Diversifying Food and Diets
Using Agricultural Biodiversity to Improve Nutrition and Health
Jessica Fanzo editor Danny Hunter editor Teresa Borelli editor Federico Mattei editor
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd
Published:5th Apr '13
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
This hardback is available in another edition too:
- Paperback£58.99(9781849714570)
This insightful book examines the critical link between agricultural biodiversity and nutrition, highlighting strategies to improve food security and dietary outcomes.
This book delves into the vital role of agricultural biodiversity in enhancing nutrition and food security. It seeks to challenge common myths and assumptions that often surround agriculture's impact on nutrition. By identifying key research and implementation gaps, Diversifying Food and Diets aims to provide a clearer understanding of how agricultural practices can be leveraged to improve dietary outcomes.
With 868 million individuals currently facing undernourishment and 195 million children under five years suffering from stunting, the stakes are high. Simultaneously, more than 1 billion people are grappling with overweight and obesity, leading to an increase in diseases traditionally linked to wealth, such as diabetes and cancer. The book highlights the need for food system-based approaches that enhance food availability and quality through local production and agricultural diversity, which have often been overlooked in conventional nutrition discussions.
Diversifying Food and Diets emphasizes the importance of agricultural biodiversity as a cornerstone for food and nutritional security. It serves as a safeguard against hunger, enriches dietary diversity, and strengthens local food systems while promoting environmental sustainability. Through global examples and case studies, the book outlines current strategies for improving nutrition and diet, pinpointing essential gaps that must be addressed to effectively utilize agricultural biodiversity for both rural and urban communities, especially those in transition.
"At a time where fortification is widely promoted as the most effective solution to address micro-nutrient deficiencies, this book serves as an important reminder that nature provides an almost infinite variety of food species which are disregarded and therefore pushed into oblivion and extinction by the prevailing food production system. It is urgent to remind policy makers that agriculture is primarily about using natural resources to feed people. Sustainable development will only happen if we manage such resources in a sustainable way, building on local cultures, protecting and strengthening livelihoods, and ensuring good nutrition and health." –Florence Egal, Food Security, Nutrition and Livelihoods, Nutrition Division, FAO
"This book is important and deserves a wide readership. Only once governments are convinced of the importance of agricultural biodiversity, shall they implement the policies that are urgently required to move away from the direction of agricultural development that is dominant today – one that favors uniformity over diversity, top-down research and development on new crops rather than bottom-up and participatory approaches, and monocropping over integrated farming systems." – From the foreword by Olivier De Schutter, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food
"I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the authors and partner organizations on this milestone publication. Their work offers a comprehensive summary of contemporary information and good practices, identifies gaps in research and provides insight on potential opportunities for a variety of policy options. I look forward to more sustainable management of biodiversity in all ecosystems, but particularly in agricultural ecosystems, where we can truly achieve a healthy partnership between people and the planet." – From the foreword by Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Convention on Biological Diversity
"This new book by researchers from Bioversity International explores the current state of knowledge on the role of biodiversity - including crops, livestock and fish - in improving diets, nutrition and food security. It also discusses the enabling environment needed to support research in the area, including measuring impact ... The authors give ample evidence for the multiple positive roles played by agricultural biodiversity, not only as a safeguard against hunger and as a support for healthier diets, but also as a means to strengthen local food systems and environmental sustainability."– SPORE
ISBN: 9781849714563
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 870g
400 pages