Leveraging Agriculture for Nutrition: A Public Policy Consultation Friday, July 29, 2016

Tamarind Hall, India Habitat Centre New Delhi

Agenda

Topic Speaker Registration and lunch Welcome Ms R V Bhavani, Programme Manager,

Leveraging Agriculture for Nutrition in South Asia (LANSA), MSSRF

LANSA and Evidence from ongoing research in India

Dr Prakash Shetty, CEO, LANSA

Strategy for Leveraging Agriculture for Nutrition

Prof. M S Swaminathan, Founder, MSSRF and Chair, The Coalition for Food and Nutrition Security (CFNS)

Special Address Dr Rajesh Kumar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of India

Special Address Dr S K Malhotra, Horticulture Commissioner, Department of Agriculture and Coop.

Special Address A V Swami,MP (Rajya Sabha

A Farming System for Nutrition (FSN) Approach to address Malnutrition

Dr Vijay Bhaskar, Agronomist, FSN Study, LANSA, MSSRF

Evidence from the ground Koraput, Odisha: Mr Brundaban Nayak, Farmer Ms Ghasa Dalei, Farmer Mr Akshaya Panda, Coordinator, FSN Study, LANSA, MSSRF Jeypore (Translation) Contd..

Wardha, Maharashtra: Mr Raju Bhoyar, Farmer Ms Bebitai Kaurti, Farmer Mr Mahesh Maske, Coordinator, FSN Study, LANSA MSSRF Wardha (Translation)

Malnutrition Crisis in Tribal Areas Mr. Basanta Kar, Secretary, CFNS

Open discussion & Policy Recommendations

Moderator: Dr Prakash Shetty, CEO, LANSA

Way Forward & Concluding remarks Professor M S Swaminathan

Introducing the LANSA programme Prakash Shetty CEO of LANSA said that agriculture plays

an important role in food and nutrition security, and that the barriers and disconnects

between agriculture and nutrition are strong in South Asia. Stressing on conceptualising the

pathways between agriculture and nutrition, he added that research under LANSA has

identified WASH as an important component. Shetty also presented that the studies had

found agricultural productivity, women education (beyond secondary level), women work

participation and vaccination - all have a positive influence on child nutrition. He suggested

that public private actions are needed to strengthen the impacts of agri-food value chain on

nutrition (post farm gate), concluding that LANSA’s priority is for ‘research to influence

policies and practice, as well as strategies.

Prof M S Swaminathan, Founder, MSSRF and Chair, The Coalition for Food and Nutrition

Security (CFNS) while setting the stage calling for strategy to leverage agriculture for nutrition

in India, emphasised the importance of public policy. “Current programmes and polices do

not present a bright picture if we must overcome malnutrition,” he noted, adding that the

“time has come to give the power of scale to small producers.” This, he observed, is possible

through food factors and non-food factors.

Explaining how food factors can be used to overcome undernutrition, Prof Swaminathan

insisted on awareness among people being the key. The Food Security Act 2013 not only

deals with wheat and rice, but also includes nutri-millets such as jowar and bajra, and this

information should reach the people, he added.

Protein hunger can be dealt with via increased pulse production, and hidden hunger

(micronutrient deficiencies) through biofortification – either biologically / naturally fortified

(moringa, sweet potato) or through Mendelian breeding (Zinc rich Bajra) or through genetic

modification (Golden Rice).

Non-food factors deal with safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene, and there is a strong

need of public policy in these areas for effective nutrition. “The Community Hunger Fighters

model from MSSRF could be realised through the Panchayati Raj system,” he voiced.

Concluding, he stressed on education being the route to link agriculture, health and

nutrition together in an integrated way.

Rajesh Kumar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of

India emphasised that the Department’s priority was to improve sanitation to control soil

and water borne diseases, as well as to ensure institution delivery and immunizations in the

country. He proposed that IT level monitoring of health and nutrition (real time monitoring)

to cover whole country (health, drinking water, ICD supplies etc) will make a huge difference

in three years, and stressed on the importance of food fortification (be it salt, milk, and

wheat flour, encouraging all to join hands in “not just tackling but attacking the problem of

malnutrition.”

Horticulture Commissioner from Department of Agriculture and Coop, S K Malhotra said

that food and nutritional security are different sides of same coin. While speaking on under-

exploited fruit crops such as Bael, Jaamun, Figs, Aamla, etc., he suggested that people can

grow them on wastelands. Malhotra said that the current focus has shifted from area-led

approach to a production-led approach, voiced, presenting a brief review of the country's

pulse production and the Government’s strategies to increase production. “GoI has put

special focus for pulse production by utilising rice fallows in the form of either direct pulse

production or intercropping.” He added that improving the efficiency of micronutrient use is

priority, but requires research support to bring out the importance of soil for better

micronutrients rather than just for grains.

A V Swami who is Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha recommended a mother-led nutrition

approach, and also spoke on delivery of recommendations and strategies in a language

sensible to farmers as well as to scientists and parliament members.

A brief overview of MSSRF-led LANSA study – Farming System for Nutrition (FSN) was

presented by Vijay Bhaskar, Agronomist with LANSA-MSSRF. Baseline findings of the pilot

study at Koraput and Wardha, challenges identified, planning considerations, and also

performance evaluation, as well as plans for scaling up was shared with the audience. This

was followed by farmers talking about their exposure and experience with the FSN approach

to agriculture.

Brundaban Nayak and Ghasa Dalei are farmers from Koraput district in Odisha, and related

how they made a decision to try out the FSN method of agriculture on their lands and this

attempt witnessed an increased yield in millets and pulses, thanks to the improved seed

varieties. They cultivated millets and pulses using the intercropping method, and as a result

harvested two crops from same piece of land in Kharif season. They also cultivated pulses in

rice fallows during Rabi, and have additional yield from their backyard kitchen garden.

Akshayakumar Panda, Coordinator for the FSN Study in Jeypore translated for the audience.

Likewise, from in Wardha district, Maharashtra, Raju Bhoyar and Bebitai Kaurti, both

farmers spoke of the benefits of cotton and redgram intercropping, and the additional yield

from backyard kitchen gardens resulting in a much needed and improved income status. For

the benefit of those gathered, translation was organised by Mahesh Maske, Coordinator of

FSN Study for Wardha.

Basanta Kar, Secretary of CFNS made a brief presentation on the ‘Malnutrition Crisis in Tribal

Areas’ discussing reported deaths of malnourished children in Nagada, Odisha, while calling

for transformative ideas to bring about desired and positive change.

The floor was then opened up for discussion and policy introspection, keeping the pre-

drafted Policy Briefs from LANSA arising out of MSSRF research evidence from LANSA

studies undertaken in the country. Inputs from the stakeholders gathered and a revised

version of the policy briefs were shared with the group of participants as well as those who

could not make it to the event. Further contributions have been collected, and the finalised

LANSA Policy Briefs will be handed over to the respective Government Departments in New

Delhi as Recommendations for Policy requesting further action, which will be more pro-

nutrition, pro-farmer, pro-women and pro-child in a bid to address the undernutrition

situation in the country.

Photo Caption: Government Dignitaries at the meeting. (Right to left)Basanta Kumar Kar, Dr. S K

Malhotra, A V Swamy, Prof. M S Swaminathan, Dr. Rajesh Kumar and Dr. Prakash Shetty.

Photo Caption: Koraput and Wardha district farmers under FSN study share their experience with

nutrition sensitive agriculture.

Photo Caption: High level participation from INGOs, civil societies and researchers at National Public

Policy Consultation, Delhi.

NATIONAL PUBLIC POLICY CONSULTATION ON LEVERAGING

AGRICULTURE FOR NUTRITION New Delhi

July 29, 2016

Name Organisation

Sonam singh Agriculture Today (Magazine)

Tony Castleman CRS

Garima Mohan Akshaya Patra Foundation

Dr Tapan Kumar Gope Food and Nutrition Security

Dr Vennu Seth Lady Irwin College, DU

Priyadarshini Roy antarafoundation

Chittaranjan Mishra Amaltas Consulting

Ramesh Rawal BAIF

Pradeep Kumar Panda Udyogini

Ranjan Kumar Jha The Micronutrient Initiative

Abraham Daniel World Vision

Name Organisation

Anand Kumar Care India

Fredy M Roy EFICOR

Saraswati Rao Freedom from Hunger

Dr R K Pal

College of Public Health and Health Informatics Qassim University, Qassim Province, Saudi Arabia

Areesha Fatma Nuflower Foods & Nutrition Pvt. Ltd.

Surabhi Pal Indian Council of Food and Agriculture(ICFA)

Dr. Indira Khurana

Smita Action for Food Production

Nilachala Acharya Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability

Smarajit Chakraborty PFI, Delhi

Kathleen Stack Freedom From Hunger

Dr. Sheila C. Vir Public Health Nutrition and Development Center

Name Organisation

Rohit Singh Gram Vanni

Byasadev Naik Commissioner for Agriculture

Sonali Patnaik Arupa Mission Research Foundation

B.G.Mahesh Reliance Foundation

Vinay Kumar Digital Green

A I Varghese Christy Group of Companies

Shashi Kumar EFICOR

Indu Capoor CHETNA

Dr T Mohapatra ICAR

Amajit Mukherjee BBC, Media Action

Mayank Aggrwal Live Mint

Pradeep Mohapatra ÜDYAMA

Dr.Lalitendu Jagatdeb

Jean-Marion Aitken

South Asia Research Hub, British High Commission, DFID

Swati Naik IRRI

Kartik Teri University

Name Organisation

Dr Asheesh Jain John Snow India Private Limited

Bijoy Parto One World

Biraj Swain GCAP, Global Call to Action Against Poverty

N M Prusty Centre for Development and Disease

Shashi P Gupta

Salmon Jacob World Vision India

Dr Rajesh singh Nitit Aayog

Jagadananda Centre for Youth and Social development

Pratibha Rajiv Shrivastava Welt Hunger Hilife

Name Organisation

Nivedita Varshneya Welt Hunger Hilife

Jagriti Chandra The Press Trust of India

Dr. Vikas Bajpey Center for social Medicine and community health , JNU

Rohit Samariya

Devendra Rout The Intellects

A R Nanda CFNS

Christo Mathews Aequitas

Vandana Singh India Food

AJyakumar World Vision

Anil Kumar World Vision

Dr Laxmikant Project Hope

Varant kumar kaur Nutrition Coalition

Harish Chand World Vision

Swati Sexena UK Science+ innovation

Saibel Baroi Care

Dr Subrata Dutta FFI India

Dr. Sujeet Ranjan Magic Bus India Foundation

Rasmi Avula IFPRI

Swati Saxena RGMVP

Alok Ranjan Gates Foundation

Mousumi Gupta ACF

Vasusha Shukla Sambodhi

Dr S K Malhotra Horticulture commissioner

Rajkishor Mishra Supreme Court of India

Anupam Verma ICAR

Name Organisation

Shireen Vakil TATA trust

Shritee DFID

Aarti Dayal Techno Serve

Meera Mishra IFAD

Dr. Sushma Dureja Ministry of Health and family welfare

A V Swami MP Rajya Sabha

Meera Choudhuri News Stream Media

Aereesha Nuflower

Dr Rajesh Kumar Joint Secretary WCD

Ranjan Shankar TATA Trust

Sharmistha Chakraborty Nutrition Coalition