Transforming Food Systems In The Pacific

Many islands import most of their food, much of which is calorie-dense and of low nutritional value. It may be cheaper than local produce, but a diet based on imported food is leading to a whole range of health problems. All too often, nutritious indigenous foods are ignored by local populations, as they are seen as ‘poor people’s food’. Tourism has been rapidly expanding in both regions, yet there is a disconnect between the tourist market and local producers. Indeed, 70% of the food used in the tourist industry in the Pacific is imported. As this booklet shows, creating closer links between tourism and agriculture – agritourism – can help to reduce the food import bill and at the same time boost local food production, and therefore the incomes of island farmers. With support from the intra-ACP Agricultural Policy Programme funded by the European Union, CTA has been actively promoting links between the two regions and encouraging them to share their knowledge and experience. On the one hand, CTA has provided policy support which has brought together government ministries with the private sector to promote agritourism. CTA also played a key role in establishing the Chefs for Development Initiative, which is creating closer links between the hospitality industry and local farmers. Over time, these endeavours will help to generate income and employment across the value chain.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted food security issues and nutrition gaps in Asia and the Pacific, where various risks and fragilities have continually affected the food and agriculture sector. There is a clear need to integrate sustainable management of natural resources, nutritional considerations, and the economic dimensions of food supply chains to enhance resilience and mitigate climate change. This publication explores how innovative financing and transformative knowledge solutions can help address the financing gaps and other challenges of food systems in the region.

Snapshot of the status and way forward for transforming agrifood systems in the Pacific – Identifying entry points and analysing trade-offs for policymakers," describes the impact of climate change on the agrifood systems of Pacific Island countries. The changing temperature, precipitation, and sea level patterns have a significant impact on food production and trade, leading to food insecurity, malnutrition, and non-communicable diseases, particularly in vulnerable groups like women and youth. The report provides an overview of entry points for sustainable food system transformation, such as traditional Pacific farming practices, crop diversification, agroforestry, and community-managed marine protection zones. The report also emphasizes the need for socioeconomic, health, and environmental impact assessments to manage these trade-offs and to understand the potential revenue generation from taxes on unhealthy commodities, which could be used to subsidize local food production and transport.

Pacific Island countries suffer from alarming rates of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and are consistently ranked as the most obese and diabetic in the world. At the centre of this NCD crisis is the underlying problem of consumption of processed imported foods; high in fat, salt and sugar, displacing nutritious local produce; crops and fish from the daily meals of Pacific people. In order to help address this problem, the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA), in collaboration with MORDI Tonga Trust, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Pacific Islands Private Sector Organisation (PIPSO), organised three activities in the Kingdom of Tonga from 3 - 6 December 2018. The integrated four-day event was held under the theme Transforming Nutrition-Sensitive Value Chain Development in the Pacific Islands within the framework of the CTA/IFAD/PIPSO Innov4AgPacific project. The overall objective of which is to “Strengthen the capacity of Pacific Island countries to develop strategies and programmes that would increase accessibility of poor rural peoples to nutritious and healthy foods”.

The coronavirus pandemic has upended local, national, and global food systems, and put the Sustainable Development Goals further out of reach. But lessons from the world’s response to the pandemic can help address future shocks and contribute to food system change. In the 2021 Global Food Policy Report, IFPRI researchers and other food policy experts explore the impacts of the pandemic and government policy responses, particularly for the poor and disadvantaged, and consider what this means for transforming our food systems to be healthy, resilient, efficient, sustainable, and inclusive. Chapters in the report look at balancing health and economic policies, promoting healthy diets and nutrition, strengthening social protection policies and inclusion, integrating natural resource protection into food sector policies, and enhancing the contribution of the private sector. Regional sections look at the diverse experiences around the world, and a special section on finance looks at innovative ways of funding food system transformation. Critical questions addressed include: - Who felt the greatest impact from falling incomes and food system disruptions caused by the pandemic? - How can countries find an effective balance among health, economic, and social policies in the face of crisis? - How did lockdowns affect diet quality and quantity in rural and urban areas? - Do national social protection systems such as cash transfers have the capacity to protect poor and vulnerable groups in a global crisis? - Can better integration of agricultural and ecosystem polices help prevent the next pandemic? - How did companies accelerate ongoing trends in digitalization and integration to keep food supply chains moving? - What different challenges did the pandemic spark in Asia, Africa, and Latin America and how did these regions respond?

The Asian Development Bank hosted the Asia-Pacific Rural Development and Food Security Forum 2022 to prompt governments to provide leadership to rethink the future of agriculture amid complex and evolving challenges; explore new research, innovations, and technologies to build nature-positive food systems; and forge partnerships and collaboration to mobilize financing for innovation, research, and business for food and nutrition security. This publication provides the forum’s key highlights and takeaways on sustainable, resilient, and inclusive food systems, financing for sustainable agriculture and natural capital, nutrition security, and the rural–urban divide, and offers recommendations for moving forward.

This open access book examines the interactions between India’s economic development, agricultural production, and nutrition through the lens of a “Food Systems Approach (FSA).” The Indian growth story is a paradoxical one. Despite economic progress over the past two decades, regional inequality, food insecurity and malnutrition problems persist. Simultaneously, recent trends in obesity along with micro-nutrient deficiency portend to a future public health crisis. This book explores various challenges and opportunities to achieve a nutrition-secure future through diversified production systems, improved health and hygiene environment and greater individual capability to access a balanced diet contributing to an increase in overall productivity. The authors bring together the latest data and scientific evidence from the country to map out the current state of food systems and nutrition outcomes. They place India within the context of other developing country experiences and highlight India’s status as an outlier in terms of the persistence of high levels of stunting while following global trends in obesity. This book discusses the policy and institutional interventions needed for promoting a nutrition-sensitive food system and the multi-sectoral strategies needed for simultaneously addressing the triple burden of malnutrition in India.

We are at a critical point in human history and that of the planet. In this book, a world leader in agricultural research, Professor Sayed Azam-Ali, proposes a radical transformation of our agrifood system. He argues that agriculture must be understood as part of global biodiversity and that food systems have cultural, nutritional, and social values beyond market price alone. He describes the perilous risks of relying on just four staple crops for most of our food and the consequences of our current agrifood model on human and planetary health.In plain language for the wider public, students, researchers, and policy makers, Azam-Ali envisions the agrifood system as a global public good in which its practitioners include a new and different generation of farmers, its production systems link novel and traditional technologies, and its activities encompass landscapes, urban spaces, and controlled environments. The book concludes with a call to action in which diversification of species, systems, knowledge, cultures, and products all contribute to The Ninth Revolution that will transform food systems for good.Related Link(s)