On August 12th, 2019 American Natural Foods (ANF) hosted the 1st Natural Foods Competition with a focus on pulses. American Natural Foods is a non-profit organization founded by Chef Ron Pickarski in 1996. The organization is passionate about increasing the reach of plant-based meals and information. 

This post was originally written by Jessica Fanzo and Derek Byerlee for IFPRI.

One in a series of guest blog posts from leading voices in global development on achieving long-term sustainability and growth while ending hunger, poverty, and malnutrition.

A history of shifting global priorities in the fight against hunger

For the third year in a row, the recently-released FAO State of Food Insecurity and Nutrition report highlights global increases in undernourishment after decades of decline. Meanwhile, the report notes, no region is exempt from widespread micronutrient deficiencies and the rising trend in overweight and obesity. The same week in June, we published a piece in the journal Global Food Security looking back 75 years to the pioneering 1943 UN Conference on Food and Agriculture in Hot Springs, Va., where the first international commitment to ending hunger was made.

That conference set the goal of “freedom from want of food, suitable and adequate for the health and strength of all peoples” that should be achieved “in all lands within the shortest possible time.” Seventy five years after this clarion call, as well as the dozens of similar global declarations made in the interim, it is sobering that various complex forms of malnutrition persist in most countries.

Great leadership is about having a vision of an improved world, acting on that vision and inspiring others to do the same.

• A good leader is a visionary, not a dreamer: someone who not only dreams and talks about a better world but steps up to realize his vision. 
• A good leader is innovative and creative: someone who seeks new solutions to a problem and provides the knowledge and methods to take them into action. 
• A good leader is passionate: someone who is driven by a passion about his or her work to improve the current situation. 
• A good leader has courage: someone who rises and takes initiative in difficult times. 
• A transformative leader is an inspiration: someone who inspires, encourages, and helps other people achieving improvement.

In this spirit, Sight and Life has announced the Sight and Life Nutrition Leadership Award 2019 to be presented this November at the SUN Global Gathering in Nepal.

Do you know a leader changing the future of nutrition? Please submit a nomination for the Sight and Life Nutrition Leadership Award 2019 by September 30, 2019. 

PAST RECIPIENTS

David Nabarro, 2012; Robert Black, 2013; Anna Lartey, 2014; Shawn Baker, 2015; Shilpa Bhatte and Ellen Piwoz, 2017

SUBMIT A NOMINATION HERE

As the Emerging team is based around the world, there are few instances for the all of us to come together. Twice a year, the team members of Emerging ag inc are able to come together and it always proves to be equally as fun as it is productive.

Last month the team traveled to Calgary, Alberta, Canada for four days of meetings, trainings, and farm tours. The initial meetings give everyone a chance to collaborate and review the status of clients, and give input on projects that they may not have a hand in on the day-to-day. The brainstorming sessions prove to be informative and inspirational, not just for those involved in a certain project, but giving ideas to everyone that can be utilized in different ways. From this, our clients are able to benefit as the team comes up with new and innovative ways to provide our services.

I was involved in a Canada Food Brand Project dialogue earlier this year and I want to draw your attention to an upcoming event as part of that work. The Canada 2020 National Forum on Agri-Food: Competing in a New World Order is taking place on November 6-7, 2019, in Ottawa. You might be interested in attending this key event designed to shape priorities for the next agri-food policy agenda, immediately after the federal election.

Details can be found here: www.canada2020.ca/canadafoodbrand 

The launch of the 2019 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI 2019) report was one of the key moments at the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF 2019 under the auspices of ECOSOC) currently ongoing in New York City.

SOFI 2019 paints a grim picture with concerns that the Zero Hunger target (SDG2) may not be achieved as world hunger rises for the third year in a row. There were 821 million people critically undernourished in the world last year, a rise from 811 million in 2017. In their pre-launch statement, FAO’s DG José Graziano da Silva and Máximo Torero (Assistant Director-General for the Economic and Social Development Department at FAO) highlighted the urgency to improve nutrition and fast-track food security for all, noting that “the Zero Hunger goal is not simply to eradicate hunger but also to ensure access by all people to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round and to end all forms of malnutrition.”

World Milk Day was established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 2001 to recognize the importance of milk as a global food. 

The 2019 celebrations were a huge success with over 664 million social media impressions and 426 events in 68 countries. 107 countries featured World Milk Day activity through May 29 - June 1, 2019. 

To help create a positive stream of conversation in advance of the celebration, this year Global Dairy Platform coordinated the Enjoy Dairy Rally from May 29-31, culminating in World Milk Day on June 1. Through social and traditional media as well as hundreds of events, the benefits of milk and dairy products were actively promoted, including how dairy supports the livelihoods of one billion people around the world.

This article was originally posted in the IPGA Pulse India magazine. Download the magazine here.

Pulses have never been so relevant. Celebrated in the EAT-Lancet report and the newly declared World Pulses Day – peas, lentils, chickpeas and other pulses are riding a wave of growing attention.  For India, pulses are a timeless part of the diet, but in many other countries, pulses are part of a growing trend to focus on plant-based proteins. 

What we eat sends a signal to the supply chain and the signal is about pulses as a sustainable part of the food basket.  While the discussion of meat lately has not fairly reflected the disparity in developed and developing countries, certainly pulses are part of a more sustainable and healthier future. 

The Emerging team met in Kenya last month for our semi-annual team meeting. With the picturesque setting of Mount Kenya, 19 team members got together to discuss our many projects. We use this time to get input from different team members on certain issues they may not work closely on year-round. This adds new perspectives and value to our clients. 

After three days of meetings, a smaller group from the team took two days to tour multiple smallholder dairy farms in Kiambu and Kerugoya, rural areas just outside of Nairobi. These tours gave us an idea of the various challenges’ farmers face in Kenya, including access to resources (Kenya is in the midst of a drought) and waste management. 

In addition to farm tours, we were given a tour of Palmhouse Dairies, a dairy processing plant based in Githunguri. Owned and operated by Margaret Munene, Palmhouse Dairies creates milk and yoghurt products distributed in Nairobi.

Since 2001, June 1st, World Milk Day has been observed by the United Nations. It was initiated by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to mark the importance of dairy. World Milk Day focuses on raising public awareness about the importance of milk as part of a healthy and balanced diet and as an agricultural product. It also aims to highlight the significance of the milk sector and milk producers, in particular, the one billion people around the world who derive their livelihoods from the dairy sector.