Food security and nutrition and sustainable agriculture

Food security, nutrition, and sustainable agriculture constitute fundamental elements that contribute significantly to the attainment of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These goals are a globally shared blueprint that calls for peace and prosperity for all people and the planet. Focusing on food security and nutrition is directly linked to SDG 2 which seeks to "End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture." Beyond SDG 2, these themes also relate to other SDGs such as Goal 3 - Good Health and Well-being, Goal 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production, and Goal 13 - Climate Action. The relationship between sustainable agriculture and these goals is profound; by promoting eco-friendly farming methods, we reduce the environmental footprint, mitigate climate change, and ensure the long-term sustainability of food production systems.

Moreover, sustainable agriculture is vital in fostering biodiversity, improving soil health, and enhancing water use efficiency, which are critical aspects related to Goals 14 and 15 - Life below Water and Life on Land respectively. By safeguarding our ecosystems, we not only ensure food security but also the preservation of the natural environment for future generations. In turn, better nutrition is a conduit to improved health (SDG 3), and it can also influence educational outcomes (SDG 4), given the known links between nutrition and cognitive development.

Furthermore, it is worth noting that the interconnections go beyond these goals. There's an important nexus between sustainable agriculture, food security and issues of poverty (SDG 1), gender equality (SDG 5), clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), and economic growth (SDG 8), among others. Sustainable agriculture creates job opportunities, thus reducing poverty levels. By empowering women in agriculture, we can help achieve gender equality. Proper water and sanitation practices in agriculture can prevent contamination, ensuring clean water and sanitation for all. Therefore, the triad of food security, nutrition, and sustainable agriculture, while being a significant goal in itself, is also a vehicle that drives the achievement of the wider Sustainable Development Goals.

Elsevier,

Lancet Planetary Health, Volume 5, Issue 1, January 2021, Pages e50–e62.

This Personal View addresses SDGs 2, 3, 10, and 12 by exploring the potential consequences of food system innovations in relation to the SDGs. The authors highlight the negative consequences that standalone innovations can have for some sustainability goals, particularly for reducing inequalities and improving social justice. They identify ways in which technical innovations could be embedded in systemic changes to address trade-offs between positive and negative outcomes of their implementation.
This book chapter addresses SDGs 3 and 10 by explaining US and EU regulatory requirements, Global Food Safety Initiative requirements, and reviews food fraud vulnerabiility.
This chapter focuses on genetically modified crops that can aid farmers in increasing crop resilience and productivity. While their safety and ethics have raised concern, these promising technologies offer hope for the improvement of food security for global populations, especially those in under-developed or developing countries.
The principal motivations for the worldwide trend towards reducing meat consumption are health, the environment and animal welfare. The present study investigated the willingness of omnivores to introduce mixed (beef-vegetable protein) and 100% vegetable protein products into their diet. The participants (n = 251) were young adult omnivores who consumed meat at least once a week. The stimuli were images of six different products representing two beef burgers, two mixed-protein burgers (50% beef and 50% seitan or soy) and two 100% vegetable protein burgers (seitan and soy).
Background: Stay-at-home orders (lockdowns) have been deployed globally to control COVID-19 transmission, and might impair economic conditions and mental health, and exacerbate risk of food insecurity and intimate partner violence. The effect of lockdowns in low-income and middle-income countries must be understood to ensure safe deployment of these interventions in less affluent settings. We aimed to determine the immediate impact of COVID-19 lockdown orders on women and their families in rural Bangladesh.
Objectives: This study examines the association between oral health and food avoidance among older adults in the United States. Study design: A population-based sample of 1,278 adults aged 51+ from the Health and Retirement Study was used. A logistic regression model was performed to evaluate various oral health conditions and food avoidance behavior among older adults. Results were quantified as odds ratios (OR). Results: This study found a significant association between oral health and food avoidance in older adults.
Objectives: The increasing prevalence of malnutrition among school-going adolescents is a major public health threat in Bangladesh. School studying adolescents are a crucial group suffering from malnutrition. Proper nutrition information can enrich their knowledge, promote their health and also minimize the burden of malnutrition. The study aimed to identify the sources of information and corresponding knowledge level on nutrition among school-going adolescents in Bangladesh. Study design: A school-based cross-sectional survey was carried out from January to August 2019.
Meat consumption has been increasing since the 1960s, but especially from the 1980s decade to today. Although meat means an important source of nutrients, it is also evident that a great consumption of this source of proteins has also a negative environmental impact. Livestock production does not only have a negative influence on GHG emissions, but also on the water footprint, water pollution, and water scarcity.

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