Traditional food systems of indigenous peoples are based on local access to a diversity of naturally resilient food plants and animals adapted to the environment. However, these systems are threatened as diets and environments become unsustainable, leading to widespread hunger, malnutrition, and loss of biodiversity. Revitalizing traditional food systems can help address these issues through conserving agro-biodiversity, supporting smallholder farmers, and prioritizing local crops in place of imported processed foods that contribute to poor health outcomes and environmental degradation.

1. Traditional Food Systems of
Indigenous Peoples
Barbara Burlingame, PhD
FAO

2. Definitions
Indigenous peoples (PFII, 2007)
• Self- identification
• Historical continuity with pre-colonial and/or pre-settler societies
• Strong link to territories and surrounding natural resources
• Distinct language, culture and beliefs
• Resolve to maintain and reproduce their ancestral environments and
systems as distinctive peoples and communities
Traditional food systems
• Local access
• Ecosystem service
• Product of traditional knowledge and the natural environment
• Naturally resilient, adapted food plants and animals

3. Issues
•
Diets are not sustainable
– 870 million hungry people
– 2 billion people with micronutrient malnutrition
– 2 billion people overweight and obese
• Environments are not sustainable
– ecosystems degraded
– biodiversity forever lost
•
Food systems are not sustainable
– Deforestation, intensive livestock industries, imports of “popularly
positioned products”, agricultural and industrial chemical
contaminations

4. Distribution of hunger in the world

5. •27.6
•23.7
•18.1
•10
•13.5
•200
•150
•38.2
•190
•138
•100
•30
•39.3
•37.7
•100
•60
•50
•40.3
•Number of stunted (millions)
•48.6
•2
0
•Stunting (%)
•40
•50
Stunting prevalence and number affected in
developing countries
•51
•45
•10
•7
•0
•0
•13
•1990
•2000
•2010
•Source: Department of Nutrition, World Health Organization •AFRICA
•CFS
•Roma, 14th October
2010
•1990
•ASIA
•2000
•2010
•LATIN AMERICA

6. •6
•5.7
•4.9
•4
•4
•20
•14
•13
•13
•7
•4
•4
•4
•4
•0
•2
•3.2
•3.7
•15
•6.9
•10
•6.8
•18
•5
•6.8
•0
•Overweight (%)
•8
•8.5
•Number of overweight (millions)
•10
Overweight prevalence and number affected in
developing countries
•1990
•2000
•2010
•AFRICA
•1990
•ASIA
•2000
•2010
•LATIN AMERICA
•Source: Department of Nutrition, World Health Organization

8. Definition of
Sustainable Diets
Sustainable Diets are those diets with low
environmental impacts which contribute to food and
nutrition security and to healthy life for present and
future generations. Sustainable diets are protective and
respectful of biodiversity and ecosystems, culturally
acceptable, accessible, economically fair and
affordable; nutritionally adequate, safe and healthy;
while optimizing natural and human resources.
Source: FAO, 2010

10. Ingano

11. Ingano forest resources
“Let’s return to our
food, our life and our
tradition. With our
food, we will improve
our health, will recover
our culture, and will
take care of the natural
world. We need our
plants and our jungle
in order to have
strength and to live
better.”
Eva Yela, Ingano community
member

12. Ingano forest resources
“Let’s return to our
food, our life and our
tradition. With our
food, we will improve
our health, will recover
our culture, and will
take care of the natural
world. We need our
plants and our jungle
in order to have
strength and to live
better.”
Eva Yela, Ingano community
member

14. •
Organización de Desarrollo de
Comunidades Fronterizas del Cenepa
(ODECOFROC, Organization for
Development of the Frontier
Communities of
Cenepa)
•
•
•
The Awajun have always lived in equilibrium with
their natural surroundings. Their forests and rivers
are their life-blood and livelihood: “…if the
rainforest disappears, the Awajun disappear”.
The food system was based on more than 200
traditional foods, but the nutritional and health
situation of the Awajun is not optimum.
Studies have found high prevalences of infant and
childhood malnutrition (stunting), and anaemia in
women and children. Reasons for this include
changing ecological, cultural and food systems,
and a high prevalence of infections and parasites.
Through participatory research with the
communities, the project promotef the production
and use of nutritious traditional foods that benefit
the nutrition and health status of the population
and preserve its food culture.

15. Inventory of plants at central nursery

16. Bananas and vitamin A
<5 µg carotenes
>8500 µg carotenes

17. Impact of food biodiversity on
measurements of dietary adequacy
Banana
β-carotene
content in
μg/100 g
Banana intake
in Philippines
in g/cap/d
Vitamin A
intake through
banana in
μg RE/cap/d
%RDI for vitamin
A calculated
for banana
intake
USDA
26
93
4
0.7
Lacatan
360
93
56
9.3
Utin Iap
8510
93
1320
220

18. •The marketing of UPF targets low income families
•in emerging economies by using door-to-door
• vendors recruited in the communities
•and offering products in smaller packages (“more accessible”)
•and “fortified” with micronutrients (“popularly
•positioned products”)

19. •Nestle to Sail Amazon River to Reach
Emerging-Market Consumers
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-06-17

20. •The marketing of ultra-processed products
• promotes compulsive overeating
•New brand of ultra-processed products in Brazil
•
•
•
It is one after the other!
The name says it all.
Non-stop is simply irresistible.

21. •From a Nestlé press release:
•Vevey, February 21, 2008
•“Popularly positioned products (PPPs). Products
•aimed at lower income consumers in the developing
•world, will continue to grow strongly in 2008 and
•beyond. Nestlé PPPs, which mostly consist of dairy
•products, Nescafé and Maggi culinary products,
•grew by over 25% to reach around CHF 6 billion in
•sales in 2007. The overall market for such products in
•Asia, Africa and Latin America is estimated at over CHF
•80 billion.”

22. Improving the evidence base

23. Conservation and Sustainable use of Agro-biodiversity to
Improve Human Nutrition
• National Information System on
native agro-biodiversity, its
nutritional properties and resilience
to climate change
• Ensure support for in-situ
conservation of agro-biodiversity
linking high nutrient ecotypes to
markets
• Mainstreaming conservation and
sustainable use of agro-biodiversity
for food security and nutrition into
policy and regulatory frameworks
• Communication and capacity building

24. Environmental
footprint
Source: Mediterranean
Diet Foundation, 2010

25. •Note that the degradation of ecosystems and the
loss of food biodiversity is contributing greatly to
the increases in poverty and malnutrition in Africa;
• Recognize that returning to local crops and
traditional food systems is a prerequisite for
conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity for
food and nutrition;
• Acknowledge that local foods are the basis for
African sustainable diets.
•
•
The Door of No
Return
House of the Slaves
•
Gorée Island