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10. Questions?
Thank you!
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