Presentation at the annual Agricultural and Applied Economics Meetings, Washington DC, August 6, 2013 in a symposium on Agricultural Development, Nutrition and Health: Synergies or Tradeoffs?
Modern Roaming for Notes and Nomad – Cheaper Faster Better Stronger
Agriculture and Nutrition Synergies in CGIAR Research
1. Examples from the
CGIAR Research Program
Agriculture for Nutrition
and Health (A4NH)
Agricultural Development, Nutrition
and Health: Exploiting Synergies
Presentation at the AAEA C-FARE Organized Symposium on
“Agricultural Development, Nutrition and Health: Synergies or Tradeoffs?”
August 6, 2013
Laurian Unnevehr
Senior Research Fellow and
A4NH Theme Leader
IFPRI
3. Reframing Health-Ag Linkages
• One Health–
• Animals, people, environment all interact
to create health conditions.
• Rapid changes in human environment,
animal ag lead to new disease challenges.
• Nutrition and agriculture–
• Beyond calorie availability and income
growth
• Increase emphasis on diet quality/diversity,
women’s empowerment
Davos GRF
FAO SOFA
4. Examples of A4NH Research to Exploit Ag-
Health-Nutrition Synergies
• Biofortification
• Aflatoxin control
• Value chains for nutrition
5. 2011
Cassava
Provitamin A
DR Congo, Nigeria
2012
Beans
Iron (Zinc)
DR Congo, Rwanda
2012
Maize
Provitamin A
Zambia
2012
Pearl Millet
Iron (Zinc)
India
2013
Rice
Zinc
Bangladesh, India
2013
Wheat
Zinc
India, Pakistan
Biofortification
6. Biofortification Synergies
• Ex-ante analysis shows high rate of return and
cost-effectiveness of biofortification
– Micronutrient deficiencies have high DALY cost
– Biofortification cheaper than food fortification or
supplementation
• Baseline and follow up surveys with roll out of
biofortified varieties test ex-post– OFSP results
already in
• Mainstream nutrient analysis in crop breeding
programs
7. A4NH Aflatoxin Research
Agenda
• Research scope
– Health
• Stunting
– Technologies
• Host resistance
• Biocontrol
• Diagnostics
– Markets and Policies
• Incentives
• Standards
• Risk analysis approach
– Entire chain
– Control Points
– Hot spots
– Benefit – cost trade off’s
– Communication
Supports
8. Aflatoxin Control
Synergies
Health
Producti
vity
Market
development
Trade
Improved crop husbandry,
storage management leads to
increases in yields and reduced
aflatoxins
Reduced aflatoxin levels support market
development for processed foods, feeds
Reduced aflatoxins mean fewer
acute and chronic health effects
Reduced aflatoxin
levels supports
expanded regional
and global trade
9. Value Chains, Market Failures,
and Diet Diversity
• Consumer knowledge incomplete
– nutrition, nutrient content/ safety of foods
• Supply constraints for nutrient rich foods
– perishability, seasonality, variable nutrient
content, food safety
• Result: Under-provision of improved nutrition
and food safety
10.
11. Inputs into production
Food production
Food storage and processing
Food distribution and transport
Food retail and labeling
Value Chain Approach
Consumer
Producer
Supply side
Develop and test
solutions
Demand side
Characterize diets, market
access and constraints to
consumption of
nutritious, safe foods
Test solutions to improve
demand for nutrition and
safety along the value
chain
Identify production and
market constraints to
improved nutrition and
safety
Example: Increased
seasonal availability of
fruit
Example: Nutrition
education delivered
by vegetable seed
supplier
Example:
Create new
value chain
to deliver
nutritious
foods to
school
lunches
12. Testing Value Chain
Synergies
• New research projects
• Develop markets for high value crops
– Increase income
– Reduce relative prices of nutrient rich foods
– Increase consumer access
• Leverage market incentives to enhance
nutritional outcomes from markets
– Partnerships with private sector
13. Summing Up:
A4NH Research to Exploit Synergies
Between Agriculture and Health/Nutrition
• Biofortification
– Explicit attention to micronutrients in breeding is cost-
effective way to address inadequate intakes
• Aflatoxin control
– Improved productivity, health, market development
from reduced aflatoxins
• Value chains for nutrition
– Expanded production of high value crops supports
greater diet diversity and improved incomes, market
performance
Notas do Editor
CGIAR research re-organized into Coordinated Research Programs (CRP). The program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health started in 2012 for an initial 3-year phase.
How does improving nutrition and health fit in the CGIAR?Nutritional and health benefits/synergies demonstrated from agricultural development, but synergies have not been systematically and rigorously assessed.A4NH is meant to coordinate and synergize work across the CGIAR for nutrition and health outcomes, building on existing efforts in biofortification, program evaluation, and food safety. It includes both policy research on how agdev can contribute to nutrition and health, and working with the crop, fish and livestock production programs on enhancing nutritional quality and food safety. Of the approx $900M in CGIAR funding in 2012, about $60M in A4NH. Of that, about half in biofortification(Harvest Plus).
Release of 6 biofortified varieties in the past 3 years greatly extends the reach and impact of this program. Result of nearly 20 years of capacity building and planning. Crops and nutrients chosen to address important micronutrient deficiencies in the target populations and nutrient content on released varieties targeted to provide 50 to70% of nutrient requirement for women and children.
Updated Copenhagen Consensus:Meenakshi et al. (2007) estimate the median cost per DALY saved asabout $10/DALY saved (optimistic scenario) and $120/DALY (pessimistic scenario).The corresponding BCR’s (Benefit:Cost Ratios) are 50:1 and 4:1 (with $1000/DALY).Targeted, cost-effective, sustainable
IncomeDiet quality improves through diversification, but slowly and unevenlyPricesRelative prices– eg., staples prices declining relative to more nutrient rich foodsOpportunity cost of time– eg., switch to more processed foods with urbanizationPreferences and cultural normsShape pathway towards diet diversity, eg. ASF increases with income vary widelyGiven the many market failures that can arise in nutrition, it is not surprising that improvements in diet and in nutritional outcomes do not track perfectly with development and rising incomes.
Total cal/day are around 2500 and 3200. Starchy staples are grains, roots, and tubers. These are 80 and 50 % of calories. Nutrient rich foods includes dairy, eggs, meats and fish, legumes and nuts. These are 10 and 32 %. Fats and sugars are unhealthy dietary diversity– 10 and 18 %.
TechnologiesImprovements in production, storage, handling, processing, or marketing to reduce nutritional loss, improve access, or reduce safety risks, eg. Greater seasonal availability for fruitsInformationIncreased demand for improved safety and nutrition through education or improved incentives for different actors in the value chain, eg. Nutrition education with improved vegetable seedsNutritional quality reflected in prices and/or made more affordable, eg., quality certification for locally sourced infant foodsPolicies and InstitutionsNew contractual arrangements create incentives to deliver more nutrient rich foods or to create demand for such foods, eg. Home grown school lunch programs