Linking agriculture and food systems to improve nutrition

Accra - Some 795 million people in the world do not have enough food to lead a healthy active life – one in nine people on earth.  Asia has the highest world population of hungry people – two thirds of its total population, while sub-Saharan Africa is the region with the highest prevalence of hunger (percentage of population), where one person in four is undernourished[1].

Since 2013, there have been new developments in term of commitments at international, regional and sub-regional levels to fight malnutrition.  These developments include the 2014 African Union Malabo Declaration and its Implementation Strategy and Roadmap; the 2^nd International Conference on Nutrition Rome Declaration and its Framework for Actions; the Sustainable Development Goals; African Regional Nutrition Strategy and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Zero Hunger Initiative. These engagements highlight the importance of agriculture and food systems for improved nutrition.

In working towards the strengthening of capacity to mainstream nutrition in the National Agriculture and Food Security Investment Plans in Africa, a meeting was convened by the African Union Commission, NEPAD Agency and ECOWAS, in Accra, Ghana, on the 14^th  and 15^th of March.  The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) National Agriculture and Food Security Investment Plans provide the much needed impetus for linking agriculture and food systems to counter hunger and malnutrition in Africa. 

“We need to make sure that nutrition becomes an integral part of national investment plans to improve on our success,” said Ms Paulina Addy, Director of Women in Agricultural Development (WIAD).

Dr Augustin Wambo Yamdjeu, Head of CAADP at the NEPAD Agency, reiterated that the meeting comes at the right time to ensure that the second generation of National Agriculture and Food Security Investment Plans have nutrition and food security at their core.

The meeting therefore focused on the improvement of commitment and support for regional economic communities in mainstreaming nutrition in CAADP National Agriculture and Food Security Investment Plans.

Speaking at the same event, Ms Isatou Jallow, NEPAD Agency’s Head of Nutrition, reminded participants that apart from the Malabo Declaration on Agriculture and CAADP, there was also one on "Nutrition Security for Inclusive Economic Growth and Sustainable Development". What the two declarations have in common is a commitment to end hunger and a target to reduce stunting to 10% with NEPAD and the AUC, in collaboration with the regional economic communities in rendering support to countries. 

The meeting therefore provided space for sensitisation, dialogue and sharing of experiences among regional economic communities on how to better integrate the linkages between agriculture and food systems and nutrition into their regional food and nutrition security investment strategies, as well as the provision of support to countries for accountability on their commitment to nutrition in the CAADP agenda for sustained agricultural growth, food and nutrition security.

The meeting in Accra on mainstreaming nutrition in National Agriculture and Food Security Investment Plans was convened in order to:

• Update regional economic communities on the nutrition situation in their respective sub-regions;
• Dialogue on how regional economic communities can support countries on their commitments to improving nutrition outcomes of their population through efficient nutrition sensitive food and agriculture systems in the CAADP framework;
• Take stock of lessons learned from regions on their efforts to integrate nutrition in their regional agricultural strategies and to support countries in mainstreaming nutrition into their National Agriculture and Food Security Investment Plans, as well as to discuss challenges and opportunities;
• Deliberate on how institutions such as the African Union, NEPAD Agency, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and others could support regional economic communities to effectively support countries to deliver results, and;
• Discuss modalities of establishment of sub-regional task forces for follow-up actions.

Suffyan Koroma, Senior Economist in the FAO Regional Office for Africa, remarked that the meeting also provides space for mutual accountability in attaining nutrition commitments amongst partners and stakeholders, both at regional and country levels.

The meeting was attended by about fifty participants from countries that included Nigeria, Gambia, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Liberia, Botswana, the Republic of Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, Uganda and Mali.  Representatives from institutions included those from ECOWAS, ECSA, FAO, UNICEF, WFP, Harvest Plus and others.

Source: NEPAD Agency