Nutrition

New index to tackle food safety scourge and threat to African health and trade

Dakar, Senegal, October 2. The African Food Safety Index (AFSI) launched today will help to tackle the burden of foodborne diseases that a recent global assessment found to be comparable to that of malaria, HIV/AIDs or tuberculosis.

Fighting food insecurity with indigenous plants

by Ousseini Issa

In Niger, a social enterprise is using local plants that are resistant to the arid climate of the Sahel to produce nutritious food. The result is better incomes for farmers and a preserved environment.

Promoting neglected crops to diversify diets

by Caspar Van Vark

Often neglected, many traditional crops are nutrient rich and environmentally resilient. Developing value chains for these crops will help to diversify diets and provide new livelihood opportunities.

Rwandan farmers reduce losses with nutritious grains

A private processing company in Rwanda is working with thousands of farmers to train them in the production of fortified crops for processing into nutritious products. Their partnership is increasing profits for local smallholders as well as helping to combat Rwanda’s high levels of malnutrition.

Vegetable gardens help communities adapt in Vanuatu

To improve food security in one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change, communities in Vanuatu are being provided with training in new farming techniques and the production of climate-resilient crops.

A learning journey to the Kingdom of Tonga

by Finau Sio-Ki-Sia Fonua

Pacific Island countries suffer from alarming rates of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and are consistently ranked as the most obese and diabetic in the world. At the centre of this NCD crisis is the underlying problem of consumption of processed imported foods; high in fat, salt and sugar, displacing nutritious local produce; crops and fish from the daily meals of Pacific people.

Building the evidence base on the agricultural nutrition nexus: Marshall Islands

by Wayne Nelles

This report summarises results of a rapid country scan on the agriculture-nutrition nexus in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). Research included a desk review of accessible policies, programmes and other documents, published and unpublished, as well as a field mission to RMI from 11 to 30 December 2017. The mission allowed additional quantitative and qualitative data gathering with interviews, site visits and a small seminar to debrief interviews, present preliminary findings and discuss potential follow-up with some stakeholders.

Building the evidence base on the agricultural nutrition nexus: Vanuatu

by Votausi Lucyann Mackenzie-Reur and Keith Galgal

A rapid scan on the agriculture and nutrition situation in Vanuatu was undertaken in 2017 to build the evidence base for strengthening the linkage between two important sectors – agriculture and health, for improved food and nutrition outcomes. The food and nutrition situation in Vanuatu has changed over the years as dietary patterns and lifestyles transitioned from a dependence on mostly subsistence living to a more urbanised western lifestyle.

Building the evidence base on the agricultural nutrition nexus: Samoa

Food and nutrition security (FNS) is high on the global policy agenda and is of special significance for the African, Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP) region. Several pathways have been identified for achieving the desired FNS outcomes.