Linking Agriculture and Health: Progress of a CGIAR* Initiative

1. Linking Agriculture and Health: Progress of a CGIAR* Initiative Corinna Hawkes Food Consumption and Nutrition Division International Food Policy Research Institute * Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (www.cgiar.org)

2. Agriculture & health are linked with significant implications for the poverty, livelihoods, food security, nutrition & health of the world’s poor Agriculture Health • By producing food and generating income and other benefits, agriculture is fundamental for good health • By demanding labor, affecting the environment, and producing goods, agriculture contributes to poor health • Agricultural populations in poor health are less able to work perpetuating a downward spiral into poverty • Wider prevalence of malnutrition and disease influences the market demand (and needs) for agricultural outputs Health Agriculture Linking Agriculture and Health: Progress of a CGIAR Initiative SCN Working Group on Household Food Security, Geneva, March 16 2006

3. Why now? • History of IFPRI/CGIAR work on agriculture and nutrition • Increasing body of CGIAR work on agriculture and health more broadly, but not well coordinated • Innovative solutions needed to prevent & control world’s major health problems affecting the poor (undernutrition, HIV/AIDs, malaria, food borne disease) • Action needed to understand and address emerging health problems related to agriculture and health (e.g. avian flu, obesity & diet-related chronic diseases) • New challenges affecting agriculture & the nature of its linkages with health (globalization, urbanization) Linking Agriculture and Health: Progress of a CGIAR Initiative SCN Working Group on Household Food Security, Geneva, March 16 2006

4. CGIAR Initiative on Agriculture and Health aims to… • Improve coordination of existing health-related research in the CGIAR & maximize impact on policy, in partnership with the health sector • Improve the health of the poor, reduce malnutrition and food insecurity, and promote pro-poor agricultural development, by increasing synergies and collaboration between agriculture & health in research, policy and practice FOCUS EQUALLY ON RESEARCH AND POLICY DEVELOPMENT Linking Agriculture and Health: Progress of a CGIAR Initiative SCN Working Group on Household Food Security, Geneva, March 16 2006

5. Actions so far • Center Directors Working Group established on Agriculture and Health , to steer initiative (2004) • Development of conceptual framework linking agriculture and health, to set broad frame of reference (2004/2005) • Workshop on agriculture and health (June 2005) • Event held for all CG Centers at Annual General Meeting, to communicate development of initiative (Dec 2005) • IFPRI 2020 Focus Briefs on agriculture & health linkages, to compile & communicate what is already known (May 2006) • Web resource guide describing health-related work in CG Centers, to allow anyone to learn about & utilize this research (2006) Linking Agriculture and Health: Progress of a CGIAR Initiative SCN Working Group on Household Food Security, Geneva, March 16 2006

6. Roundtable workshop - Agriculture & Health Linkages: Towards Improved Coordination IFPRI, Washington DC, June 23-24 • 45 participants from 11 CG Centers (out of 15), health sector (WHO, academic experts, NGOs), donors • Reviewed existing work, discussed how to improve CG coordination and strengthen partnerships with the health sector, and challenges and opportunities to move forward Linking Agriculture and Health: Progress of a CGIAR Initiative SCN Working Group on Household Food Security, Geneva, March 16 2006

7. Noted real challenges… • Linkage between agriculture & health are dynamic and complex • Significant institutional challenges • Insectoral research and policies difficult to monitor and evaluate • Policymakers, practioners and donors need to be convinced of relevance and added benefits of working across sectors Linking Agriculture and Health: Progress of a CGIAR Initiative SCN Working Group on Household Food Security, Geneva, March 16 2006

8. … but real opportunities for CG to improve synergies, in partnership with health sector • Conduct scientific and policy research on linkages • Develop partnerships with health sector to draw on mutual strengths • Build dialogue to build common ground between researchers policymakers sand practitioners • Communicate through publications • Develop and adapt methodological tools to link agriculture & health in research, policy and practice Linking Agriculture and Health: Progress of a CGIAR Initiative SCN Working Group on Household Food Security, Geneva, March 16 2006

9. Focus on moving forward, addressing existing & emerging challenges, learning from the past, but building new approaches EXAMPLE: AGRICULTURE AND NUTRITION Learn from past, that agriculture can contribute to nutrition by: • increasing availability of staples, access to micronutrient rich food, income, & women’s empowerment Need also to address challenges of globalization & urbanization: • Impact on dual burden of malnutrition; • Elevation of the role of agri-food markets relative to agricultural production Overall, to succeed must address agri-food and health governance structures that create institutional barriers to increasing the synergies Linking Agriculture and Health: Progress of a CGIAR Initiative SCN Working Group on Household Food Security, Geneva, March 16 2006

10. Next steps • RESEARCH: • Continue ongoing research (HIV/AIDs; nutrition/obesity) • Identify critical scientific & policy research needed in concept note • COLLABORATION: • Identify “big picture” global public health/nutrition experts to help guide the initiative • Assist World Bank in agriculture-nutrition work • COMMUNICATION: • Special issue of Food and Nutrition Bulletin (June 2007), • Launch of 2020 Focus Briefs and Resource Guide Linking Agriculture and Health: Progress of a CGIAR Initiative SCN Working Group on Household Food Security, Geneva, March 16 2006

11. For more information • Brief on initiative: available here & http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/misc/fcnaghealth.pdf • Website on workshop: www.ifpri.org/events/seminars/2005/20050623AgHealth.htm • Contact • Marie Ruel (m.ruel@cgiar.org) • Corinna Hawkes (c.hawkes@cgiar.org) Linking Agriculture and Health: Progress of a CGIAR Initiative SCN Working Group on Household Food Security, Geneva, March 16 2006