Diama, A and Anitha, S and Kane-Potaka, J and Htut, T T and Jalagam, A and Kumar, P and Worou, O N and Tabo, R (2020) How the Smart Food Concept Can Lead to the Transformation of Food Systems and Combat Malnutrition: Different Approaches in Africa, Globally, and a Case Study from Myanmar with Lessons Learnt for Creating Behavior Change in Diets. Hidden Hunger and the Transformation of Food Systems, 121. pp. 149-158. ISSN 0084-2230
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
Some of the biggest global issues are poor diets, environmental concerns, and poverty. To tackle malnutrition, fast-growing lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, environmental concerns like climate change, land and water scarcity, and poverty, we need to incorporate dietary and on-farm diversity. These issues should be treated in unison, but also with more holistic solutions. Mainstreaming “traditional” Smart Foods back as staples across Africa and Asia is part of the “Smart Food” approach. Smart Foods are food items that fulfill the criteria of being good for you, the planet, and the farmer. Sorghum and millet were selected as the first Smart Foods and a participatory fun-filled approach was adopted to create awareness, to develop culturally acceptable products, and to bring about behavior change to improve adoption, dietary diversity, and nutritional status. Smart Food piloted these activities in Myanmar to understand its potential on the consumer market. Smart Food was promoted in different countries through social media competitions in Mali, cooking shows in Kenya and India, recipe development by popular chefs in Paris and London, as well as school feeding programs in Tanzania and India, and an international millet festival in Niger. As a case study in Myanmar, we compared two approaches to introduce Smart Food – one which directly introduces new products and one which takes a culturally sensitive participatory and inclusive approach. The later approach resulted in the development of 27 recipes, in contrast with the former approach, which accepted only 3 of the 13 products tested. The 27 products developed locally exhibited superior nutrient values compared to usual rice porridge. The Smart Food initiative is demonstrating the potential to make a difference in society and for the environment, thus contributing to a major impact on leading global issues such as dietary diversity, improved nutritional status, and adapting to climate change.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Divisions: | Research Program : West & Central Africa Strategic Marketing and Communication |
| CRP: | UNSPECIFIED |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Malnutrition, Smart Food |
| Subjects: | Others > Smart Foods Others > Food and Nutrition |
| Depositing User: | Mr Arun S |
| Date Deposited: | 13 Oct 2020 11:17 |
| Last Modified: | 13 Oct 2020 11:17 |
| URI: | http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/11629 |
| Official URL: | https://doi.org/10.1159/000507494 |
| Projects: | UNSPECIFIED |
| Funders: | UNSPECIFIED |
| Acknowledgement: | This work was undertaken as part of the Smart Food initiative that is led in Africa and Asia by International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF), Food Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) and Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI). In India efforts with millets are co-led with IIMR. The authors thank the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Australian Government, Smart Food endowment fund, and ICRISAT for grant support. The authors are grateful to Ismail Mohamad, ICRISAT, who generated the map, and Rick Chase, Bio nutrient systems, Yangon, Myanmar, who supported in conducting market testing. Special thanks goes to the Livelihoods and Food Security Fund (LIFT), especially Harald Kreuscher and Sein Myint, for their support and advice while conducting this work in Myanmar. The Authors are grateful to the 4th Hidden Hunger Congress (https://hiddenhunger.uni-hohenheim.de/en). |
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