Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN +20) - Global ...

<strong>Second</strong> <strong>International</strong> <strong>Conference</strong> on Nutrition (ICN +20)
I. Introduction
Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture
M S Swaminathan
The 2 nd <strong>International</strong> <strong>Conference</strong> on Nutrition is being held in the backdrop of the
widespread persistence of under- and mal-nutrition in the world, particularly in the
developing countries of South Asia and sub-saharan Africa. Many Nations are
unlikely to achieve the modest UN Millennium Development Goal No.1, namely
reducing hunger and poverty by half by 2015. Nearly a billion children, women and
men go to bed now partially hungry. Even in countries like India, where as early as 40
years ago an Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS) was introduced to deliver
nutrition, healthcare and education in an integrated manner to children below 5 years
of age, a recent survey reveals that in the 100 districts studied 42 percent of children
under 5 are underweight and 59% are stunted. The Prime Minister of India, Dr
Manmohan Singh, referred to this situation as a “national shame”.
It is clear but a business as usual approach will not help to remedy this unacceptable
situation. Farmers constitute the majority of population in most developing countries
and most of them operate small holdings, 1 to 2 ha in size. Malnutrition among such
producer-consumers is an important cause for a large proportion of the population
remaining malnourished. This is why the movement for spreading Nutrition Sensitive
Agriculture assumes significance and urgency. We should make this movement
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environmentally, economically and socially sustainable and implementable. This
paper provides a road map for this purpose.
II. Definitions
1. Agriculture : Agriculture is a profession based on crop and animal husbandry,
forestry and agro-forestry, capture and culture fisheries and agro-processing,
practiced either separately or in combination in the form of integrated farming
systems, such as crop-livestock, crop-fish, crop-livestock-fish, tree-species
and annual crops (agro-forestry) and a wide range of on-farm and off-farm
occupations. In most developing countries, agriculture is both a way of life
and the principal means to livelihood. Unlike in industrialised countries, it is
not just a commodity producing enterprise, but is the backbone of the
livelihood security system of a high proportion of the population in a majority
of developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Small scale family
farming is generally the rule in developing countries, while farming generally
takes the form of large agri-business enterprises in industrialised countries. In
developed nations, only 2 to 3 % of the population are classified as farmers, in
contrast to 50 to 70 % of the population in Sub-saharan Africa and South Asia.
2. Nutrition Security involves physical, economic and social access to balanced
diet (the needed macro and micro-nutrients), clean drinking water, sanitation,
primary healthcare and nutritional literacy.
3. Nutrition-sensitive Agriculture : Nutrition sensitive farming involves the
design and adoption of cropping and farming systems which can provide
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agricultural remedies to the prevailing nutritional maladies. Nutritional
maladies may take the following forms
• Protein-energy under or mal-nutrition, primarily caused by
poverty-induced lack of purchasing power
• Hidden hunger arising from the deficiency of micro-nutrients in
the diet, such as deficiency of iron, iodine, zinc, Vitamin A,
Vitamin B12, etc
• Transient hunger arising from either natural calamities or civil
disturbances including ethnic conflicts.
A Nutrition-sensitive agricultural system should be capable of addressing the above
forms of nutrition insecurity at the household, community and national levels.
III. Approaches to mainstreaming the nutrition dimension in agriculture
To begin with, the following systems of farm research should incorporate
nutritional criteria
a) Cropping System Research (CSR), which involves crop-crop rotation. A
cereal-legume rotation will provide both proteins to human beings and
nitrogen to the soil. Hidden hunger in the soil leads to hidden hunger
among human beings. A combination of millet like Eleucine coracana and
Moringa can provide all the macro- and micro-nutrients needed by the
body.
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) Farming System Research (FSR), which will involve crop-livestock-fish
integration in different combinations. FSR provides unique opportunities
for promoting nutrition sensitive agriculture, since the introduction of
dairy, poultry, fish and other sources of animal protan in the diet along
with the basic staples will help in providing a balanced diet.
c) Coastal System Research (CSR) CSR involves integrated planning for
the landward and seaward sides of the shore line. It is based on concurrent
attention to coastal forestry and agro-forestry, as well as to capture and
culture fisheries. The Sea Water Farming project of MSSRF promotes
integrated agri-aqua farming. Halophytes like Salicornia, Atriplex, brown
algae, etc., are important sources of nutrition and constitute good human
food as well as animal feed. Rice varieties with high salinity tolerance can
also be planted. Sea water constitutes 97% of the global water resource. It
is hence an important social asset. Sea Water Farming, rooted in
nutritional principles, will help to enhance the nutrition security of
coastal communities.
d) Rural System Research (RSR) RSR takes a holistic view of rural
livelihoods – both on-farm and off-farm (Swaminathan, 1988). The major
aim of RSR is to ensure work and income security to family farmers
operating small holdings. Improving the productivity and profitability of
small holdings in an environmentally sustainable manner, and generating
opportunities for agro-processing and value-addition to primary products,
as well as creating awareness for productive employment in the services
sector are the goals of RSR. Thus RSR will help to improve economic
access to food and provide some insulation against price volatility.
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e) How can Cropping System, Farming System, Coastal System and Rural
System research help to promote nutrition sensitive agriculture?
IV. Designing Nutrition Sensitive Systems of Farming and their
Dissemination
For ensuring adequate nutrition of the right quality to an individual, a life-cycle
approach will have to be adopted. Starting with pregnant women, the life cycle
approach extends upto old and infirm persons. Maternal and foetal under- and mal-
nutrition leads to the birth of babies characterised by low birth weight (LBW). Such
LBW babies suffer from many handicaps in later life including impaired cognitive
ability. A food based approach to overcoming malnutrition at every stage in the life
cycle will call for a carefully planned choice of crops. The following steps will be
involved in this process:
a) Conduct a survey in the village of the nutritional problems which need
attention, as for example iron deficiency anaemia, blindness arising from
the deficiency of Vitamin-A, goitre resulting from iodine deficiency and
also health problems arising from the deficiency of essential amino acids
like lysine.
b) Identify crops which can provide the needed nutrients, as shown in the
following figure and table
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Nutritional Malady and Horticultural Remedy
Some Examples
Malady:
Vitamins:
Vitamin A
Vitamin B Complex
Vitamin C
Minerals
Iron
Iodine
Zinc
Copper
Remedy:
Rape Leaves
Cauliflower
Amaranth
Drumstick leaves
Spinach
Parsley
Turnip Greens
Carrot
Tapioca chips
Sweet Potato
Yam
Radish
Combating Hidden Hunger /
Moringa oleifera
Annual Moringa
Variety developed
at the Tamil Nadu
Agricultural
University
Moringa and Millets provide all the macroand
micro-nutrients required by the body
Source: Lost Crops of Africa, Vegetables, Volume II, 2006, National Research Council of the
National Academies, The National Academies Press, Washington, D.C.
A crop like Quality Protein Maize (QPM) can provide the needed lysine rich
protein.
c) Based on the survey information and the food based opportunities for
overcoming the prevailing malnutrition problems, help farm families to
incorporate the nutritional dimension in their cropping / farming system.
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To undertake such tasks, it will be useful to promote the formation of a Farmers’
Council for Nutrition Security in each agro-ecological region, comprising of both
men and women farmers and a Home Science graduate trained in Nutrition. Such a
Council can undertake the task of spreading nutrition literacy among farm families,
and at the same time help in the adoption of cropping and farming systems which
address the nutritional challenges faced by local families. Such local level Farmers’
Councils can join together and form a National Council of Farmers for Nutrition
Security at the country level. Ultimately, with the help of FAO, WHO, UNICEF,
IFAD, WFP and UNDP, a Global Council of farmers for Nutrition Security can be
established.
Concerted efforts are now in progress to integrate nutritional factors in crop
improvement research. For example, CGIAR’s Harvest Plus programme aims to
enrich staple grains with micronutrients like Fe, Vitamin A, Zinc, etc as shown in
Annexure 1.
Beta carotene rich Sweet potato is another easily available source of Vitamin-A.
Children like mashed sweet potato and the crop grows well under a wide range of
conditions. Many of the major and minor millets are rich in protein. Instead of
referring to them as coarse cereals, they should be classified as “Nutri-cereals”.
Such minor millets are also more climate resilient and hence will become important in
an era of climate change.
Public policy measures should help to enlarge the food basket so as to add nutrition-
rich grains in daily consumption. An important step in this direction is being taken in
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India, where the Food Security Act recently introduced in Parliament, provides for the
supply of highly subsidised grains to all individuals requiring social protection for
meeting their dietary needs. In addition to wheat and rice, the Act provides for the
supply of nutri-cereals to all needing social protection, at the rate of Rupee one per kg
(1 US Dollar : about 50 Indian rupees). It is hoped that such a step will enthuse
farmers to take to the cultivation of a wide range of locally adapted millets as well as
to crops like Quality Protein Maize.
Nutrition rich crop varieties are also being produced through the recombinant DNA
technology (genetic modification). There are public concerns about GMOs and until
such concerns are adequately addressed, genetically fortified crops bred by Mendelian
methods or by Molecular Marker-Assisted Selection (MAS) could be used for
overcoming the deficiency of micro-nutrients in the diet. A national food cum
genetic enrichment method will be ideal.
In addition to local level Farmers’ Councils for Nutrition Security, a woman and man
selected by local communities can be trained as Community Hunger Fighters in
every village. Such a programme initiated by the M S Swaminathan Research
Foundation in the hunger hot spot area of Koraput in the State of Odisha, involves the
training of a cadre of young women and men in providing agricultural remedies to the
nutritional deficiencies prevailing in the area. The solutions suggested by the
Community Hunger Fighters to the malnutrition problems of the area should be
implementable, affordable replicable and sustainable.
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For spreading Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture, a decentralised approach will be
needed. The CSR, FSR and Coastal System Research programmes should be tailored
to the prevailing agro-climatic, agro-ecological and socio-economic conditions. The
non-farm component of RSR should be based on a market-driven approach. Above all,
women should play a lead role in all issues relating to balanced diet and good
nutrition since they are generally incharge of household food security. Also, they play
a lead role in raising food crops, cultivating vegetables and attending to post-harvest
technology.
V. Summing-up
2014 has been declared as the Year of the Family Farmer by the United Nations.
After careful preparation during 2012-13, a global programme can be launched during
2014 on spreading the message and methods of Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture. All
over the world, Farmers’ Councils for Nutrition Security can be organised. Such
Councils with the help of Community Hunger Fighters can become the flagship for a
Nutrition Secure World.
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VITAMIN A CASSAVA
Release Date: 2011
Genetic Fortification
Annexure I
Cassava is a robust crop able to withstand disease, drought, and pests. It grows well
on marginal soils and is grown where both poverty and malnutrition are widespread.
Nutrient: Provitamin A
Baseline: 0 parts per million
target: 15 parts per million
Agronomic traits: High yielding, virus resistance
target Countries: Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
Deficiency Rates: 30% of children under 5 in Nigeria and 61% of children under 5 in
DRC are estimated to be vitamin A deficient.
Average Consumption (adults): 600 grams/capita/day
Vitamin A Cassava Can Provide: 50% of the mean daily vitamin A needs of adult
women.
VITAMIN A MAIZE
Release Date: 2012
Maize is the most important cereal food crop in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin
America.
Nutrient: Provitamin A
Baseline: 0 parts per million
target: 15 parts per million
Agronomic traits: High yielding, disease and virus resistance, drought tolerance
Target Country: Zambia
Deficiency Rates: 54% of children under 5 are estimated to be vitamin A deficient.
Average Consumption (adults): 300 grams/capita/day
Vitamin A Maize Can Provide: 50% of the mean daily vitamin A needs of adult
women.
ZINC RICE
Release Date: 2013
Rice is the staple food for more than half the world’s population. In many Asian
countries, rice provides up to 80 percent of the energy intake of the poor.
Nutrient: Zinc
Baseline: 16 parts per million
Target: 24 parts per million
Agronomic traits: High yielding, disease and pest resistance
target Countries: Bangladesh, India
Deficiency Rates: Approximately 44% of children under 5 in both Bangladesh and
India are at risk of zinc deficiency.
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Average Consumption (adults): 400 grams/capita/day
Zinc Rice Can Provide: 40% of the mean daily zinc needs of adult women.
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IRON PEARL MILLET
Release Date: 2012
Pearl millet is grown in harsh environments in the arid and semi-arid regions of Asia
and Africa providing both energy and nutrition to poor farming communities.
Nutrient: Iron
Baseline: 47 parts per million
target: 77 parts per million
Agronomic traits: High yielding, mildew resistance, drought tolerance.
target Country: India
Deficiency Rates: 74% of children under 5 and 52% of non-pregnant women are
anemic. In western India, where pearl millet is a staple food, an estimated 66% of
children under 5 are anemic.
Average Consumption (adults): 300 grams/capita/day
Iron Pearl Millet Can Provide: 30% of the mean daily iron needs (and 40% of zinc
needs) of adult women.
ZINC WHEAT
Release Date: 2013
Wheat is the second most consumed cereal in Asia, after rice, but is grown
worldwide; wheat is sown on more than 200 million hectares of developing country
farmland.
Nutrient: Zinc
Baseline: 25 parts per million
target: 33 parts per million
Agronomic traits: High yielding, disease resistance
Target Countries: India, Pakistan
Deficiency Rates: 44% of children under 5 in India and 37% in Pakistan are at risk of
zinc deficiency.
Average Consumption (adults): 350 grams/capita/day
Zinc Wheat Can Provide: 40% of the mean daily zinc needs of adult women.
IRON BEAN
Release Date: 2012
The common bean is among the world’s most important food legumes. Beans are an
important
part of the diet for millions of people in Africa and Central and South America.
Nutrient: Iron
Baseline: 50 parts per million
Target: 94 parts per million
Agronomic traits: High yielding, virus resistance, heat and drought tolerance
Target Countries: Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
Deficiency Rates: In Rwanda, an estimated 56% of children under 5 and 33% of nonpregnant
women are anemic. In DRC, an estimated 71% of children under 5 and 53%
of non-pregnant women are anemic.
Average Consumption (adults): 250 grams/capita/day
Iron Bean Can Provide: 30% of the mean daily
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Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture
Possible Collaborators and Contributors
1. Dr Dennis Garrity, DG, World Agro-forestry Centre, Nairobi
(d.garrity@cgiar.org)
2. Dr Miguel Altieri, Professor of Agroecology, University of California, Berkeley
(agroeco3@berkeley.edu)
3. Dr Renato S Maluf and Dr Ana Fonseca (Brazil)
(renato.maluf@terra.com.br)
4. Dr (Ms) Sheela Ramachandran, VC, Avinashilingam University
(vc@avinuty.ac.in)
5. Dr Parviz Koohafkan, FAO, Rome (Parviz.koohafkan@fao.org;
parvizkoohafkan@gmail.com)
6. Dr B Sesikeran, Director, National Institute of Nutrition (sesikeran@gmail.com)
7. Director General of IRRI, CIMMYT and IFPRI
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