Nutrition education as a strategy to strengthen family farming households and improve people's diets
The United Nations General Assembly declared 2014 as the International Year of Family Farming, given its role on global food security and nutrition. In Latin America and the Caribbean, family farming systems may represent up to 80% of the economic production units and more than half of total natural food production in some countries, thus becoming the largest source of agriculture and rural employment. However, some of the poorest farmers still face significant socio-economic challenges which can contribute to problems of malnutrition. This is why the current aim is to promote a fairer and more balanced development, identifying opportunities and effective ways to support family farmers.
For this International Year, FAO has defined family farming as “a means of organizing agricultural, forestry, fisheries, pastoral and aquaculture production which is managed and operated by a family and predominantly reliant on family labor, including both women’s and men’s. The family and the farm are linked, co-evolve and combine economic, environmental, social and cultural functions” (FAO, International Year of Family Farming 2014: Master Plan).
Nutrition education is the process through which individuals and societies are empowered to voluntarily adopt healthy eating practices and lifestyles which respect local food habits and the natural environment, and result in improved nutrition and better health for the population.
When supported by a conducive food environment that puts healthy food choices within people’s reach, nutrition education can improve family eating practices, including the selection, purchase, preparation, intra-household distribution and use of food. Nutrition education can also contribute to crop diversification, promote the use of indigenous foods, and protect biodiversity and traditional culinary practices. Hence it has been recognized as a catalyst for enhancing the nutrition impact of food security and agricultural programs.
This is why, in the context of family farming, nutrition education has an enormous potential to improve the diets and nutrition of farming families, as well as of the general public who consume their produce.
Moreover, given increased availability and marketing of highly processed foods that are frequently of low nutritional value, nutrition education plays an important role in empowering consumers to make healthy food choices, including nutrient-rich, fresh and local foods.
The aim of this forum discussion is to identify potential action points and initiatives whereby nutrition education can improve the diet of family farmers and create demand for nutritious local produce among the general public, thus both generating income for farming households and enhancing the nutrition of the public.
We hope participants will share their contributions in response to the following questions:
1. What are the existing national and regional programs which aim to improve the dietary quality and dietary diversity of farming families?
a. What educational and communication strategies have been used in these programs?
b. What main constraints and best practices have been identified?
c. What other strategies have potential?
2. How can nutrition education increase the demand for local family farming produce with high nutritional value, and thus contribute to improving dietary diversity and to protecting traditional foods and the local food culture?
a. What are the existing programs in the region in this respect?
b. What main constraints and best practices can you identify?
c. What other strategies have potential?
This discussion is in line with the objectives of Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2), a high-level intergovernmental meeting on nutrition jointly organized by FAO and WHO, to be held at FAO Headquarters in Rome, 19-21 November 2014. The expected ICN2 outcome documents are a political declaration and a framework for action. For more information please visit www.fao.org/ICN2
We encourage you to share your experiences and views on the issues, and we hope this discussion will be of great interest to all participants.
Thank you in advance for your contributions.
The facilitators
Sonia Olivares
Byron Jara
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Further to my earlier contribution and since I strongly believe that 'Nutrition education' does have an enormous potential to motivate producer communities to follow their low cost ecological agri systems thus ensuring their access to safe and improved diets and of the general public who consume their produce. Answers to your Qs:
Are you aware of programmes aiming to improve the dietary quality and diversity of farming families?
With the Govt of India deciding on funding, assisting and provide supporting to the whole of North East India for replicating the hill State of Sikkim’s successful model of converting to the producer oriented economies of scope low cost ecological/ organic agriculture system will ensure the producer communities access to safe, nutritious food and cash needs of the producer communities, the possibilities are huge if this experiment succeeds in all hill states of the world, especially as Bhutan as a country has decided to go organic by 2020.
How can ecological agri systems and nutrition education/ knowledge increase the demand for local family farming produce with high nutritional value?
The produce from organic agriculture ensures access to the farmer families at little or no cost, is tasty and safe, thus ensures good health (little or no medical cost), thus will increase demand among producer communities and markets in the vicinity whilst reducing the effects of climate change.
1. What are the existing national and regional programs which aim to improve the dietary quality and dietary diversity of farming families?
Government of India has recognized the fact that the market oriented economies of scale green revolution technologies/ industrial agriculture, were and continue to be dependent on high cost agro chemicals and seed, irrigated water and increasing each year, is the cause of deep debt/ distress among producer communities having small holdings, dependent on rain/ water harvesting in arid areas (84% of the farmers). The Government for now over ten years has made a provision in the annual budget to assist farmers’ conversion to their low cost producer oriented economies of scope ecological agri systems/ organic, thus ensuring their access to nutritious food and long term sustainability. In this process the State of Sikkim has since followed organic principles, banning the use of agro chemicals, GM seeds, etc. The Prime Minister of India has now proposed that the North East States of India follow the Sikkim model for which provision has been made in the new budget. The world needs to follow Bhutan’s example as a country going organic by 2020 especially as numerous reports commissioned by the UN orgs have provided the required evidence that producer communities following their low cost ecological agri systems ensures producer communities (64% of the population) access to nutritious food and also be able to feed the growing populations in the future provided Governments make the required investment in meeting the needs of the producer communities.
a. What educational and communication strategies have been used in these programs?
Knowledge and the understanding of nature, eco agri systems needs to be part of curricula of education from the beginning through high school to enable students to make considered choice of a carreer in agriculture and associated fields, targeting women and youth to become general practitioners (GPs)/ MBAs in agriculture, with colleges offering these subjects.
b. What main constraints and best practices have been identified?
Most Governments have gone along with Agri Education and Research institutions over the last 100 years mandate to convert the low cost producer oriented economies of scope ecological agri systems followed by producer communities worldwide to the high cost market oriented economies of scale industrial agriculture (mono crops) systems resulting in the deep crisis being now faced by agriculture, especially the smallholder producer communities (84%) dependent on rain.
c. What other strategies have potential?
Fund, assist and support producer communities to set up and own their producer orgs/ company (PC) but staffed by professionals (GP &MBAs) to take over all risks and responsibilities except on farm activities. Governments to ensure required funding is available only through the PC’s bankable proposal based on the evidence provided by the numerous UN org reports, in an effort to ensure the long term sustainability of the community, reducing subsidies over the years.
2. How can nutrition education increase the demand for local family farming produce with high nutritional value, and thus contribute to improving dietary diversity and to protecting traditional foods and the local food culture?
a. What are the existing programs in the region in this respect?
1. Funding for education/ knowledge, conversion and communication proposals to follow the low cost producer oriented economies of scope organic principles, evidence available that produce has high nutritional value and ensures the producer communities access to and protecting traditional nutritious local food and culture, at little or no cost.
b. What main constraints and best practices can you identify?
Opposition from the gradutes and specialists whose knowledge is restricted to conventional green revolution agri systems, staffing Government agriculture departments, National, Regional and International Education and Research Institutions.
c. What other strategies have potential?
All education institutions from KG, lower, middle and higher schools and colleges must offer courses in agriculture and allied subjects as over 50% of the worlds population is directlyor indirectly involved with this subject/ rural activity.
Some really interesting contributions on this forum.
Great to hear about Chris Miller’s program in Peru. It sounds as if the secret is community ownership + greenhouses (magic ingredient?), which together are making it possible to increase income and also providing more dietary diversity – Chris, have I got that right? Is this a permanent ongoing program or a limited-term pilot? Tell us a bit about how the dietary behaviour change is assessed. (Q: Are you by any chance related to Mark Miller who ran that excellent school gardening program in Belize?)
Also very interesting to read Sonia Gonzalez’ story about the agricultural labourers and their families in Sinaloa who are working 12 hours a day in the sun gathering tomatoes, corn, sorghum, avocados, lychees, plums, presumably for big producers. I wonder what the labourers themselves eat. This group (often migrants?) has not I think had a lot of attention in discussions of nutrition education.
Hope to hear more stories!
Jane Sherman Nutrition education consultant, FAO
The Nutrient education is vital and important tool for family health and diet. In developing countries, lack knowledge of proper diet and nutrients for daily life especially for women and children. So it is more important to educate and trained the family house head members for importance of nutrients and their value in routine life. In rural areas it is very important to create opportunities for rural families on nutrients importance and their value in basic need and happy and healthy life of the community.
Estimados lectores:
Quisiera contribuir con mi aportación como Licenciada en Nutrición con especialidad en Educación Nutricional. Sin lugar a dudas, la educación nutricional es un pilar importante para orientar, guiar, informar, asesorar de manera positiva en el comportamiento de las personas, para solo así generar un nuevo pensamiento que nos llevara a tomar mejores decisiones acerca de las interrogantes ¿Qué alimentos debo de comer? ¿A cuales alimentos tengo una mayor accesibilidad?
Observando el entorno de mi país México y mi estado Sinaloa, puedo percatarme que son líderes agrarios a nivel mundial en productos como tomate, maíz, sorgo, aguacate, lichis, ciruelas entre otros. Existen familias jornaleras, que son de muy bajos recursos, se exponen durante mas de 12 horas al día al sol, en la recolección de la cosecha y siembra. Sin duda alguna la Nutrición funge un papel importante, si tan solo existiera un programa que les enseñara, que se pueden aprovechar la recolección de diferentes vegetales, cereales, hortalizas y frutas de los diferentes agricultores del estado, muy probablemente la nutrición de estos trabajadores, mejoraría considerablemente.
En Sinaloa, se está dando un nuevo giro, de la agricultura sustentable con los ahora conocidos “Construye un huerto en tu hogar” “construye tus propios alimentos orgánicos” “alimentos libres de pesticidas”. Empresas socialmente responsables, se encuentran fomentando este nuevo tipo de agricultura familiar. Sin embargo el impacto aún no es contundente.
Se necesitara medir cual es la visión actual de los Sinaloenses, en variables como: Educación Nutricional, accesibilidad a los alimentos propios de la región, el aprovechamiento de estos recursos naturales y la innovación de construir un huerto en el hogar.
Nuestro planeta nos necesita, hoy en día si sumamos esfuerzos, podremos disminuir el uso de pesticidas en nuestros cultivos, optimizar la nutrición de los jornaleros y mejorar la salud de nuestra familia.
Cualquier comentario o sugerencia: [email protected]
Sonia Imelda Ochoa González
Saludos afectuosos!
Estimados lectores,
Quisiera compartirles unas breves líneas sobre lo que una organización sin fines de lucro en Panamá realiza en pro a la educación nutricional enfocado prioritariamente a familias agricultoras en las área de mayor pobreza en Panamá.
Estimados,
Respecto a la educación alimentaria como estrategia dirigida a los productores agropecuarios. Considero que debe considerarse en diferentes Modelos y/o Metodologías que existen a nivel Regional, mediante los Servicios de Extensión, Promotoría rural, Escuelas de Campo (ECAs), Giras de campo, Intercambio de experiencias, en todas estas actividades debe integrarse la educación alimentaria y nutricional. Puesto que es vista de una manera divorciada en los diferentes programas agropecuarios rurales.
En Nicaragua, hay tantos programas sociales dirigidos a las familias, a las mujeres, a las y los jovenes rurales y zonas periurbanas y no existe el componente de educación alimentaria y nutricional o en otros casos no se le da importancia.
Es una brecha que como gremio tenemos que aportar.
Saludos y espero contribuir en la medida de lo posible.
Exitos a todo el equipo que hace posible mantener vivo este espacio.
I'd like to respond to some of Jane Sherman’s questions.
Do we want nutrition education for farmers or for the public?
I think both are necessary, because farmers represent the supply and the public represents the demand. The challenge, then, is finding a coherent way to do both effectively. Our approach has been to start with school greenhouse’s(GH) and the students, which has several advantages:
1. Teachers are a built in support group which is passionate about their students.
2. The vegetables go to school lunches, directly affecting the most vulnerable.
3. The GH’s influence the opinion and behavior of kids at a young age.
The students get hands on learning in the GH, with workshops incorporating everything from math to health, they eat the food with lunch, and sell extras to the community allowing them to buy things for the school.
With this new interest and excitement, the kids go home and tell the rest of the family about the fruits and vegetables they’re growing and eating, shifting their opinion. Just like any parent, you can’t ignore them forever, and the families approach us about their own GH’s, shifting their behavior. So with this model, the kids are really our advocates for change, and both target groups are reached, farmers and the public.
There is a food chain which leads to health, and a chain for farmers which leads to a viable livelihood. Can these two chains run together?
Yes, I think you see this convergence in the projects outlined above. The families and schools eat the produce in nearly every meal (chain to health) and they sell any extra to other community members or other communities (chain to livelihood). While profits are small, we must also consider the "income" of eating veggies previously inaccessible, to both producing families and other local families. Additionally, while we as an organization can’t build roads, the government is in the process of connecting these communities, and the foundations are there for expanded economic benefit (production in communities, viable markets in sacred valley, cuzco).
Can nutrition education induce farmers to produce (for example) more fruit and vegetables to promote dietary diversity? Will they ever do this unless there is very visible market demand? And then is it possible for public nutrition education to generate enough market demand to change farming practices?
Education can support demand (which in turn drives production), but we must work with the communities to understand what is needed. For Peru that meant traditional nutrition education like incorporating it into kids’ classes, but also cooking classes so communities knew how to prepare new food. But education to increase demand, to induce supply is only one side of the equation. In many cases demand is there but produce is unaffordable. This means more or more efficient supply is needed to lower prices and compete with staple starches and processed food. This could include actions as varied as infrastructure improvements or agriculture education to increase yield. In our context, demand is there but produce is inaccessible due to distance and cost. So our programs are designed to increase supply by designing GH’s from local materials to create micro-climates where the produce can grow and then training farmers in how to grow these new crops. So we must address both sides in a mutually reinforcing loop of supply and demand.
Tell us how it is achieved!
Aside from the specifics of our projects (as farming conditions, community assets, etc vary) the core principle that drives our success is relationship building. This means working with the community, within their context, to indentify viable solutions. By living and working in these communities we have built trust with the people and local government, co-designing the process from start to finish. Their involvement from the beginning gives them ownership over the initiative. With this level of buy-in, they supply all the inputs: the community builds the structures and the government roofs them. In this model we provide technical training, but the agriculture techniques are adapted for local conditions and that knowledge is institutionalized in the communities and with government technicians that we train. This involvement and investment of local communities and the adaptation for local context means it will be local, sustainable, and successful over the long run, not a project that will be dropped when outside actors leave.
And how it is assessed!
In the short term we assess success through behavior change. Are they adopting the practices of sustainable, local, organic agriculture to raise these crops (supply)? Are these new crops changing their consumption patterns (demand)? And the answer is an astounding yes, with over 75% of our participants showing significant behavior change. As for long term, it takes a long time to track malnutrition, so we’ll have to wait and see, but based on the results so far, we’re optimistic we will see drastic improvement in the nutrition and livelihoods of these communities.
I hope this was coherent, concise, and helpful. I'd love to hear feedback or insights!
Saludos!
Chris
El caso de Centronia es fantastico, comenzo como una idea ambiciosa que se concreto con el trabajo de muchas personas y la voluntad politica de crear leyes que sustentan estas iniciativas.
Centronia es la muestra viva que es posible con intencion y apoyo de diversos sectores mejorar los sistemas publicos de alimentacion. Adjunto la presentacion de este y otros casos relacionados con el tema presentados en Cepal el año 2013.
There is a food chain which leads to health, and a chain for farmers which leads to a viable livelihood. Can these two chains run together?
Do we want nutrition education for farmers or for the public? Can nutrition education induce farmers to produce (for example) more fruit and vegetables to promote dietary diversity? Will they ever do this unless there is very visible market demand? And then is it possible for public nutrition education to generate enough market demand to change farming practices?
I am not sceptical - but I want to know how this can work! Does anyone have a really convincing example?
Jane Sherman, nutrition education consultant
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