1. INNOVATIONS IN AGRI-FOOD SYSTEMS FOR HUMAN AND PLANETARY HEALTH IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH
Photo:
Shenggen Fan | Director General International Food Policy Research Institute
18th Global Development Conference New Delhi, India | March 22, 2018

2. Challenges to human nutrition and planetary health
Globally,
815 million are hungry
38 million face food insecurity in four conflict-afflicted countries: Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen
155 million children under-5 are stunted
2.1 billion are overweight/obese
62% live in developing countries
Agriculture is pushing planetary boundaries
Source: Steffen et al. 2016

3. Healthy Humanity and Healthy Planet
The SDGs envision a future with a
Healthy Humanity and Healthy Planet
Food system innovations for the Global South will be critical

4. Technological innovations are key to achieve multiple wins
Invest in evidence-based techs for health and the environment
Yield enhancing technologies (e.g. Remote sensing, precision agriculture)
Improved, climate-resilient varieties (e.g. Drought Tolerant Maize in Africa)
Nutrition-driven and nutrition-sensitive technologies (e.g. Biofortification)
Scale up new multiple-win technologies
Alternative proteins to reduce GHGs, environmental impact, health risks
Gene editing for seed improvements
Big data and analytics to lower transaction costs, improve monitoring
Blockchain-enabled traceability
Support farmer-led innovations
E.g. planting basins to conserve water and improve food safety
Picture sources: IRRI, New Agriculturist, and Zen Gardner
Photos: Ageitec, HarvestPlus, WEF, ICRAF

5. Policy innovations can prioritize health and the environment
Environmental footprint of various foods
Promote nutritious, sustainable, and healthy diets
Eliminate subsidies of nutrient-poor foods (US $500+ billion/year), convert to investments for more nutritious crops (e.g. vegetables)
Beef and other ruminants account for 20x more land use & GHG emissions than pulses per unit of protein consumed
Taxing emissions-intensive foods (e.g. meat and dairy) could avoid more than 100,000 deaths in 2020
Changes in prices and consumption by food commodity (%)
Convert inefficient subsidies of unhealthy foods and inputs to
Support production of fruits, vegetables, and other nutrient-rich foods
Provide income support for vulnerable groups, including smallholders, women, and youth
Source: Tiffin and Arnoult 2010, WRI 2016, Springmann et al. 2016

6. Africa Agriculture Transformation Scorecard
Institutional innovations create enabling environments
Close gender gap in agriculture
Ensure agriculture technologies benefit women
Reform institutions to strengthen resource rights
Enhance access to inputs and credit
Encourage inclusive value chains
Support inclusive marketing in food value chains, e.g. India’s improved dairy chain
Strengthen rural-urban linkages to aid food security, nutrition, and livelihoods
Africa Agriculture Transformation Scorecard
Photo; USAID-Tanzania
Promote effective governance mechanisms
Integrate and coordinate relevant sectors
Enhance monitoring and accountability with data
Consider a scientific platform for food systems
Source: Theis et al. 2017, Meinzen-Dick et al. 2017, Olney et al. 2016, Malapit and Quisumbing 2015

7. Mutual learning at all levels is critical
Support South-South Learning
Share key experiences on what has worked and what has not worked
Promote technology transfer
Contribute to capacity building
Improve infrastructure in developing countries
Enhance global and regional cooperation and learning efforts
Explore new modalities beyond traditional bilateral cooperation