FAO, Government of Japan join forces on nutrition-sensitive food systems
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Leverages power of academia and small and medium enterprises
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), together with the Government of Japan, renewed their commitment in ensuring food systems contribute to healthy food environments to deliver healthy diets for citizens of Ghana.
The FAO-organized, Japan-funded stakeholder consultative workshops focused on mainstreaming nutrition through engaging essential partners, academia and private sector, in particular, small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
FAO has been investing in building capacities of governments and other stakeholders, and has identified the need to scale up these capacity development activities through e-learning modules and closer engagement with faculties of agriculture and relevant training institutions at country level.
Additionally, FAO is continuously engaging and training private sector entities (in particular, SMEs) on how their investments in food and agriculture can improve nutrition. Drawing on each other’s expertise as well as local partners and the Japanese private sector, the project envisions organizing needs-oriented cascade of trainings.
The growing hunger and nutrition in Ghana
Eliminating malnutrition in all its forms is imperative to break the inter-generational cycle of poverty, and to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1 and 2 by 2030. Despite an increase in agricultural production, persistent and widespread hunger and malnutrition remain a huge challenge in many parts of the world including Ghana.
According to UNICEF, 2013 in Ghana showed levels of malnutrition dropping, 23% of children are still stunted and 57% are anaemic. The Ghana Living Standards Survey GLSS 2014 showed that nutrition is particularly poor in Northern Ghana, where almost two in every five children are stunted and more than 80% of children suffer from anaemia.
Tomoko Kato, Nutrition and Food Systems Officer, based in FAO headquarters highlighted the pivotal role SMEs play in directly reducing poverty and hunger, and providing access to job creation and industry. However, the enabling and policy environment for small food enterprises is typically overlooked, falling between the crevices of policies on agricultural, food safety, nutrition, trade, or agro-industrial policy.
Making nutritious foods available, accessible and desirable in order to improve nutrition therefore requires action from all stakeholders involved in the food system, including producers, processors, retailers, consumers, in both private and public institutions.
Development entities work together
During the SME Capacity Development Needs Assessment Workshop, the Representative of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Miss Angela Dannson, Director of Policy Planning Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, praised the efforts of development partners such as the FAO and the government of Japan in promoting nutrition sensitive value chain to ensure the sustained availability, accessibility and of affordable, safe, diverse and nutritious foods for the populace.
Miss Dannson noted that the government has embraced nutrition sensitive agriculture and is promoting the production and consumption of nutrient dense foods such as animal sourced foods, legumes, vegetables and fruits as well as reducing post-harvest losses to ensure all-year round food availability.
She observed that making nutritious foods available requires multisectoral engagement. Ms. Dannson added that creating consumer demand for nutritious foods/products stems from nutrition education and consumer awareness–raising.
The Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of Japan to Ghana, Mr. Koji Tomita, likewise shared Japan’s commitment to the SDGs and stated that his country considers SMEs as very important partners in promoting improved nutrition in Ghana and beyond. He enjoined all gathered in the meeting to nurse and maintain the passion to promote healthy diets and nutrition-sensitive food systems.
The FAO Deputy Regional Representative, Mr. Serge Nakouzi, observed that SMEs have great potential and a particular role to play in making food systems more “nutrition-sensitive.” Mr. Nakouzi reiterated the FAO’s commitment to support SMEs through the creation of an enabling environment, which supports the prioritization of nutrition as a business opportunity and encourages collaboration with multiple stakeholders, including government agencies, and development partners, Civil Society Organisations, NGOs and academia. He shared the objectives of the project, which is to ensure nutrition-sensitive agriculture is incorporated in the relevant curricula of national universities. Appropriate teaching-learning materials will be developed leveraging on what already exist. New training programmes will be developed specifically around the subject where appropriate and possible, on a case-by-case basis. Academic expects from some selected Universities in Ghana, noted that the developed curricula would be taught to a great number of people, some of whom would in the future become leaders capable of influencing policies on nutrition. He therefore called on the selected institutions to consider themselves as very important partners in the promotion of improved nutrition in the world.
Implementation of training programmes, specifically designed for professionals working in SMEs, with knowledge-sharing sessions delivered by professionals from local and Japanese companies. The combination of expertise from FAO and private sector companies will be delivered with the objective of enabling SMEs to improve their practices and transform food systems that are respectful of natural resources, supportive of fair and equitable development, gender-sensitive and conducive to healthier diets and better nutrition, delivering food products that are safe, nutritious, diversified and affordable.
Lessons learned from the three implementing countries, namely, Ghana, Kenya and Vietnam, will be consolidated for knowledge sharing, upscaling of similar interventions in other countries and regions.