A new global agenda for nutrition and health: the importance of agriculture and food systems

Perspectives The second of the new sustainable development goals commits Member States to " end hunger, achieve food security and improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture ". Unifying the aspirations of the nutrition and sustainable agriculture communities into a single statement presents a unique opportunity to align the goals of these sectors in a common and even more ambitious cause. A productive, diverse, ecologically and socially sustainable agricultural sector has long been recognized as crucial for shaping healthy diets and improving human nutrition. More than three-quarters of a century ago, the League of Nations recognized the importance of agricultural adaptation for dietary diversification, noting that changes in production decisions that supported more protective foods (i.e. fruits and vegetables), could lead to nutritional benefits. 1 Observers today continue to call attention to the importance of food systems for shaping human health and nutrition. That our systems of food production should be designed to meet recommendations for healthy diets seems obvious. Yet, the goals of agriculture and nutrition have often diverged. Following the Second World War, increasing food production was seen as fundamental to fighting hunger, reducing social inequities and lifting families out of poverty. Investments in agricultural research to develop high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice helped to double cereal yields in Asia and Latin America. This Green Revolution averted global food shortages and saved millions of lives. Part of its legacy however, has been a persistent emphasis on expanding production of a select few staple grains. This calories-first inheritance has limited the contribution of agriculture to meeting most national dietary recommendations that emphasize consumption of fruits, vegetables and pulses, as well as cereals. Reshaping modern agriculture and food systems to be more nutrition-sensitive has been only a secondary concern of most nutrition programmes and policies. Instead, efforts to strengthen primary health care, and reduce deficiencies of specific mi-cronutrients through supplementation and fortification have been favoured. These efforts, and those of agriculture to generate an abundance of affordable food, have been enormously important for reducing both severe acute and chronic malnutrition. However, the global landscape of malnutrition has shifted in recent decades. Countries that have made impressive strides in reducing undernutrition (e.g. Brazil, China and Chile) have also experienced rapid increases in the prevalence of obesity and related chronic disease. 4 Unfortunately, many countries now face a double burden of undernutrition and obesity as economic development, changing diet patterns, sedentary lifestyles …