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Definition
The Collaborative Crop Research Program of The McKnight Foundation
places strong emphasis on improving human nutrition through
agricultural research. Malnutrition is implicated in half
of all child deaths worldwide, and remains the biggest health
risk globally. As the World Health Organization notes, "nutrition
is an input to and foundation for health and development.
Interaction of infection and malnutrition is well-documented.
Better nutrition means stronger immune systems, less illness
and better health. Healthy children learn better. Healthy
people are stronger, are more productive and more able to
create opportunities to gradually break the cycles of both
poverty and hunger in a sustainable way. Better nutrition
is a prime entry point to ending poverty and a milestone to
achieving better quality of life. Freedom from hunger and
malnutrition is a basic human right and their alleviation
is a fundamental prerequisite for human and national development."
(WHO
website, accessed March 2, 2006).
Agriculture and nutrition linkages
The link between improved agricultural productivity and improved
human nutrition is not necessarily a direct one. That is,
improvements in agricultural productivity do not automatically
translate themselves into improved nutritional status. Ensuring
that investments in crop research lead to nutritional improvement
requires a targeted approach that takes into account prevalent
diseases, household dynamics, the economic and social context,
among other factors. Recent studies have emphasized the importance
of considering gender dynamics and community participation
if agricultural improvements are to have positive effects
on human nutrition. Some suggested readings about the links
between agriculture and nutrition are:
- Berti, P., J. Krasevec and S. Fitzgerald (2004). A Review
of the Effectiveness of Agriculture Interventions in Improving
Nutrition Outcomes.Public Health Nutrition 7(5): 599-609.
- Haddad, L. (2000). A conceptual framework for assessing
agriculture-nutrition linkages. Food and Nutrition Bulletin
21(4): 367-373.
- Ruel, M. T. and C. E. Levin (2000). Assessing the potential
for food-based strategies to reduce Vitamin A and iron deficiencies:
a review of recent evidence. Washington, IFPRI.
- Underwood, B. A. (2000). Overcoming micronutrient deficiencies
in developing countries: is there a role for agriculture?
Food and Nutrition Bulletin 21(4): 356-360.
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Relevant literature
Available on the Internet
We are encouraging agricultural researchers to make links
with those involved in nutrition research and development
activities, in order to enhance nutritional outcomes from
their research. Below are some suggested resources to assist
anyone in this pursuit.
Study: From Agriculture to Nutrition: Pathways, Synergies
and Outcomes
- Website: Global
Donor Platform for Rural Development
- Description: From their website: "It would appear
that the operating assumption behind the Green Revolution
was that increasing food production would automatically
improve human nutrition. Experience has shown otherwise.
Using GR technology food production did increase in the
1960s and 1970s at a pace that was more than sufficient
to satisfy the food requirements of a growing global population.
However, malnutrition, and particularly childhood malnutrition,
have persisted despite this increased food supply, lower
food prices, and higher incomes. Agricultural production
can contribute to better human nutrition, but it must go
beyond volume and the nutritional outcomes need to be incorporated
explicitly into agricultural planning and production decisions.
From Agriculture to Nutrition examines what determines human
nutritional status and how food production affects nutrition.
It also analyses the factors that are changing how agriculture
can impact nutrition --- including technology, policies,
marketing, and new patterns of food consumption. The report
ends with a discussion of the potential and limitations
of government agricultural institutions working with other
sector agencies whose responsibilities bear upon nutritional
status."
Guide: Nutrition essentials: a guide for health managers
- Website: Basics
publications
- Reference: Nutrition essentials: a guide for health managers.
WHO/BASICS/UNICEF, 1999.
- Description: This guide is designed for health managers
in developing countries to "strengthen nutrition activities
in their programs. Other sector managers in agriculture,
education, rural development, and social welfare programs
will also find the guide useful to enhance their nutrition
activities. The guide is neither a full, societal, multisectoral
review of nutrition problems nor does it provide answers
to solve all nutrition problems. However, managers and health
practitioners can: look up current nutrition protocols and
guidelines, learn the technical reasons for focusing on
certain nutrition outcomes and interventions, find checklists
that can be adapted locally for program planning, training,
supervision, and evaluation, discover new ideas to solve
common problems, and develop training aids, design curriculum,
and make overheads and handouts."
Guide: Preventing micronutrient malnutrition: a guide
to food-based approaches
- Website: FAO
- Reference: Preventing micronutrient malnutrition: a guide
to food-based approaches. Rome: FAO, Food and Nutrition
Division, 1997.
- Description: FAO and the International Life Sciences Institute
developed this manual to provide a "comprehensive description
of the planning considerations required to implement food-based
strategies to overcome micronutrient malnutrition. The manual's
purpose is to assist policy makers, programme planners,
food industry representatives and community workers to understand,
implement and promote food-based strategies in their respective
countries."
LINKAGES
- Website: LINKAGES
project
- Description: LINKAGES is a USAID-funded program "providing
technical information, assistance, and training to organizations
on breastfeeding, related complementary feeding and maternal
dietary practices. LINKAGES is managed by the Academy for
Educational Development to increase the practice of breastfeeding
and related practices as a means toward: increased child
survival, growth and development, increased child spacing,
improved maternal, reproductive health, reduced HIV transmission
through informed decision-making on optimal infant feeding."
This site provides several free publications and guides
to help improve nutritional outcomes in developing countries.
Many publications can be downloaded for free from this site
or can be requested to be sent, including the following:
o 'Facts
for Feeding': short summaries of current technical recommendations
for feeding of children of different ages and to meet different
micronutrient requirements.
o Training
modules: training programs for health and development
workers for different key nutritional issues such as early
child feeding.
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Relevant links
UNICEF
- Website: UNICEF
- Description: UNICEF provides information about such topics
as child feeding recommendations, micronutrients and feeding
recommendations in areas of high HIV prevalence. They also
have links to technical publications on nutrition-related
issues, and statistics, among other resources.
The Micronutrient Initiative
- Website: The
Micronutrient Initiative
- Description: This non-profit research and development
organization is focused on eliminating vitamin and mineral
human deficiencies globally. The site provides country-specific
statistics, downloadable reports and contact information
for technical assistance related to micronutrient deficiencies.
World Health Organization website, nutrition topic page
- Website: WHO
nutrition topic page
- Description: The WHO website outlines why nutrition is
a key problem, important aspects of nutrition are and what
some of the consequences of poor nutrition. Nutrition publications
related to food security, HIV, child feeding and other topics
are provided. Research tools, including databases, statistics
on specific diseases or health problems and country specific
information are also available on the WHO
website.
Helen Keller International website publications
- Website: Helen
Keller International website publications
- Description: HKI is a non-profit NGO that aims to prevent
blindness, reduce malnutrition and reduce poverty. Their
website includes downloadable documents on using homestead
gardens to improve nutrition.
The CCRP is funding two HKI projects. The  Sweetpotato
(Burkina Faso) project attempts to reduce vitamin A
deficiencies in young children through increased consumption
of orange-fleshed sweet potatoes. Varietal testing is combined
with nutrition education and a communication strategy to
improve OFSP use in Burkina Faso. The Nutrition
(Mali) project is part of a broader research effort
aimed at improving food and nutrition security in millet
and sorghum-based systems. This project will focus on reducing
iron and zinc deficiencies through nutrition education,
agricultural activities and improved food processing methods.
World Bank nutrition
- Website: World
Bank Nutrition
- Description: This website provides an overview of the
importance of nutrition, has nutrition "toolkits" which
can help project managers integrate nutritional issues into
development projects, provides data and statistics and publications
on different nutritional topics.
Food and nutrition library
- Website: Food
and nutrition library
- Description: "This CD-ROM library FNL 2.2 contains 600+
publications (54,000) in the fields of food, nutrition,
food processing, food policy and nutrition research. The
objective of this cooperative project is to provide those
involved in the areas of food, nutrition and food policy
access to a comprehensive CD-ROM library containing multidisciplinary
insight about solutions to problems facing the poor. This
humanitarian project is implemented in cooperation with
numerous organizations and agencies and includes publications
of the United Nations University, United Nations System
Standing Committee on Nutrition (SCN), the World Food Program,
GTZ-GATE, NS-BOSTID, Peace Corps, IFPRI and many others."
Harvest Plus
- Website: Harvest
Plus
- Description: This program aims to breed staple crops that
are higher in micronutrients (a strategy termed "biofortification")
and thereby reduce micronutrient malnutrition. Harvest Plus
is a CGIAR entity formed in 2004. This website provides
reports on their progress to-date, information about bio-fortification,
and relevant publications.
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