Securing sustainable and nutritious food systems through mainstreaming agricultural biodiversity: an interdisciplinary study

Abstract Background Urgent reform of our food systems is needed if they are to provide high quality nourishment and at the same time protect the environment. Agriculture, food systems, and diets have been greatly simplified over the past century. Policies and investments have been too focused on maximising productivity and economic returns of a few major staples. So much so that global production of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds falls way short of what is required globally. Agricultural and food policies and actions have become disconnected from nutrition policies and programmes, calling for urgent realignment of food systems to focus on nourishing people while sustaining the planet. Focusing in Brazil and India, our work aimed to show that sustainable solutions for transforming food systems are indeed possible. Methods In Brazil, nutritional composition analysis of 65 prioritised native fruit species was carried out in partnership with several public universities and research institutes using FAO/INFOODS methodologies with data made available through a National Composition Database within the Information System on Brazilian Biodiversity (SiBBr). In India, participatory variety selection, improved cultivation practices, value addition, and marketing and public awareness campaigns were tackled along with capacity building of local community members. Lobbying for millets supportive policies was pursued at state and national level. Findings In Brazil, preliminary results indicate that many of the analysed priority native fruits are more nutritionally rich compared with the five most commonly consumed fruits. These findings were instrumental in the passing in 2016 of a new Ordinance on Sociobiodiversity, which officially recognises the nutritional value of these species and which contributes to the mainstreaming of nutritious underutilised species into relevant policies and programmes. In India, public campaigns leveraging healthy and cultural appeal of millets are creating new demand. Drudgery reduction in cultivation, availability of high quality seed and grains, and enhanced processing technology are revitalising their value chains. Successful policy advocacy contributed to the amendment of the National Food Security Act in 2013, which by introducing millets in the Public Distribution System has opened unprecedented opportunities for their nationwide popularisation. Interpretation In Brazil, by addressing critical data gaps, these findings, and other actions, have been important in influencing the national policy landscape, especially in relation to targeting the diversification of school feeding and food procurement, as well as the development of new supporting policies such as the abovementioned ordinance on sociobiodiversity. In India, interdisciplinary and intersectorial approaches played a strategic part in removing bottlenecks hindering the use of millets. A mix of resilience, nutrition, healthy, cultural, and income generation appeal associated to these crops helped to raise their visibility among policy makers. These projects also showed that an Agrobiodiversity Index to help policymakers to decide how to use agrobiodiversity for sustainable choices in support of nutritious food systems would be a highly benefiical instrument. Funding United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), European Union (EU).