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    Asia and the Pacific Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2017: Investing in Food Systems for Better Nutrition
    Asia and the Pacific Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2017: Investing in Food Systems for Better Nutrition
    Asia and the Pacific Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2017: Investing in Food Systems for Better Nutrition
    Ebook125 pages1 hour

    Asia and the Pacific Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2017: Investing in Food Systems for Better Nutrition

    By Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

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    About this ebook

    Malnutrition and stunting among children below the age of five remains high in many countries in the region, with large disparities among population groups. Recent initiatives –such as multisectoral approaches, amended policies and interventions that are more nutrition-sensitive – are helping, but these efforts need to be considerably scaled up.

    More people in Asia and the Pacific region are moving towards healthier diets, although the availability of nutritious foods is still inadequate in many countries. However, on average, the consumption of food items considered unhealthy is also on the rise. A key challenge is to reorient food systems in a way that will help promote healthier diets through supportive food and trade policies, education and awareness campaigns.

    Smallholder farmers need better access to more profitable markets if they are to escape poverty and food insecurity. While some technical assistance projects have been effective in improving rural livelihoods, it is essential to address systemic weaknesses at the national level by promoting farmer organizations, investing in improved rural infrastructure and improving the functioning of rural financial markets.

    In view of the overall trend in declining food prices in recent years, and a relative abundance of food, there is less public concern over the state of food security; nevertheless, it is important that governments and other stakeholders not become complacent. Given the fundamental importance of food in both production and consumption for the poorest of the poor, stepped up investments in the food economy will be essential if we are to achieve the SDG goal to “leave no one behind.”

    Reducing food loss and waste offers a triple win – for food security, higher farm income and the environment. While current knowledge on the extent and incidence of food loss along the supply chain, or hotspots in the chain, is inadequate, recent government initiatives addressing this challenge are encouraging.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
    Release dateFeb 6, 2018
    ISBN9789251302194
    Asia and the Pacific Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2017: Investing in Food Systems for Better Nutrition
    Author

    Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

    An intergovernmental organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has 194 Member Nations, two associate members and one member organization, the European Union. Its employees come from various cultural backgrounds and are experts in the multiple fields of activity FAO engages in. FAO’s staff capacity allows it to support improved governance inter alia, generate, develop and adapt existing tools and guidelines and provide targeted governance support as a resource to country and regional level FAO offices. Headquartered in Rome, Italy, FAO is present in over 130 countries.Founded in 1945, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO provides a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and debate policy. The Organization publishes authoritative publications on agriculture, fisheries, forestry and nutrition.

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      Book preview

      Asia and the Pacific Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2017 - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

      FAO. 2017. Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition: Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, 64 pp.

      ISBN: 978-92-5-109965-0

      ISBN: 978-92-5-130219-4(EPUB)

      The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned.

      ISBN 978-92-5-109965-0

      © FAO, 2017

      FAO encourages the use, reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product. Except where otherwise indicated, material may be copied, downloaded and printed for private study, research and teaching purposes, or for use in non-commercial products or services, provided that appropriate acknowledgement of FAO as the source and copyright holder is given and that FAO’s endorsement of users’ views, products or services is not implied in any way.

      All requests for translation and adaptation rights, and for resale and other commercial use rights should be made via www.fao.org/contact-us/licence-request or addressed to copyright@fao.org.

      FAO information products are available on the FAO website (www.fao.org/publications) and can be purchased through publications-sales@fao.org.

      COVER PHOTOGRAPH

      ------------------------------------------------------------

      Ciawi, Bogor, Indonesia

      Results of Hard Work- The cucumber harvest

      ©FAO/Rully Kustiwa

      Photo taken on 7 November 2013.

      CONTENTS

      Foreword

      Acknowledgements

      Key messages

      Abbreviations

      The 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda for Food Security and Nutrition in Asia and the Pacific

      Regional Overview of the Food Security and Nutrition Situation

      The prevalence of undernourishment

      Food insecurity as experienced by people – the Food Insecurity Experience Scale

      Malnutrition among children – insufficient progress to meet the 2030 targets

      Promoting Healthy Diets through Nutrition-Sensitive Food Systems

      What is a healthy diet?

      Dietary trends in Asia and the Pacific

      Government initiatives to encourage healthy diets

      Linking Smallholders to Remunerative Markets

      The building blocks for successfully linking smallholders to markets

      Policies, legislation and projects facilitating smallholder linkage with markets

      Prices, Policy and Food Security

      International food prices

      Domestic food price inflation

      An overview of recent policy responses

      Reducing Food Loss and Waste – Towards a More Efficient Food System in Asia and the Pacific Region

      Defining and measuring food loss and waste

      A review of food loss estimates in the region

      Initiatives in the region on reducing food loss and waste

      The next steps

      References

      BOXES, FIGURES AND TABLES

      Boxes

      Box 1 WHO guidelines on healthy diet for adults

      Box 2 Conceptual definitions of food loss and waste

      Box 3 India – food loss estimates for 2013-2014

      Box 4 An illustration of identified problems and their solutions

      Figures

      Figure 1 Undernourishment in Asia and the Pacific Region

      Figure 2 The Food Insecurity Experience Scale

      Figure 3 Prevalence of stunting in children under five years of age

      Figure 4 Stunting rates by wealth quintiles

      Figure 5 Ratio of stunting rates between poorest and richest wealth quintiles

      Figure 6 Wasting prevalence 2016

      Figure 7 Overweight prevalence among children under five around 2000 and 2016

      Figure 8 Change in food category intake by Asia-Pacific subregion 2000 compared to 2013 (weighted by population)

      Figure 9 Fruits and vegetables, intake

      Figure 10 FAO food price indices, 2011-2016

      Figure 11 Domestic prices of selected cereals in selected markets, 2011 to 2016

      Figure 12 Relative price increases of various food subgroups in the region as a ratio of prices for cereals, 2014-2016

      Figure 13 Food loss and waste in various regions

      Figure 14 Food loss across sub-regions

      Tables

      Table 1 Number of undernourished (million) and prevalence of undernourishment in Asia and the Pacific Region in 2016

      Table 2 Percentage of people affected by severe food insecurity in the region measured using the FIES, 2014-2016

      Table 3 Country level prevalence rates for stunting among children under five years of age

      Table 4 Progress towards achieving the target on reducing overweight in children under five years of age

      Table 5 Six broad mechanisms and instruments for enhancing smallholder linkage to markets

      Table 6 Main features of selected targeted interventions linking smallholders to markets

      FOREWORD

      When the international community came together in 2015 to announce its ambitious 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) the mood was one of optimism. Agenda 2030, as it is now known, would, among other things, lead us to a world without hunger and poverty. Two years later, in 2017, we still believe that we can become the zero hunger generation. But the clock is ticking, and while good progress has been made towards eliminating hunger and poverty in the Asia-Pacific region, recent signs suggest that we must redouble our efforts in pursuit of these goals.

      Last year, we reported that momentum in the reduction of hunger was slowing. This year, there are growing indications that in some areas not only is the rate slowing but it has actually stopped and in some cases reversed. In other words, in some areas of this region, hunger could be on the rise once again.

      The numbers remain frustratingly high – some 490 million people are hungry in Asia and the Pacific, with large disparities across subregions, countries and demographic groups within countries. If these trends continue, many countries in the region will fall short of the 2030 target of ending food insecurity. This reality points to an urgent need to step up investment in agriculture while taking action in other areas to tackle malnutrition, such as improvements to sanitation, access to safe drinking water, improving diets during the first 1000 days of life, and increasing consumption of diverse nutrient-rich foods.

      Promoting healthy food systems was the fundamental recommendation of the Second International Conference on Nutrition held in Rome in 2014. The review in this report shows that while there has been good growth in consumption of food items considered as healthy, progress remains inadequate and special efforts are required in this area through supportive policies, project

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