The document discusses the connection between agrobiodiversity and nutrition, highlighting the importance of traditional and lesser-known foods for dietary diversity across various indigenous groups. It outlines methodologies for assessing local food systems, dietary patterns, and nutritional status, while emphasizing the significance of using local resources in promoting health. Various indicators and assessment techniques are proposed to document and analyze food availability, consumption patterns, and nutritional intake.

1. ANNEX E:
Approaches for linking biodiversity and nutrition
Teresa Borelli
Bioversity International

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4. Importance of agrobiodiversity
Nutrition
& Health
Dietary
Diversity
Biodiversity
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5. Importance of traditional foods
• NUS
• Wild foods
• Lesser known grains
• Green leafy vegetables
• Tubers
• Crop wild relatives
• Forest fruits
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6. Contribution of traditional foods and no. of
species/varieties to dietary energy
Indigenous groups Energy % No. of
species/varieties
Awajun (Peru) 93 223
Bhil (India) 59 95
Dalit (India) 43 329
Gwich’in (Canada) 33 50
Igbo (Nigeria) 96 220
Ingano (Colombia) 47 160
Inuit (Canada) 41 79
Karen (Thailand) 85* 387
Maasai (Kenya) 6 35
Nuxalk (Canada) 30* 67
Pohnpei (FSM) 27 381
Adapted from: Indigenous Peoples’ Food Systems, FAO/CINE, 2009
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7. Example of field work and project activities
1. Survey on traditional food system
• Literature survey
• In-depth interviews
• Informal focus group discussions
2. Market and agroforestry survey
• Markets surveyed
• Agroforestry study interviews
3. Photographic documentation
4. Health study – Anthropometric data
5. Dietary assessment
• 24-hour recalls, food frequency questionnaires, DDS, FVS
6. Survey of factors relating to nutrition/health behaviours and issues
7. Food sample collection for analysis and identification
Adapted from: Indigenous Peoples’ Food Systems,
FAO/CINE, 2009
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8. Documenting the food system
Key informant Focus Group
interviews Discussions
Agroecosystem Assess local AgBD
analysis and food cultures
• Map of infrastructures • Document species
and community • Typical foods/recipes
resources • Harvesting and
• Habitat where foods processing
are found techniques
• Market flows of goods • Gender preference
• Seasonality of Ag and food allocation in
products and market the home
values
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9. 1. Developing the macro-perspective –
documenting the cultural food system
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10. How to collect agrobiodiversity data
Scientific name Common Local Parts Seasonality Marketed Source
name name used
Starchy staples
1 Alocasia macrorrhiza Alocasia ohd Corm no no Wild
Taro
2 Artocarpus altilis (15 Breadfruit mahi Fruit, nut yes yes Cultivated
var.)
Fruits and nuts
3 Annona muricata Soursop sei Fruit yes yes Wild
4 Ficus tinctoria Native fig nin Berry yes no Wild
Fish
5 Acantocybium solandri Wahoo ahi - no yes Wild
6 Etelis corucans Onaga lol - no yes Wild
Adapted from: Indigenous Peoples’ Food Systems, FAO/CINE, 2009
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11. Methodologies
1. Developing the macro-perspective
Document local farming systems
Indicators and expected outputs
Indicator/s used Expected output Use of output
Soil sampling elevation, Classified farming system Crop and livestock change
GPS coords, cropping can be tailored to the
system, water availability agroecological environment
Farming system, settlement Summary of community Targeting production
map indicating resources, agroecology potentials by understanding
community visualization of how access to resources
production, consumption, and where barriers exist in
market flows market flow
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12. Methodologies
2. Assess household dietary patterns
Document ethnofood culture and local food diversity
Indicators and expected outputs
Indicator/s used Expected output Use of output
24 hour recalls, FVS, DDS Description of food
availability and dietary
assessment at household
level Used to describe overall
food security at the
Documenting food culture Description of utilization of
household and local level
and eating patterns, taboos food resources
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13. Methodologies
3. Assessing household nutritional status
Anthropometric data collection
Indicators and expected outputs
Indicator/s used Expected output Use of output
Weight for age/ height for % of underweight or Indicates over- or
age/weight and height overweight/wasting and undernutrition
stunting
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14. Nutritional/dietary indicators
ENERGY INTAKE measured by:
• % of energy derived from local foods
• Kcal from one serving of local food
• Mean total daily energy intake
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15. Nutritional/dietary indicators
MICRONUTRIENT INTAKE measured by:
• No. of fruits needed to reach recommended intakes
• Micronutrient intake in days with traditional foods
• FVS/DDS/nutritional and mean adequacy ratio
• Traditional food diversity scores
• Vitamin intakes using local foods
• % of RDA provided by local foods
• % of daily micronutrient requirement provided by
local meal
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16. Nutritional/dietary indicators
DIETARY DIVERSITY (DD) measured by:
• No. of food species, varieties/breeds and wild foods
present in local diets
• Dietary diversity scores (DDS)
• % contribution of AgBD to dietary diversity
• No. of local edible plants/dishes based on these
• Traditional food variety scores (FVS)
• No. of food items/meal
• Micro- and macro-nutrient intakes
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17. Thank you!
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