Nutrition

- Cross-cutting initiative


In 2004, a resolution of the seventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) called for a global cross-cutting initiative on biodiversity and nutrition. The initiative is to be developed through an international collaborative process involving Bioversity, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and other partners.

In the resolution, the Conference of the Parties specifically encouraged the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Standing Committee on Nutrition (SNC), the Consultative Group on Agricultural Research (CGIAR), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the World Food Programme (WFP), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations University (UNU) "to include biodiversity-related considerations in the implementation of their programmes and strategies."

For more information scroll down or click on the links below.

The Initiative

The cross-cutting initiative on biodiversity for food and nutrition identifies the contribution of agricultural biodiversity as a priority to improving the nutrition and health of the rural and urban poor. The focus on nutrition addresses major global health issues such as micronutrient deficiencies as well as trends such as the decline of dietary diversity and the concomitant rapid rise in chronic diseases (for instance diabetes, obesity and coronary heart disease), which are on the rise in developing countries and particularly among the poor.

While many nutrition interventions, including supplementation, fortification and biofortification of foods are addressing these challenges, this initiative focuses on promoting the use of local biodiversity-traditional foods of indigenous and local communities with their many sources of nutritionally-rich and functional foods-as a readily accessible, locally empowering, and sustainable source of quality nutrition through dietary diversity. This work addresses a new and emerging health problem that is becoming a major burden, particularly for poor people with little access to health and nutrition interventions.

Furthermore, this effort recognizes that in an increasingly global, urban and commercial environment, realization of the potential of local resources must successfully integrate production, marketing, consumption and health of rural and urban dwellers alike as components of viable food systems.

The intiative has received support from many groups, including the SNC, the International Union of Nutritional Sciences and the International Rice Commission. Interest and support from private and public agencies was also expressed at the first international Conference on Health and Biodiversity (COHAB) held in Galway, Ireland, in August 2005 and during in the Chennai Consultation on 'The Role of Agricultural Biodiversity in Achieving the Millennium Development Goal of Freedom from Hunger and Poverty'.

The Intergovernmental Working Group for the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture has endorsed the importance of biodiversity for nutrition improvement. This is reflected in the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, identified by the UN as a "keystone for achieving the Millennium Development Goals," including eradication of hunger.

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Options

At its tenth meeting held in February 2005, the CBD's Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technologial Advice (SBSTTA), outilined some options for the development of the intiative.

The SBSTTA document, 'Options for a cross-cutting initiative on biodiversity for food, nutrition and health', is available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Spanish and Russian in both PDF and Word files.

These documents and other documents from SBSTTA 10 can be accessed from the CBD web site by clicking here.

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First Consultation, March 2005

The first international consultation on the initiative took place in Brazil in March 2005. The consultation aimed to develop ideas on the purpose and scope of a cross-cutting initiative on biodiversity for food and nutrition within the programme of work on agricultural biodiversity of the CBD and to explore ways to enhance synergies and integrate biodiversity concerns into existing food and nutrition initiatives.

The statement from this consultation, as well as links to the final report and other documents in PDF and Word files (English only) can be accessed from the CBD web site by clicking here.

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Global Stakeholders Meeting, February 2006

In February 2006, Bioversity, in collaboration with the CBD Secretariat and FAO, organized a Global Stakeholder Meeting to discuss ways of implementing the Intiative. Documents from this meeting are available below.

Documents

Agenda (PDF 35 KB)

Participant list (PDF 70 KB)

Prospectus (PDF 55 KB)

Plenary presentations

Biodiversity, food security and nutrition (PDF 1 061 KB)

Towards an International Initiative on Biodiversity for Food and Nutrition (PDF 4 985 KB)

Working group discussions

Public awareness (PDF 16 KB)

Policy (PDF 1 785 KB)

Research and capacity development (PDF 177 KB)

Related presentations

African leafy vegetables: their roles in the World Health Organization's Fruit and Vegetables Initiative (PDF 1 237 KB)

Leafy vegetables make multiple contributions to nutrition and diet (PDF 7 117 KB)

Micronesian staple foods (PDF 1 373 KB)

Related publications

Agro-biodiversity in subsistence-oriented farming (PDF 226 KB)

Biocultural diversity in the sustainablility of developing country food systems (PDF 169 KB)

Using biodiversity for food, dietary diversity, better nutrition and health (PDF 90 KB)

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