In an ongoing effort to step-up the fight against malaria, pan-African movement Zero Malaria Starts With Me recently unveiled a new campaign: Draw The Line Against Malaria. The campaign, whose official launch took place on February 24th, is focused on engaging youth, calling on young people across Africa and all over the world to unite to fight malaria. By driving more action, more innovation, more funding and more leadership the movement aims to mobilise communities to fight this deadly disease and achieve #ZeroMalaria within a generation. 

This World Malaria Day, organizations and individuals are called upon to support the global malaria community to ensure no one dies from a mosquito bite. As the world struggles to respond to COVID-19, there is a significant risk that prevention and treatment programs for malaria will be disrupted.

Older men and women are frequently unnoticed when collecting, analyzing and presenting statistical data. This non-inclusive approach to data collection and reporting biases disfavors the vulnerable aged populations. Yet, by the year 2050, 20% of the global population will be 60 and above. This presents both challenges and opportunities for implementation of the SDGs and calls for amendments and integration of policies and services to respond to the changing age structure and population. For all to benefit equally and “leave no one behind” as called by the United Nations, governments are encouraged to adopt age-friendly policies that realize older people’s rights, opinions and tackle ageism. It is essential for multilateral agencies to research, design and report guidelines for inclusive policy development and implementation.

The roots of obesity run deep.

People who suffer from obesity are constantly shamed and blamed for their disease. This is because many people - including doctors, policy makers and others - do not understand that obesity is a chronic disease. They see it as a simple lack of willpower, laziness, or a refusal to “eat less and move more”. But like all chronic diseases, the root causes of obesity run much deeper. They can be genetic, psychological, sociocultural, economic and environmental. It is time we break the cycle of shame and blame and reevaluate our approach for addressing this complex, chronic disease that affects 650 million people worldwide.

Digital agriculture is emerging as one of the most exciting new innovation spaces in the food and agriculture sector. From AI-supported decision-making, imagery services to precision agriculture machinery, robotics and mobile services, there is a high level of interest from consumers, investors and policy-makers in the potential of this new approach to help deliver a sustainable, efficient and secure food supply.

November 14 is World Diabetes Day. For the third consecutive year, Avena Canadiense is partnering with the Mexican Diabetes Federation, A.C. to raise awareness about the importance of early diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes and the role of diet in diabetes management.

The International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization began World Diabetes Day in 1991 in response to the growing health threat posed by diabetes. 

Diabetes is a very serious public health problem in Mexico where more than 12 million people live with diabetes and half of them ignore their condition. Diabetes is among the leading causes of death and disease in the country. Having a balanced diet and physical activity are key measures to prevent and reduce diabetes.

If you know an outstanding individual working to make hunger history – why not nominate them for the biggest accolade in agriculture?

In  the  context  of  the  2018  United  Nations  High  Level  Political  Forum  (HLPF),  the  Permanent  Missions  of  Canada  and  Jamaica  to  the  United  Nations  and  the  International  Food  Policy  Research  Institute  (IFPRI)  hosted  a  side  event, Investing for Reshaping Food Systems,  to  bring  attention  to  the  importance  of  investing  in  reshaping  food  systems  to  deliver  the  Sustainable  Development  Goals  (SDGs)  and  achieve  broad-based  development. The  side  event  convened  on  11  July  2018  in  Conference  Room  9  and  advocated  key  policies  and  investments  to  reshape  food  systems  that  can  help  us  achieve  multiple  SDGs  by  2030  –  food  systems  that  are  efficient,  inclusive,  climate-smart,  sustainable,  nutrition-  and  health-driven,  and  business-friendly. 

Read the full summary for the side event "Investing for Reshaping Food Systems"

Learn more about IFPRI:

https://www.ifpri.org/

Three exceptional women in agribusiness have been chosen to receive the 2018 WIA Demeter Award of Excellence. The award recognizes those who have achieved excellence in their field or demonstrated an extraordinary contribution to the agribusiness industry. 

The UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS) selected nutrition as one of its key workstreams for 2016–2018 and will have a major role in shaping nutrition debates in the context of the SDGs and the 2nd International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) outcomes.

The PSM Working Group on Nutrition brings together key stakeholders from across the agri-food value chain, including farm representatives, businesses, and nutritionists. The Working Group follows closely the CFS work stream on nutrition and participates in the Open-Ended Working Group and the Technical Task Team on Nutrition.

Multi-stakeholder engagement plays a critical role in kick-starting new nutrition programs to address the challenges brought by all facets of malnutrition. Private Sector Mechanism members have been raising the importance of issues such as food safety, nutritional education and targeted interventions to address stunting and wasting. Nutritional interventions must be prioritised, particularly geared to addressing the needs of women, children, and the most vulnerable. This requires progressive programming and a willingness to work together. Innovation, research, education, and trade are essential to improving access to quality foods. All of which is underpinned by the essential role of farmers to produce the food we eat.

CFS44 will take place October 9-13 in Rome, Italy and provides a platform to discuss nutrition as a key work stream to be implemented across the whole agricultural and food value chain: from production of foods to improving storage and infrastructure, processing nutrient-dense food products and to clearly labeling nutrition facts. Improvements to the policy environment, market connectivity, land use, women’s economic empowerment, and adequate rural infrastructure also impact nutrition and health.

We encourage all private sector actors working on nutrition to join our delegation. 

You can learn more about CFS44 and register here.