Foro Global sobre Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición (Foro FSN)

E-consultation on HLPE Study on Nutrition and Food Systems

Before commenting on the ten points included in the e-consultation on the forthcoming HLPE study, we wish to draw attention to one important aspect. This is to do with consistency in findings and recommendations between the forthcoming HLPE Report on Nutrition and Food System (to be presented to CFS 44 in October, 2017) and the completed HLPE Report on Sustainable Agricultural Development and Food Security and Nutrition, including the Role of Livestock (to be presented to CFS 43 in October, 2016). The HLPE Steering Committee must ensure that the two reports do not give conflicting signals with respect to future actions on nutrition, because both reports are intended to address the same problem, namely how to approach the triple burden of malnutrition?   

The subject under consideration is demanding because the relationship between crop diversity, dietary differences, nutrition and health is a complex subject and there is no unanimity of views on the subject.  However, there is convergence on two points (i) that poverty eradication has central role in reducing undernutrition and (ii) that sustainable development in all sectors and nutrition are intrinsically intertwined.

Responses to the ten points raised in the e-consultation should provide a good feedback to the team preparing the HLPE report on Nutrition and Food Systems. However, among the ten points listed we wish to emphasize the importance of the last six points which are intended to:

1. highlight that “hidden hunger” of enough calories but insufficient vitamins and minerals is now of global concern;

1. explain the diversity in food systems and their impact on nutrition;
2. clarify the nexus between food systems, consumption patterns and healthy diets;

1. show that there is a range of public policies and actions addressing location-specific malnutrition; and

1. demonstrate that success depends on the strength of partnership among all actors, from grassroots  organizations to parliamentarians and high level policy makers and administrators.

We wish to see that the HLPE Report give special attention to the following points.

1. Not to burden the report with too many facts because other reports do provide adequate coverage, especially the IFPRI Global Report on Nutrition 2015. The IFPRI report also highlights ten actions by all stakeholders to put an end to malnutrition by 2030. The HLPE report should take these actions into consideration when making its own proposals;

1. While the report must provide space for the main drivers of the transition in food consumption and nutrition (population, urbanization, income growth, consumer attitude, trade and the status of market development, the increasing role played by multinational corporations and the retailing of food commodities), it is important for the report to demonstrate that each driver has its own peculiar influence in shaping nutrition;

1. Stress, in particular, that resilience is the core of all food systems;

1. Highlight the negative impact on diet resulting from the erosion of biodiversity;

1. To a greater extent, track actions that can amend malnutrition in all its forms and for all groups of the population, especially the vulnerable groups (women, children, indigenous population);

1. Highlight the advantages of integrating nutrition into agricultural and food security planning and programming , including the tools required;

1. Where appropriate, provide brief examples of evidence-based success stories as well as cases of failure;

1. Put major stress on locally tailored capacity development that could address structural problems that are causing or exacerbating  malnutrition;

1. Underscore the contribution of neglected and underutilized crop species (NUS) to better nutrition, especially pulses which are 25% protein, more than double that of cereals;

1. Stress the danger of transition from traditional to “western style” diet with its high content of fats, salt, sugar and processed foods,  increasing the incidence of non-communicable diseases, like diabetes, heart diseases, certain types of cancer and obesity;  

1. Make room in the report for the land requirements of different food systems for a healthy diet. This should be part of the planning process;

1.  Bring forth science-based evidence to demonstrate that high levels of CO2 can significantly reduce the level of essential nutrients as well as cutting protein levels;

1.  Highlight that climate change can adversely affect nutrition in two major ways (i) through floods and droughts associated with the rise in global temperature and (ii) increased incidence of diseases resulting from climate change, like malaria which reduces body’s absorption and utilization of essential nutrients;

1.  Stress that private business, national and multinational, can play an important role in improving nutrition. In this connection, the six messages for business mentioned in IFPRI’s Global Nutrition Report 2015 could be considered.

We wish full success to the Team responsible for the completion of the HLPE study.

Abdul R. Ayazi,

Agriculture Attaché,

Afghanistan Embassy, Rome