There is a difference between food, in general, and nutritious food while food may provide you with enough calories for a day, nutritious food will provide adequate calories along with sufficient micro- and macro-nutrients. However, there is an ongoing struggle to deliver nutritious food to the consumer, due to a variety of issues, such as insufficient cold storage infrastructure which makes transportation of fruits and vegetables difficult, or increasing availability, access, and affordability of in-nutritious foods. By better understanding the consumer, including drivers such as taste, affordability, and tradition, and how these factors impact how and what people eat, we may find a key to improving the diets of many consumers across South Asia.
At the end of June 2018, more than 160 government representatives, civil society organizations, private sector members, international donors, practitioners, and stakeholders from around South Asia convened at a regional roundtable Putting the Lens on the Consumer in Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture and Food Systems in South Asia. The roundtable highlighted the need to engage with consumers, drawing on the latest evidence from current nutrition-sensitive and nutrition-specific policies and programs.
I was invited by World Bank- SAFANSI and fortunate to participate and present my views on Nutrion sensitive agriculture. After my presentation insightful discussions took place and policy makers could agree that its very essential to bridge the gap between agriculture and human health. I believe that silos between agriculture experts, nutritionist and medical practitioners will be bridged in days to come. My presentation in ppt format is attached below.
