it. Te movement supports national governments in developing and operationalizing nutrition-sensitive national plans and aligns financial and technical sup- port for nutrition. A large part of the SUN move- ment's approach consists of incorporating specific pro-nutrition actions into other areas such as food security, agriculture, and health. Other initiatives included the United Nations
high-level meeting on noncommunicable diseases in September 2011. Tis meeting involved only lim- ited participation by the agriculture sector, but the declaration that resulted from the meeting noted the need for a whole-of-government approach that includes the agriculture sector. With its report Bringing Agriculture to the Table: How Agriculture and Food Can Play a Role in Preventing Chronic Disease, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs provided clear analysis and recommendations on how agri- culture can contribute to beter health. Despite opportunities to improve health out-
comes through the agriculture nexus approach, involving the health sector in the discussions has been challenging (see Box 8). One of the key bar- riers to collaboration between the agriculture and health communities is a lack of common metrics. Terefore, in May 2011, IFPRI and the Leverhulme Center for Integrative Research on Agriculture and Health brought together health and agricul- ture experts to find common ways of measuring the health outcomes of agriculture interventions. Building on the momentum of the 2020 Con-
ference, the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) developed a major new research program called “Agriculture for Improved Nutrition and Health,” which was launched in January 2012 with the overarching aim of improving the nutrition and health of poor people by exploiting the many synergies between agriculture, nutrition, and health (see Box 6).
LINKING AGRICULTURE, NUTRITION, AND HEALTH
In many ways, the links among agriculture, nutri- tion, and health are already at work, but the syner- gies may not always be optimal. Agriculture is the primary source of food to meet people’s need for
58 CONNECTING THE DOTS
energy and essential nutrients. But to get access to food, people do not necessarily need to produce it themselves; they can also buy it. Te agricultural system may help increase people’s access to food by allowing them to produce more food (if they farm themselves) or by lowering food prices or raising their incomes (if they purchase food). By improv- ing their access to food, agriculture has the poten- tial to greatly improve people’s nutrition and health. At the same time, some agricultural conditions and practices can lead to disease and poor health for both farmers and consumers.3 For example, agricul- tural practices may increase farmers’ risk of becom- ing infected with animal diseases, expose farmers to dangerous pesticides, or introduce toxins into foods. In many agrarian countries, agricultural growth
is more effective in reducing undernutrition than growth in other sectors. However, the composi- tion of agricultural growth, the distribution of this growth, and the conditions under which such growth takes place all mater. Growth in agricul- tural subsectors where poor people are engaged, such as staple crops, contributes more to reducing poverty and increasing calorie intake than growth in, for instance, export crops. Later in the devel- opment process, growth in other sectors besides agriculture becomes more important in improv- ing food and nutrition security. Yet neither agricul- tural growth nor nonagricultural growth alone is sufficient to reduce child undernutrition or micro- nutrient malnutrition—complementary programs in nutrition, health, water and sanitation, and behavior change communication also need to be implemented and targeted to vulnerable popula- tions, especially women and children.4 Te links among agriculture, health, and nutrition
oſten work differently for men and women. In many parts of the world, men and women spend money dif- ferently: women are more likely to spend the income they control on food, healthcare, and education for their children. Increased equality between men and women can translate into greater agricultural productivity. If this productivity is accompanied by more income and strong bargaining power for women, it can result in beter health and nutrition. Opportunities to improve nutrition and reduce health risks exist all along the agricultural value
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