Presentation by Anna Lartey Professor of Nutrition. Anna Lartey (PhD UC Davis); Sc.D. (h.c.McGill University) Professor of Nutrition, Past President of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS 2013-2017) at Webinar of 20 May 2021. Traditional and Indigenous Foods for Food Systems Transformation in Africa

1. Traditional and Indigenous foods for Food
systems transformation
African Nutrition Society (ANS) and IUNS Task Force on
Traditional Indigenous Food Systems Dialogue
29 May 2021
Anna Lartey
Professor of Nutrition

2. Outline
• What is meant by Food systems?
• Food systems challenges and consequences for our
Health
• How traditional and Indigeous foods can
contribute to Africa’s Food system transformation

3. Links between diet quality and food systems
(source: Global Panel,2016)

4. Failures in current Food systems
• Globally 690 million people go to bed hungry, despite
producing enough food;
• Healthy diets is not affordable to 3 billion people ,
globally;
• Food systems do not yield equitable benefits (farmers
are the poorest in many developing countries);
• Food Systems are not sustainable- produces about
29% of the global GHGes, uncontrolled depletion of
natural resources (land, water, energy, loss of agri-
biodiversity)

5. Very little diversity in the way we eat now

6. Reported threats associated with Biodiversity by region
Source: FAO 2019-The State of the World’s Biodiversity for
Food and Agriculture

7. Miracle berry (Synsepalum
dulcificum) (Taami)
• African native shrub
• Pulp has extraordinary
sweet effect (“miraculin” a
sweetening glycoprotein);
• Every sour or acidic food
eaten after eating the fruit
tastes very sweet;
• Used as reliable alternative
to sugar

8. More than 3 billion people in the world cannot afford a healthy diet
Average percentage of the population who could not afford a healthy diet in 2017

9. COVID-19 Disruptions amplifies gaps in food systems
Disruptions and its impact:
Increased Poverty-→ WB globally an additional 88-118 million would moved
into extreme poverty
Loss of livelihoods: ILO: At lease 345 million affected in 2020
Increased food insecurity → WFP: 370 million children without school meals
3 billion who cannot afford a healthy diets,
number to rise by 267.6 million by 2022
Increased malnutrition → STfN: additional:
9.3 million wasted children <5;
2.6 million stunted children;
2.1 million maternal anemia

10. Source: IFPRI 2021- Transforming Food Systems After COVID-19
Food Systems
Transformation Goals
Healthy to humans: Delivers on healthy diets
for all
Resilient to shocks- pandemic, economic,
climate change
Inclusive/Equitable: inequities of small holder
farmers, women, etc and providing descent
livelihoods
Sustainable: Healthy to the planet, protective
of natural resources and biodiversity
Efficient: Delivers efficiently along the food
value chain, reducing FLW

11. How Indigenous foods contribute to the Healthy Diets?
• 100% access to adequate food all year round -
Forest foods can be relied upon year-round to improve
diet quality due to the varieties of that are drought resistant.
• Important source of nutrients-
For many rural households, forest foods (esp animal
sources) provide the main source of proteins and
bioavailable micronutrients
• Food systems are sustainable-
If we manage our forests (reduce deforestation and over-
exploitation) rural households will continue to enjoy the
nutritional benefits of forest foods
• small holder productivity and income- important source of
income for households.

12. Ref: Rasolofoson et. al. Sci Adv 2018,4:1-9
Compiled data on children’s diets in 43,000 households across 27
countries to examine the impact of forests on dietary diversity
Findings:
• Greater exposure to forests on average has positive effects on
children’s dietary diversity in developing countries;
• Forests could help reduce vitamin A and iron deficiencies;
• Forest conservation and management could have a role in the
portfolio of interventions targeted to fight micronutrient
interventions.

13. Looking for Healthy Diet? Go to Africa!
A 2015 study published by The Lancet
Global Health journal looked at the
consumption of food (both healthy
and unhealthy items) in 187 countries
in 1990 and in 2010. The aim was to
determine which countries had the
world’s healthiest diets.
…of the ten countries with the
healthiest diets on earth, nine of
them are in Africa.
What’s more, the three countries with
the very best diets are some of the
world’s poorest. Source: Imamura et al, 2015

14. • Track 1 Ensure access to safe and
nutritious foods for all
• Track 2 Shift to sustainable
consumption patterns
• Track 3 Boost nature-positive
production
• Track 4 Advance equitable
livelihoods
• Track 5 Build resilience to
vulnerable shocks and pandemics
• Important source of nutrients (proteins
and micronutrients)
• Need policies to protect indigenous
foods; incorporate in FBDG, polices
• Use of agroecological farming practices
enhance sustainability
• Important source of income for
households e.g smallholder farmers
• Breeding for varieties that are drought-
resistant; Short Value chains is
protective agains shocks as seen in
COVID-19
How Traditional and Indigenous foods can contribute
to the 5 tracks for Food systems transformation

15. Guidelines for mainstreaming Biodiversity into policies, programmes
and National and Regional Plans of Action on Nutrition (FAO 2015)
• Implementation:
Integrate Biodiversity for food and agriculture into
nutrition policies, programmes and action plans
• Awareness:
Increase awareness of general public and other
stakeholders of importance of biodiversity in
addressing all forms of malnutrition
• Research:
Increase knowledge of the benefits of using different
varieties, cultivars and breeds of plant and animals;
Analysis of the nutritional composition of the foods

16. Efforts to bring neglected African crops back to the
dinner table: African Orphan Crop Consortium (AOCC)

17. AOCC approved the African Union
Assembly in 2014
Identified 101 neglected crops
native to Africa that can support
healthy diets and improve farmers
income
AOCC Goal: To sequence, assemble
the genomes of 101 traditional
neglected African crops to enable
scientists to efficiently improve the
crops in nutritional quality,
productivity and climate resilient

18. Conclusion:
African is endowed with a great diversity of
food and animal foods;
COVID-19 offers opportunity to transform
our food systems
Promoting Traditional and indigenous foods
can be to the game changing solutions called
for by the Food Systems Summit.
Traditional and Indigenous food promotion
addresses all five tracks at a go!!