Metrics to analyze and improve diets through food Systems in low and Middle Income Countries

Melesse, M B and van den Berg, M and Béné, C and de Brauw, A and Brouwer, I D (2020) Metrics to analyze and improve diets through food Systems in low and Middle Income Countries. Food Security (TSI), 12 (5). pp. 1085-1105. ISSN 1876-4517

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Abstract

Taking a food systems approach is a promising strategy for improving diets. Implementing such an approach would require the use of a comprehensive set of metrics to characterize food systems, set meaningful goals, track food system performance, and evaluate the impacts of food system interventions. Food system metrics are also useful to structure debates and communicate to policy makers and the general public. This paper provides an updated analytical framework of food systems and uses this to identify systematically relevant metrics and indicators based on data availability in low and middle income countries. We conclude that public data are relatively well available for food system drivers and outcomes, but not for all of the food system activities. With only minor additional investments, existing surveys could be extended to cover a large part of the required additional data. For some indicators, however, targeted data collection efforts are needed. As the list of indicators partly overlaps with the indicators for the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs), part of the collected data could serve not only to describe and monitor food systems, but also to track progress towards attaining the SDGs.

Item Type:	Article
Divisions:	Research Program : Innovation Systems for the Drylands (ISD)
CRP:	UNSPECIFIED
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Food systems, Metrics, Indicators, SDGs
Subjects:	Others > Food and Nutrition Others > Sustainable Development
Depositing User:	Mr Arun S
Date Deposited:	10 Nov 2020 15:29
Last Modified:	10 Nov 2020 15:29
URI:	http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/11639
Official URL:	https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-020-01091-2
Projects:	UNSPECIFIED
Funders:	UNSPECIFIED
Acknowledgement:	We thank Thom Achterbosch, Namukolo Covic, Ellis Hoffland, Gina Kennedy, John McDermott, Peter Oosterveer, Roseline Remans, Ruerd Ruben, Maja Slingerland and Laura Trijsburg for their valuable inputs.
Links:	Google Scholar

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