scholarly journals A Review of Indigenous Food Crops in Africa and the Implications for more Sustainable and Healthy Food Systems

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 3493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Racheal Akinola ◽  
Laura Maureen Pereira ◽  
Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi ◽  
Francia-Marié de Bruin ◽  
Loubie Rusch
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Healthy Food ◽  
Crop Species ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Nutrition Security ◽  
Food And Nutrition ◽  
African Context ◽  
Indigenous Foods

Indigenous and traditional foods crops (ITFCs) have multiple uses within society, and most notably have an important role to play in the attempt to diversify the food in order to enhance food and nutrition security. However, research suggests that the benefits and value of indigenous foods within the South African and the African context have not been fully understood and synthesized. Their potential value to the African food system could be enhanced if their benefits were explored more comprehensively. This synthesis presents a literature review relating to underutilized indigenous crop species and foods in Africa. It organizes the findings into four main contributions, nutritional, environmental, economic, and social-cultural, in line with key themes of a sustainable food system framework. It also goes on to unpack the benefits and challenges associated with ITFCs under these themes. A major obstacle is that people are not valuing indigenous foods and the potential benefit that can be derived from using them is thus neglected. Furthermore, knowledge is being lost from one generation to the next, with potentially dire implications for long-term sustainable food security. The results show the need to recognize and enable indigenous foods as a key resource in ensuring healthy food systems in the African continent.

scholarly journals Assessing Sustainable Food and Nutrition Security of the EU Food System—An Integrated Approach

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 4271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika Zurek ◽  
Aniek Hebinck ◽  
Adrian Leip ◽  
Joost Vervoort ◽  
Marijke Kuiper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Science Communication ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Food And Nutrition Security ◽  
Nutrition Security ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
Nutrition And Diet ◽  
Food And Nutrition ◽  
The Eu

Steering the EU food system towards a sustainability transformation requires a vast and actionable knowledge base available to a range of public and private actors. Few have captured this complexity by assessing food systems from a multi-dimensional and multi-level perspective, which would include (1) nutrition and diet, environmental and economic outcomes together with social equity dimensions and (2) system interactions across country, EU and global scales. This paper addresses this gap in food systems research and science communication by providing an integrated analytical approach and new ways to communicate this complexity outside science. Based on a transdisciplinary science approach with continuous stakeholder input, the EU Horizon2020 project ‘Metrics, Models and Foresight for European SUStainable Food And Nutrition Security’ (SUSFANS) developed a five-step process: Creating a participatory space; designing a conceptual framework of the EU food system; developing food system performance metrics; designing a modelling toolbox and developing a visualization tool. The Sustainable Food and Nutrition-Visualizer, designed to communicate complex policy change-impacts and trade-off questions, enables an informed debate about trade-offs associated with options for change among food system actors as well as in the policy making arena. The discussion highlights points for further research related to indicator development, reach of assessment models, participatory processes and obstacles in science communication.

scholarly journals Strategies for the promotion of healthy, adequate and sustainable food in Brazil in times of Covid-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suellen Secchi MARTINELLI ◽  
Suzi Barletto CAVALLI ◽  
Rafaela Karen FABRI ◽  
Marcela Boro VEIROS ◽  
Amélia Borba Costa REIS ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Family Farming ◽  
Sustainable Food Systems ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Food And Nutrition ◽  
Current Scenario ◽  
Emergency Actions ◽  
Access To Food

Abstract The current scenario generated by the Covid-19 pandemic enhances the condition of food and nutrition insecurity due to the worsening of poverty, hunger and lack of access to food, as well as the excess consumption of foods considered unhealthy. The effects of the pandemic enhances the need for a new way of arranging the production, distribution and consumption of food, giving new meaning to the relationship between food, eating and the environment. Thus, it is suggested that a reflection be made on the strategies for the appropriate healthy, adequate and sustainable diet in Brazil to face this health emergency. Actions must be focused on the articulation of strategies that foster sovereignty, food and nutrition security and healthier and more sustainable food systems such as the strengthening of family farming; income assurance for the population; access to quality food; changes in the food environment; dissemination of information on healthy and sustainable food in official recommendations for the pandemic and food guides covering the entire food system, as well as food and nutrition education practices.

Food Systems

2019 ◽  
pp. 134-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henk Jochemsen ◽  
Corné J. Rademaker
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Process Of Care ◽  
Environmental Consequences ◽  
Nutrition Security ◽  
Food And Nutrition ◽  
The World ◽  
The One ◽  
Global Food

Today's predominant food system on the one hand produces plenty of food, making food relatively cheap for most people in the world. However, for many people, the food they can afford is insufficiently nutritious. Major global health problems like obesity are partly a result of the present food system. Furthermore, the modern industrial way of producing food has negative environmental consequences, consisting among others of a decline in soil fertility and a loss of biodiversity. Another food system is required to obtain sustainable global food and nutrition security. This food system should observe the normativity of the agricultural practices that produce food. The authors' analysis of agricultural practices shows that the farm is economically qualified but that the primary process of care for soil, crops, and animals can best be seen as an ethically qualified supporting practice that steers the “meaningful shaping” of the interventions foundational for agricultural practices.

scholarly journals Animal-based food systems are unsafe: severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) fosters the debate on meat consumption

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (17) ◽  
pp. 3250-3255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Cristine Medeiros Jacob ◽  
Ivanilda Soares Feitosa ◽  
Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Meat Consumption ◽  
Zoonotic Diseases ◽  
Meat Production ◽  
Rational Analysis ◽  
Nutrition Security ◽  
Production And Consumption ◽  
Food And Nutrition ◽  
The Status

AbstractObjective:The current pandemic restarts a debate on permanently banning wildlife consumption in an effort to prevent further public health threats. In this commentary, we offer two ideas to enhance the discussion on foodborne zoonotic diseases in food systems.Design:First, we focus on the probable consequences that the loss of access to wildlife could cause to the status of food and nutrition security of many people in developing countries that rely on bushmeat to subsist. Second, we argue that all animal-based food systems, especially the ones based on intensive husbandry, present food safety threats.Conclusion:To ban the access to bushmeat without a rational analysis of all human meat production and consumption in the global animal-based food system will not help us to prevent future outbreaks.

scholarly journals Impression of COVID-19 Pandemic on Food Systems, Natural Environmental Resources and Agriculture in India: A Review

2021 ◽  
pp. 120-131
Author(s):  
R. K. Naresh ◽  
Saurabh Tyagi ◽  
M. Sharath Chandra ◽  
B. Chandra Shekar ◽  
Pradeep Kumar Singh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Consumption Pattern ◽  
Critical Element ◽  
Food And Nutrition Security ◽  
Nutrition Security ◽  
Food And Nutrition

The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting food and nutrition security through economic and social systems shocks, food system disruptions and gaps in coverage of essential health and nutrition services. Food systems in low- and middle-income groups must adapt and strengthen food and nutrition security in the wake of COVID-19. Smallholder farmers are a crucial part of the food value chain in India, as well as a critical element of the global food system. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought new risks that threaten livelihoods as well as food security. Post the rabi harvest in April, farmers prepare for the next (kharif) season in May. However, the COVID-19 induced disruptions have reduced production capacity for farm inputs and have led to an increase in price, making these resources inaccessible to smallholder and marginal farmers in the country. The corona-virus pandemic has caused a global reduction in economic activity and although this is major cause for concern, the ramping down of human activity appears to have had a positive impact on the environment. The COVID-19 lockdown has several social and economic effects. Additionally, COVID-19 has caused several impacts on global migration. Carbon emissions have dropped, and the COVID-19 lockdown has led to an improvement in air quality and a reduction in water pollution in many cities around the globe. We found that the COVID-19 lockdown in India has primarily impacted farmers’ ability to sell their crops and livestock products and decreased daily wages and dietary diversity. In this context, we aim to synthesize the early evidence of the COVID-19 impact on the Indian agricultural system viz., production, marketing and consumption followed by a set of potential strategies to recover and prosper post-pandemic. Findings indicate that the pandemic has affected production and marketing through labour and logistical constraints, while the negative income shock restricted access to markets and increased prices of food commodities affecting the consumption pattern.

scholarly journals Disruptive Innovations for Well-Functioning Food Systems: The Data-Driven “Food and Nutrition Security Under Climate Evolution” Framework

2022 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grazia Pacillo ◽  
Nguyen-Vu Bao-Nam ◽  
Dharani Dhar Burra ◽  
Huong T. Trinh ◽  
Tuyen Danh Le ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Variability ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Food And Nutrition Security ◽  
Nutrition Security ◽  
Food And Nutrition ◽  
Climate Evolution ◽  
Climate Crisis

The current climate crisis poses new uncertainties, risks, and vulnerabilities, and is leading to losses for millions of people depending on fragile food systems. Food systems are, however, vastly different across landscapes and communities, and their capacities to respond to climate impacts evolves and changes through time. Humanitarian and development organizations are struggling to keep pace with these changes. Monitoring a large number of diverse food systems during an evolving climate crisis can be expensive and time-consuming. This paper introduces a monitoring approach that uses a combination of open-source earth observations along with national data sources to produce highly contextualized metrics for monitoring Food And Nutrition Security under Climate Evolution (FANSCE). Entirely data-driven, the FANSCE approach has been designed to produce policy recommendations to help monitor, assess, and mitigate climatic impacts on food systems. We developed and tested this approach in Vietnam, where climate variability has become a growing threat to food systems. Our results show that predictors of food and nutrition security differ drastically with the intensity of climate variability. More specifically, our analyses suggest that in areas of high climate variability, levels of food and nutrition security can be significantly predicted based on economic activities, ethnicity, education, health of mothers, and the level of readiness and preparedness to climate impacts of villages and communities. On the other hand, in areas of low climate variability, food and nutrition security are mostly predictable based on the ability of households to access essential services (such as education, health) and communal resources (water, storage, etc.). To support the resilience of food systems, policymakers must regularly monitor how these dimensions react to the changing climate. Addition critical actions to increase food system sustainability in Vietnam include 1) enhanced coordination of institutional responses and capacities across governmental and non-governmental agencies, and 2) better integration of scientific knowledge into national and sub-national decision-making processes.

scholarly journals Mainstreaming Underutilized Indigenous and Traditional Crops into Food Systems: A South African Perspective

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi ◽  
Tendai Chibarabada ◽  
Vimbayi Chimonyo ◽  
Vongai Murugani ◽  
Laura Pereira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Healthy Food ◽  
Transformative Change ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Traditional Crops

Business as usual or transformative change? While the global agro-industrial food system is credited with increasing food production, availability and accessibility, it is also credited with giving birth to ‘new’ challenges such as malnutrition, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation. We reviewed the potential of underutilized indigenous and traditional crops to bring about a transformative change to South Africa’s food system. South Africa has a dichotomous food system, characterized by a distinct, dominant agro-industrial, and, alternative, informal food system. This dichotomous food system has inadvertently undermined the development of smallholder producers. While the dominant agro-industrial food system has led to improvements in food supply, it has also resulted in significant trade-offs with agro-biodiversity, dietary diversity, environmental sustainability, and socio-economic stability, especially amongst the rural poor. This challenges South Africa’s ability to deliver on sustainable and healthy food systems under environmental change. The review proposes a transdisciplinary approach to mainstreaming underutilized indigenous and traditional crops into the food system, which offers real opportunities for developing a sustainable and healthy food system, while, at the same time, achieving societal goals such as employment creation, wellbeing, and environmental sustainability. This process can be initiated by researchers translating existing evidence for informing policy-makers. Similarly, policy-makers need to acknowledge the divergence in the existing policies, and bring about policy convergence in pursuit of a food system which includes smallholder famers, and where underutilized indigenous and traditional crops are mainstreamed into the South African food system.

scholarly journals Agri-Food Markets in Qatar: Drivers, Trends, and Policy Responses

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 3643 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tarek Ben Hassen ◽  
Hamid El Bilali ◽  
Mohammed Al-Maadeed
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Food System ◽  
Food Markets ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Nutrition Security ◽  
Policy Responses ◽  
Production And Consumption ◽  
Food And Nutrition ◽  
System Sustainability

Agri-food markets are vital in achieving food security, especially for resource-poor, food-importing countries such as Qatar. The paper provides an overview of the evolution of agri-food markets in Qatar and explores the implications of past and ongoing changes in terms of food security and food system sustainability. In particular, the review analyzes drivers of changes, trends, and challenges as well as policy responses to address the emerging challenges while ensuring the country’s food security. It draws upon a systematic review of scholarly literature indexed in the Web of Science as well as data from gray literature (e.g., reports) and databases (e.g., FAOSTAT). Different drivers (e.g., population growth with huge expatriate inflow, urbanization, income increase) affected the functioning of agri-food markets as well as the structure of the food chain (viz. production, processing, distribution, consumption) in Qatar. In addition to drivers, the food-related trends were also shaped by numerous environmental (e.g., land/water scarcity), economic, health, and trade challenges. To ensure long-term food and nutrition security for its population, Qatar implemented various policies and strategies (e.g., National Food Security Strategy 2018–2023). In this context, agri-food markets, as functional links between production and consumption, can foster transition towards sustainable food consumption and production patterns in Qatar.

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