Published: 14th August 2023
UKRI GCRF Action Against Stunting Hub participated in the first UN Foodsystems Stocktaking Summit held at FAO headquarters from 24-26 July 2023, Rome, Italy. The hub team put up an exhibition booth showcasing the work from the Food Systems workstream while interacting with government representatives and food systems actors working towards the sustainability of food systems.
About UNFSS+2
To be held every two years as committed by the UN Secretary-General, these summits aim to review progress in implementing the outcomes and contributions to achieving the 2030 Agenda. Supported by the RBAs, the broader UN System and partners, the summit provided a space for countries and stakeholders to:
- Convene: Review progress on the commitments to action made during the 2021 UNFSS and identify successes, enduring bottlenecks, and priorities to close the implementation gap effectively and efficiently utilizing the means of Implementation for food systems transformation.
- Socialize: the powerful role of sustainable, equitable, healthy and resilient food systems as critical SDG accelerators among world leaders, national decision-makers and practitioners and food systems actors.
- Advocate: for urgent action at scale, building on the latest evidence that sustainable food systems contribute to better and more sustainable outcomes for people, planet and prosperity, leaving no one behind by sharing concrete cases of transformation action led by state and non-state actors.
AAS Hub’s approach
Key Action 1: Decoding the Food Environments
Looking at two critical components – the external supply and internal demand sides. We aim to map distribution networks of nutrient-dense foods and develop a Food Environment Experience tool. Currently, no standard metrics measure people’s perception of their local food environments. But we’re changing that, building a tool to measure the affordability, safety, and accessibility of food across India, Indonesia, and Senegal.
Key Action 2: Unraveling the Mystery of Value Chains
We’re looking deep into the intricate web of value chains, assessing everything from processes, people, products, and animals, to information flows, practices, and governance structures. Our goal? To better understand these chains and better address stunting based on existing evidence on local diets and food safety risks.
Key Action 3: Playing with Food Systems Modelling
Food systems modelling allows us to identify gaps in nutrient adequacy and guide market-based intervention development. With the help of cutting-edge tools like Optifood and Agrifood, we can take a peek into the future and plan our strategies accordingly.
Impact: (1) identify foods that can address the nutrient gaps in an individual’s diet; (2) guide market-based intervention development; (3) identify priority food value chains for assessment; and (4) identify model parameters for the systems dynamic modelling, we are leveraging state of the art Optifood and Agrifood tools.
Key Action 4: Tackling Food Safety Hazards and Risk Value Chains
Risks and hazards are inevitable, but how we deal with them matters. We’re using our collected dietary data and tools to link value chain analysis and investigate where people get the foods and modes of transportation, storage, processing and consumption. The food sources, including the point-of-purchase information, will be used to link households to a particular food environment.
Key Action 5: Modelling Nutrition-Sensitive Interventions
Finally, to suggest nutrition-sensitive interventions, we are using System Dynamics Modelling, where we simulate various scenarios to conduct a ‘what-if’ scenario analysis to identify potential interventions to improve the availability and affordability of nutrient-dense foods in markets over time.
Takeaway from the summit
One key takeaway was recognising the importance of multisectoral integrated approaches that embrace development aspects as part of human development. Addressing malnutrition and underdevelopment in children is not just about food but a holistic approach.
Sustainable food environments emerged as a critical focus area, especially regarding reducing stunting and promoting inclusivity. We must nurture a whole-child approach to ensure children thrive in every aspect of their lives.
During the event, it became evident that many issues are interconnected. Recognizing this interconnectedness is vital to drive real change and ensure lasting impact. Let’s work together to elevate these underlying factors so they’re not just happening in the background but rightfully recognized and addressed.