PHM-Exch> FAO The State of Food and Agriculture 2013 (SOFA)

[Claudio Schuftan]

From: Ruggiero, Mrs. Ana Lucia (WDC) <ruglucia at paho.org>
crossposted from : EQUIDAD at listserv.paho.org


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*The State of Food and Agriculture 2013 (SOFA)*

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**FOOD SYSTEMS FOR BETTER NUTRITION*

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**Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – FAO *

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*FAO urges end of malnutrition as priority --------Social and economic
costs of global malnutrition unacceptable

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*………….Twenty six percent of all children under five are stunted

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Full report PDF file: http://bit.ly/14sqU2I

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Website: http://bit.ly/14spOnq

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*4 June 2013, Rome* – “……Denouncing the huge social and economic costs of
malnutrition, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva today called for
resolute efforts to eradicate malnutrition as well as hunger from around
the world. ****

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The report Food systems for better nutrition notes that although some 870
million people were still hungry in the world in 2010-2012, this is just a
fraction of the billions of people whose health, wellbeing and lives are
blighted by malnutrition.****

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Two billion people suffer from one or more micronutrient deficiencies,
while 1.4 billion are overweight, of whom 500 million are obese, according
to SOFA. Twenty six percent of all children under five are stunted and 31
percent suffer from Vitamin A deficiency. ****

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The cost of malnutrition to the global economy in lost productivity and
health care costs are "unacceptably high" and could account for as much as
5 percent of the global gross domestic product -- $3.5 trillion dollars, or
$500 per person. That is almost the entire annual GDP of Germany, **Europe**'s
largest economy. ****

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In social terms, child and maternal malnutrition continue to reduce the
quality of life and life expectancy of millions of people, while
obesity-related health problems, such as heart disease and diabetes, affect
millions more.****

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To combat malnutrition, SOFA makes the case that healthy diets and good
nutrition must start with food and agriculture. The way we grow, raise,
process, transport and distribute food influences what we eat, the report
says, noting that improved food systems can make food more affordable,
diverse and nutritious. ****

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*Specific recommendations for action include:*

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• Use appropriate agricultural policies, investment and research to
increase productivity, not only of staple grains like maize, rice and
wheat, but also of legumes, meat, milk, vegetables and fruit, which are all
rich in nutrients. ****

• Cut food losses and waste, which currently amount to one third of the
food produced for human consumption every year. That could help make food
more available and affordable as well as reduce pressure on land and other
resources. ****

• Improve the nutritional performance of supply chains, enhancing the
availability and accessibility of a wide diversity of foods. Properly
organized food systems are key to more diversified and healthy diets. ****

• Help consumers make good dietary choices for better nutrition through
education, information and other actions. ****

• Improve the nutritional quality of foods through fortification and
reformulation.****

• Make food systems more responsive to the needs of mothers and young
children. Malnutrition during the critical ‘first 1000 days' from
conception can cause lasting damage to women's health and life-long
physical and cognitive impairment in children. ****

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Women's role****

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Giving women greater control over resources and incomes benefits their and
their children's health, the report says. Policies, interventions and
investment in labour-saving farming technologies and rural infrastructure,
as well as social protection and services can also make important
contributions to the health and nutrition of women, infants and young
children. ****

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Projects that have proved successful in raising nutrition levels include
enhanced production, marketing and consumption of local vegetables and
pulses in East Africa; promotion of home gardens in West Africa;
encouragement of mixed vegetable and animal farming systems together with
income-generating activities in some Asian countries; breeding staple crops
such as sweet potatoes to raise their micronutrient content; and
public-private partnerships to enrich products like yoghurt or cooking oil
with nutrients. ****

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Making food systems enhance nutrition is a complex task requiring strong
political commitment and leadership at the highest levels, broad-based
partnerships and coordinated approaches with other important sectors such
as health and education, according to SOFA. ….” *Press release* ****

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*Content:
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*Executive Summary
Food systems for better nutrition*****

*1. The role of food systems in nutrition**  *****

Why is nutrition important?
Why focus on food systems to address malnutrition?
Food systems and nutrition opportunities
Cross-cutting issues in nutrition-sensitive food systems
Knowledge and information gaps
Structure of the report****

*2. Malnutrition and changing food systems* ****

Malnutrition concepts, trends and costs
Food system transformation and malnutrition
Conclusions and key messages****

*3. Agricultural production for better nutrition* ****

Making food more available and accessible
Making food more diverse
Making food more nutritious
Conclusions and key messages****

*4. Food supply chains for better nutrition** *****

Transformation of food supply chains
Enhancing nutrition through food supply chains
Conclusions and key messages****

*5. Helping consumers achieve better nutrition** *****

Food assistance programmes for better nutrition
Nutrition-specific food price subsidies and taxes
Nutrition education
Conclusions and key messages****

*6. Institutional and policy environment for nutrition* ****

Building a common vision
Better data for better policy-making
Effective coordination is essential
Key messages of the report****

*Statistical annex* ****

Notes for the annex table
Annex table ****

*References** *
*Special chapters of** **The State of Food and Agriculture

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