scholarly journals Assessing Sustainable Food and Nutrition Security of the EU Food System—An Integrated Approach

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 4271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika Zurek ◽  
Aniek Hebinck ◽  
Adrian Leip ◽  
Joost Vervoort ◽  
Marijke Kuiper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Science Communication ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Food And Nutrition Security ◽  
Nutrition Security ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
Nutrition And Diet ◽  
Food And Nutrition ◽  
The Eu

Steering the EU food system towards a sustainability transformation requires a vast and actionable knowledge base available to a range of public and private actors. Few have captured this complexity by assessing food systems from a multi-dimensional and multi-level perspective, which would include (1) nutrition and diet, environmental and economic outcomes together with social equity dimensions and (2) system interactions across country, EU and global scales. This paper addresses this gap in food systems research and science communication by providing an integrated analytical approach and new ways to communicate this complexity outside science. Based on a transdisciplinary science approach with continuous stakeholder input, the EU Horizon2020 project ‘Metrics, Models and Foresight for European SUStainable Food And Nutrition Security’ (SUSFANS) developed a five-step process: Creating a participatory space; designing a conceptual framework of the EU food system; developing food system performance metrics; designing a modelling toolbox and developing a visualization tool. The Sustainable Food and Nutrition-Visualizer, designed to communicate complex policy change-impacts and trade-off questions, enables an informed debate about trade-offs associated with options for change among food system actors as well as in the policy making arena. The discussion highlights points for further research related to indicator development, reach of assessment models, participatory processes and obstacles in science communication.

scholarly journals A Review of Indigenous Food Crops in Africa and the Implications for more Sustainable and Healthy Food Systems

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 3493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Racheal Akinola ◽  
Laura Maureen Pereira ◽  
Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi ◽  
Francia-Marié de Bruin ◽  
Loubie Rusch
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Healthy Food ◽  
Crop Species ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Nutrition Security ◽  
Food And Nutrition ◽  
African Context ◽  
Indigenous Foods

Indigenous and traditional foods crops (ITFCs) have multiple uses within society, and most notably have an important role to play in the attempt to diversify the food in order to enhance food and nutrition security. However, research suggests that the benefits and value of indigenous foods within the South African and the African context have not been fully understood and synthesized. Their potential value to the African food system could be enhanced if their benefits were explored more comprehensively. This synthesis presents a literature review relating to underutilized indigenous crop species and foods in Africa. It organizes the findings into four main contributions, nutritional, environmental, economic, and social-cultural, in line with key themes of a sustainable food system framework. It also goes on to unpack the benefits and challenges associated with ITFCs under these themes. A major obstacle is that people are not valuing indigenous foods and the potential benefit that can be derived from using them is thus neglected. Furthermore, knowledge is being lost from one generation to the next, with potentially dire implications for long-term sustainable food security. The results show the need to recognize and enable indigenous foods as a key resource in ensuring healthy food systems in the African continent.

scholarly journals Impression of COVID-19 Pandemic on Food Systems, Natural Environmental Resources and Agriculture in India: A Review

2021 ◽  
pp. 120-131
Author(s):  
R. K. Naresh ◽  
Saurabh Tyagi ◽  
M. Sharath Chandra ◽  
B. Chandra Shekar ◽  
Pradeep Kumar Singh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Consumption Pattern ◽  
Critical Element ◽  
Food And Nutrition Security ◽  
Nutrition Security ◽  
Food And Nutrition

The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting food and nutrition security through economic and social systems shocks, food system disruptions and gaps in coverage of essential health and nutrition services. Food systems in low- and middle-income groups must adapt and strengthen food and nutrition security in the wake of COVID-19. Smallholder farmers are a crucial part of the food value chain in India, as well as a critical element of the global food system. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought new risks that threaten livelihoods as well as food security. Post the rabi harvest in April, farmers prepare for the next (kharif) season in May. However, the COVID-19 induced disruptions have reduced production capacity for farm inputs and have led to an increase in price, making these resources inaccessible to smallholder and marginal farmers in the country. The corona-virus pandemic has caused a global reduction in economic activity and although this is major cause for concern, the ramping down of human activity appears to have had a positive impact on the environment. The COVID-19 lockdown has several social and economic effects. Additionally, COVID-19 has caused several impacts on global migration. Carbon emissions have dropped, and the COVID-19 lockdown has led to an improvement in air quality and a reduction in water pollution in many cities around the globe. We found that the COVID-19 lockdown in India has primarily impacted farmers’ ability to sell their crops and livestock products and decreased daily wages and dietary diversity. In this context, we aim to synthesize the early evidence of the COVID-19 impact on the Indian agricultural system viz., production, marketing and consumption followed by a set of potential strategies to recover and prosper post-pandemic. Findings indicate that the pandemic has affected production and marketing through labour and logistical constraints, while the negative income shock restricted access to markets and increased prices of food commodities affecting the consumption pattern.

scholarly journals Disruptive Innovations for Well-Functioning Food Systems: The Data-Driven “Food and Nutrition Security Under Climate Evolution” Framework

2022 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grazia Pacillo ◽  
Nguyen-Vu Bao-Nam ◽  
Dharani Dhar Burra ◽  
Huong T. Trinh ◽  
Tuyen Danh Le ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Variability ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Food And Nutrition Security ◽  
Nutrition Security ◽  
Food And Nutrition ◽  
Climate Evolution ◽  
Climate Crisis

The current climate crisis poses new uncertainties, risks, and vulnerabilities, and is leading to losses for millions of people depending on fragile food systems. Food systems are, however, vastly different across landscapes and communities, and their capacities to respond to climate impacts evolves and changes through time. Humanitarian and development organizations are struggling to keep pace with these changes. Monitoring a large number of diverse food systems during an evolving climate crisis can be expensive and time-consuming. This paper introduces a monitoring approach that uses a combination of open-source earth observations along with national data sources to produce highly contextualized metrics for monitoring Food And Nutrition Security under Climate Evolution (FANSCE). Entirely data-driven, the FANSCE approach has been designed to produce policy recommendations to help monitor, assess, and mitigate climatic impacts on food systems. We developed and tested this approach in Vietnam, where climate variability has become a growing threat to food systems. Our results show that predictors of food and nutrition security differ drastically with the intensity of climate variability. More specifically, our analyses suggest that in areas of high climate variability, levels of food and nutrition security can be significantly predicted based on economic activities, ethnicity, education, health of mothers, and the level of readiness and preparedness to climate impacts of villages and communities. On the other hand, in areas of low climate variability, food and nutrition security are mostly predictable based on the ability of households to access essential services (such as education, health) and communal resources (water, storage, etc.). To support the resilience of food systems, policymakers must regularly monitor how these dimensions react to the changing climate. Addition critical actions to increase food system sustainability in Vietnam include 1) enhanced coordination of institutional responses and capacities across governmental and non-governmental agencies, and 2) better integration of scientific knowledge into national and sub-national decision-making processes.

scholarly journals Utilization of bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) for sustainable food and nutrition security in semi-arid regions of Zimbabwe

PLoS ONE ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. e0204817 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliet Mubaiwa ◽  
Vincenzo Fogliano ◽  
Cathrine Chidewe ◽  
Evert Jan Bakker ◽  
Anita R. Linnemann
Keyword(s):  
Arid Regions ◽  
Bambara Groundnut ◽  
Vigna Subterranea ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Food And Nutrition Security ◽  
Nutrition Security ◽  
Food And Nutrition ◽  
Semi Arid

Food losses and waste in the context of sustainable food and nutrition security

2021 ◽  
pp. 235-255
Author(s):  
Giovanni Ottomano Palmisano ◽  
Francesco Bottalico ◽  
Hamid El Bilali ◽  
Gianluigi Cardone ◽  
Roberto Capone
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Food And Nutrition Security ◽  
Nutrition Security ◽  
Food And Nutrition ◽  
Food Losses

scholarly journals Food System Digitalization as a Means to Promote Food and Nutrition Security in the Barents Region

Agriculture ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dele Raheem ◽  
Maxim Shishaev ◽  
Vladimir Dikovitsky
Keyword(s):  
Digital Technology ◽  
Food Processing ◽  
Food System ◽  
Traditional Food ◽  
Local Food System ◽  
Food And Nutrition Security ◽  
Nutrition Security ◽  
Cross Border ◽  
Barents Region ◽  
Food And Nutrition

The consumption of food and its safety are important for human security. In this paper, we reviewed the literature on future possibilities for transforming the food system through digital solutions in the Barents region. Such digital solutions will make food business operators more efficient, sustainable, and transparent. Developing cross-border infrastructures for digitalization in the region will break the isolation of the local food system, thus simplifying the availability of processed, novel and safe traditional food products. It is necessary for food growers and processors to respond to the trends driven by consumers’ demand while ensuring their safety. Our review highlights the opportunities provided by digital technology to ensure safety and help food business operators predict consumer trends in the future. In addition, digitalization can create conditions that are necessary for the diversification of organizational schemes and the effective monitoring of food processing operations that will help to promote food and nutrition security in the Barents region.

scholarly journals Nutrition from a climate change perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 380-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. I. Macdiarmid ◽  
S. Whybrow
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Food System ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Food And Nutrition Security ◽  
Sustainable Diets ◽  
Nutrition Security ◽  
Nutrient Density ◽  
Food And Nutrition

Climate change is threatening future global food and nutrition security. Limiting the increase in global temperature to 1·5 °C set out in The Paris Agreement (2015) while achieving nutrient security means overhauling the current food system to create one that can deliver healthy and sustainable diets. To attain this, it is critical to understand the implications for nutrition of actions to mitigate climate change as well as the impacts of climate change on food production and the nutrient composition of foods. It is widely recognised that livestock production has a much greater environmental burden than crop production, and therefore advice is to reduce meat consumption. This has triggered concern in some sectors about a lack of protein in diets, which hence is driving efforts to find protein replacements. However, in most high- and middle-income countries, protein intakes far exceed dietary requirements and it would even if all meat were removed from diets. Reduction in micronutrients should be given more attention when reducing meat. Simply eating less meat does not guarantee healthier or more sustainable diets. Climate change will also affect the type, amount and nutrient quality of food that can be produced. Studies have shown that increased temperature and elevated CO2 levels can reduce the nutrient density of some staple crops, which is of particular concern in low-income countries. Nutrition from a climate change perspective means considering the potential consequences of any climate action on food and nutrition security. In this paper, we discuss these issues from an interdisciplinary perspective.

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