Neonicotinoid Insecticides: Use and Effects in African Agriculture - A Review and Recommendations to Policymakers

Cite: Network of African Science Academies (NASAC), (2019). Neonicotinoid Insecticides: Use and Effects in African Agriculture - A Review and Recommendations to Policymakers. [Online] Available at: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11911/131Agriculture is critically important for African societies and economies, but ensuring food security for Africa’s growing population is a major challenge due to climate change, structural changes in land use and management, and intensification of agriculture, including the use of pesticides. A synergistic relationship between agriculture and the beneficial services offered by nature (such as pollination and natural pest control) is a foundation of sustainable agriculture on which future food security depends. Such ‘ecosystem services’ are provided mainly (although not exclusively) by invertebrates, and the rapid decline in biodiversity in general and insects in particular globally has implications for productivity and future food security. Beneficial insects increase agricultural productivity and the quality of crops and are as (if not more) important in the African context than the rest of the world. One factor that has been shown to contribute to loss of ecosystem services in Europe and elsewhere is the increased use of a class of systemic insecticides called neonicotinoids, which act as insect neurotoxins. They are taken up by all parts of the plant, are water soluble and can thus spread in the environment, exposing not only the target pests but also beneficial insects ranging from honey bees and other pollinating insects to natural predators of the targeted pests. As a result, the use of some of these insecticides has been restricted in the European Union (EU) and some other countries. The debate preceding the EU restrictions was informed by a study on the impact of neonicotinoids on agriculture and ecosystem services by the European Academies’ Science Advisory Council (EASAC). Building on this foundation, the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) and the Network of African Science Academies (NASAC) collaborated in a study to examine the implications of neonicotinoid insecticide use for ecosystem services and sustainable agriculture in Africa. The study was conducted between October 2018 and October 2019 and involved two workshops with scientists from 17 African countries as well as an extensive review of relevant African research. This project has collated an unprecedented amount of information, allowing the current situation relating to neonicotinoids in Africa to be assessed for the first time. The findings have been subjected to peer review and endorsed by NASAC member academies.German Federal Ministry of Education and Researc

Impact of climate change on food systems: Using transdisciplinary science to drive mitigation and adaptation solutions to protect and promote health

MP4 video, Size: 1.41GB; Duration: 1:56:42Please cite as: Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) and Network of African Science Academies (NASAC) (2022) Impact of climate change on food systems: Using transdisciplinary science to drive mitigation and adaptation solutions to protect and promote health. Available at: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11911/257A recent systems-based approach to tackling climate change and health issues, from the global InterAcademy Partnership and its regional academy networks, examined how science can guide innovation, policy and practice for climate mitigation and adaptation. Among adverse climate change effects are those mediated by multiple impacts on food production and, consequently, on health and livelihoods. Outputs from the global assessment and specifically from Africa will be presented to exemplify the diverse challenges and opportunities to identify and implement solutions, integrated between agriculture and other sectors, at all levels of governance.Adverse effects of climate change on food and nutrition security are already apparent and projected to worsen. Transformative change for sustainable food systems and nutritional quality, including climate-smart, resilient agriculture, involves improving research capacity, extension services and political commitment, aligned with SDGs. Implementing evidence-based, customised, mitigation and adaptation solutions based on advances in biological and social sciences and informatics to deliver both supply- and demand-side changes, requires engagement with all stakeholders. Other priorities discussed include reconsideration of indigenous and underutilised food contributions and examination of food processing and other steps in the food chain and circular economy.InterAcademy Partnership (IAP); Network of African Science Academies (NASAC

Food systems for delivering nutritious and sustainable diets: Perspectives from the global network of science academies

The triple burden of malnutrition, which encompasses undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and obesity, is a global challenge experienced by all nations, albeit in different forms. The Food and Nutrition Security and Agriculture (FNSA) project of the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP), a global network of over 130 academies of science and medicine, sought to determine the key challenges and opportunities for science and innovation to contribute to improved FNSA. Four parallel studies were carried out, one for each region (Africa, Europe, Asia and the Pacific and the Americas), which served as a resource for a fifth study focusing on science and policy issues that require international consideration and coordination. Addressing global food and nutrition security requires a food systems approach that considers issues pertaining both to sustainable production and sustainable consumption, to deliver healthy and nutritious diets with a minimal environmental impact. Developing a broad evidence base and building critical mass in research and innovation (scientific, social and in policy), and mobilising these resources in advising policy is critical. It is also important to integrate analysis at national, regional and global levels and focus on local-global linkages and inter-regional issues. This perspectives article discusses some of the key regional and global findings of the IAP FNSA studies, in the context of more recently available evidence on the topic.The IAP FNSA project was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) .https://www.elsevier.com/locate/gfshj2019Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Developmen

Food policy and nutrition economics in the SDG era

Despite significant global interest in food policy since the 1974 food price crisis, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the first set of international development commitments in which the narrow focus of hunger and poverty explicitly include nutrition (SDG2) – beyond only health indicators related to maternal and child health indicators. This recent (re)appreciation of the role of nutrition as a fundamental element of development policy and a driver of economic growth generates the need for new analytical tools to determine the potential nutritional gains of development programmes and policies as well as the costs of not acting on nutrition imperatives in multisectoral public policy initiatives. This shifts the focus of policy analysis towards multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary domains, creating a need for training and research that spans multiple disciplines in which most graduates and professionals do not yet have the training and tools to conduct appropriate analyses. Capacity is essential to address critical skills shortages and high demand and professional development to keep pace with change. This paper identifies what the implications of recent development imply for agricultural economics training institutions, research and the profession in general and in particular in South Africa.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ragr202019-12-18hj2018Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Developmen