International agricultural research to reduce food risks: case studies on aflatoxins

Despite massive expansion of human and livestock populations, fuelled by agricultural innovations, nearly one billion people are hungry and 2 billion are sickened each year from the food they eat. Agricultural and food systems are intimately connected to health outcomes, but health policy and programs often stop at the clinic door. A consensus is growing that the disconnection between agriculture, health and nutrition is at least partly responsible for the disease burden associated with food and farming. Mycotoxins produced by fungi are one of the most serious food safety problems affecting staple crops (especially maize and groundnuts). Aflatoxins, the best studied of these mycotoxins, cause around 90,000 cases of liver cancer each year and are strongly associated with stunting and immune suppression in children. Mycotoxins also cause major economic disruptions through their impacts on trade and livestock production. In this paper we use the case of fungal toxins to explore how agricultural research can produce innovations, understand incentives and enable institutions to improve, simultaneously, food safety, food accessibility for poor consumers and access to markets for smallholder farmers, thus making the case for research investors to support research into agricultural approaches for enhancing food safety in value chains. We first discuss the evolution of food safety research within the CGIAR. Then we show how taking an epidemiological and economic perspective on aflatoxin research connects health and nutrition outcomes. Finally, we present three case studies illustrating the traditional strengths of CGIAR research: breeding better varieties and developing new technologies

Conceptual framework for food systems for diets and nutrition: Country food system fact sheet: Viet Nam

Non-PRIFPRI1; CRP4; 2 Promoting Healthy Diets and Nutrition for allA4NHCGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH

Inclusive food system transformations for healthy diets: National experiences with a global challenge

The CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH) is dedicated to the realization of Sustainable Development Goals 2 and 3, as coordinated by the United Nations and agreed to by member countries. These goals include objectives to: end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, promote sustainable agriculture, ensure healthy lives, and promote well-being for all at all ages.Non-PRIFPRI1; CPR4A4NHCGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH

Biodiversity for food and nutrition in Brazil

The Biodiversity for Food and Nutrition Project—officially the Mainstreaming Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use for Improved Human Nutrition and Well-being project, or BFN project, is a multi-country initiative with an ambitious goal to mainstream biodiversity conservation to improve nutrition in four countries: Kenya, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and Brazil. In Brazil, the BFN project is just one of many initiatives within a national strategy to eradicate hunger and extreme poverty, specifically by mainstreaming biodiversity into national food and livelihood efforts. The project is influencing the national policy landscape, both by filling critical data gaps through an online portal which will streamline national data on Brazilian biodiversity and ecosystems, and through strong partnerships.Non-PRIFPRI1; CRP4A4NHCGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH

A4NH 2019 annual report

Food systems are changing rapidly in low- and middle-income countries. These countries seek food-based solutions for better nutrition and health of all people while addressing challenges of sustainability, inequity, and malnutrition. The CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH) works to develop evidence to support policies and actions for healthier food systems. A4NH is a consortium of seven managing partners, led by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). This report summarizes 2019 research results from A4NH, across five research flagships, and highlights the partnerships through which research has led to outcomes in five focus and more than two dozen other partner countries.Non-PRIFPRI1; CRP4A4NHCGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH

On the path to better nutrition and health : A4NH 2012 annual report

In its first year, A4NH took many steps to lay the groundwork for improved global health and nutrition in the future. Our initial work focused on solidifying critical partnerships, establishing a management structure that will provide external guidance and advice, developing our partnership and gender strategies, and planning for exciting new research initiatives in our four program areas. Besides establishing a coordinated governance and oversight structure, many A4NH research programs were already underway in 2012, particularly those focusing on biofortification, sustainable diets, and agriculture-associated diseases.Non-PRIFPRI1; CRP4A4NHCGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH

A4NH 2016 annual report

In its fifth and final year of Phase I, the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH) has validated its core areas of research, taking many to scale while also broadening its Phase II portfolio. By the end of 2016, more than 130 biofortified varieties of 10 crops were released in over 30 countries, all positive steps toward HarvestPlus’s goal of reaching 20 million farm households with biofortified crops by 2020 and 1 billion people consuming biofortified foods by 2030. High quality evidence—on topics such as emerging zoonoses, Rift Valley fever, aflatoxin control, and food safety in informal markets—helped inform policy and decision making to prevent and control agriculture-associated diseases in high-risk areas. Following a successful Nigeria pilot stage, the aflasafe™ approach for managing aflatoxins consistently reduced groundnut and maize aflatoxin contamination by at least 80 percent, with plans and investments to expand the approach to 11 other African countries. Rigorous evaluations of integrated agriculture-nutrition interventions demonstrated, for the first time, that well-designed programs can have measurable impacts on child and maternal nutrition, as well as on women’s empowerment.Non-PRIFPRI1; CRP4; HarvestPlusA4NHCGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH

A4NH 2014 annual report

The CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH) completed a successful third full year in 2014, with demonstrated progress in a number of areas. The delivery of biofortified crops surpassed 1 million farming households, work on aflatoxin control evolved beyond the pilot stage, and a team of researchers contributed to the development of a new global indicator to measure women’s dietary diversity. Several major events took place, including a consultation in Rwanda to mobilize partners on scaling up delivery of biofortification, and another in India to share evidence and experiences on improving nutrition. New and exciting outputs ranged from the Global Nutrition Report 2014, which examined the state of the world’s nutrition, to a Safe Food, Fair Food book which synthesized lessons from 10 years of food safety research in Africa. The year included an evaluation of our food safety component and the start of an external evaluation, as well as initial preparations for a second phase of work which will begin in 2017.Non-PRIFPRI1; CRP4A4NHCGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH

A4NH 2017 annual report highlights

The CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH) is dedicated to the realization of Sustainable Development Goals 2 and 3, laid out by the United Nations. In 2017, A4NH began its second phase of work, with five research flagships, seven managing partners, and activities in more than 30 countries all working toward realizing this vision.Non-PRIFPRI1; CRP4A4NHCGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH