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Leveraging food systems to reduce poverty and malnutrition










​Raza, A ,and Soares, F. 2020. Leveraging food systems to reduce poverty and malnutrition. Policy in Focus. Volume 18, Issue No. 1, December 2020. Brazilia, Brazil. FAO and the International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth (IPC-IG). 





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    Improving Diets and Nutrition Outcomes in Southern Africa - TCP/SFS/3604 2020
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    It is widely acknowledged that having a high-quality diet is one of the single most important contributors to nutrition outcomes and health, while poor-quality diets result in malnutrition in its many forms, including under-nutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and obesity. In recent years, African countries have begun to undergo a dietary transition, marked by changes in food consumption patterns. Globalization, urbanization and changes in the food supply and lifestyles have resulted in a shift in dietary habits, a loss in dietary diversity and a loss of traditional food cultures. Shifts to sub-optimal diets are compounded by a lack of awareness of nutrition and a low level of empowerment to make healthy food choices. The general population has been exposed to mixed and misguided nutrition messages which, in turn, negatively influence their overall knowledge, outlook and behaviour towards making healthy food choices. These changes, coupled with the increased availability and marketing of products of low nutritional value, highlighted the need for consistent, simple and practical dietary guidance to enable people to make healthy food choices and therefore prevent negative health outcomes, and to assist countries in developing food, health and agriculture policy. The Sub-regional Office of Southern Africa (SFS) therefore implemented this project, TCP/SFS/3604, to support three countries (Seychelles, the United Republic of Tanzania, and Zambia) in promoting healthy diets through the development of Food-based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs). This TCP also supported the Government of Lesotho in the development of a Nutrition and Home Economics Strategy (NHES) for the Department of Nutrition and Home Economics (DoNHE) in the Ministry of Agriculture. The FBDGs are evidence-based recommendations with a series of harmonized nutrition messages and related illustrations that represent what a healthy diet is. The guidelines also provide advice on foods, food groups and dietary patterns to help the population meet nutrition requirements, so as to promote overall health and prevent diet-related non-communicable diseases. The FBDGs are intended to establish a basis for policies on food and nutrition, public health, and agriculture, as well as nutrition education programmes, in order to foster healthy eating habits and lifestyles.
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    Book (series)
    The state of food insecurity in the world 2001 2001
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    Now in its third issue, The State of Food Insecurity in the World reports on global and national efforts to reach the goal set by the 1996 World Food Summit: to reduce by half the number of undernourished people in the world by the year 2015. The crafters of the Summit Plan of Action felt that great progress could be made towards this objective if countries could focus on the following three questions: Who are the food-insecure? Where are they located? Why are they food-insecure? These thr ee questions form the subject of the first section of this year's report. Entitled Undernourishment around the world, it provides FAO's most recent estimates of the prevalence of undernourishment and the absolute number of undernourished in 125 countries for the period 1997-99. The section "Assessing nutritional status and vulnerability" describes practical methods that have either been used in the past or are currently being developed in different countries to identify segments of the populatio n exhibiting physical signs of malnutrition and, subsequently, to analyse the livelihoods of the people concerned so as to address the income risks underlying their vulnerability. These patterns of hunger and vulnerability are greatly complicated by continuing severe national shocks from natural and human-induced disasters and from the ballooning menace of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The section of "The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2001, Action against undernutrition and poverty," provid es some illustrative answers to a fourth question: What can be done? Among the actions proposed are the more accurate targeting of food aid, and measures to improve access to clean water - both essential factors for assuring people the basic energy and health to participate in creating a better future for themselves.
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    Book (series)
    The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2021
    Transforming food systems for food security, improved nutrition and affordable healthy diets for all
    2021
    In recent years, several major drivers have put the world off track to ending world hunger and malnutrition in all its forms by 2030. The challenges have grown with the COVID-19 pandemic and related containment measures. This report presents the first global assessment of food insecurity and malnutrition for 2020 and offers some indication of what hunger might look like by 2030 in a scenario further complicated by the enduring effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also includes new estimates of the cost and affordability of healthy diets, which provide an important link between the food security and nutrition indicators and the analysis of their trends. Altogether, the report highlights the need for a deeper reflection on how to better address the global food security and nutrition situation.To understand how hunger and malnutrition have reached these critical levels, this report draws on the analyses of the past four editions, which have produced a vast, evidence-based body of knowledge of the major drivers behind the recent changes in food security and nutrition. These drivers, which are increasing in frequency and intensity, include conflicts, climate variability and extremes, and economic slowdowns and downturns – all exacerbated by the underlying causes of poverty and very high and persistent levels of inequality. In addition, millions of people around the world suffer from food insecurity and different forms of malnutrition because they cannot afford the cost of healthy diets. From a synthesized understanding of this knowledge, updates and additional analyses are generated to create a holistic view of the combined effects of these drivers, both on each other and on food systems, and how they negatively affect food security and nutrition around the world.In turn, the evidence informs an in-depth look at how to move from silo solutions to integrated food systems solutions. In this regard, the report proposes transformative pathways that specifically address the challenges posed by the major drivers, also highlighting the types of policy and investment portfolios required to transform food systems for food security, improved nutrition, and affordable healthy diets for all. The report observes that, while the pandemic has caused major setbacks, there is much to be learned from the vulnerabilities and inequalities it has laid bare. If taken to heart, these new insights and wisdom can help get the world back on track towards the goal of ending hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition in all its forms.

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