The Mediterranean diet is attracting international attention as a healthy and sustainable diet, yet countries in the region are increasingly beset by problems of undernutrition combined with obesity or other food-related diseases. This book highlights the need to consolidate the Mediterranean diet as a lever to improve the sustainability of food systems and consumption in the region.
For almost four decades, the partnership between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM) has generated advanced knowledge and expertise in support of achieving food security, sustainable agriculture, and rural development in the Mediterranean. Driven by these shared goals, FAO and CIHEAM have jointly contributed to policy dialogue, the implementation of programs and projects, awareness-raising, and the capacity development of different actors in the region. FAO- CIHEAM collaboration has helped to build important knowledge resources and technical networks, strengthen the focus on gender and youth in agriculture, and promote the sustainable development of rural and coastal areas and sustainable fisheries. In October 2015, both organizations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) reinforcing their partnership. Under the framework of the partnership agreement, FAO and CIHEAM committed to developing a common strategic cooperation agenda to support agriculture, food, and sustainable rural development in the Mediterranean. In June 2019, based on the success of this collaboration the MoU was renewed for another four years. This brochure presents the highlights and successes of the partnership between FAO and CIHEAM.
This book takes a transdisciplinary approach and considers multisectoral actions, integrating health, agriculture, environment, economy, and socio-cultural issues, to comprehensively explore the topic of sustainable diets. Consideration is given to the multi-dimensional nature of diets and food systems, and the book explores the challenging issues connecting food security and nutrition to sustainability, culture, tradition, and a broader range of scientific topics. The first section, 'Grand Challenges' (chapters 1-9), positions sustainable diets in the multi-perspective context of food systems. Within the current international debate, it introduces some overarching wicked problems, resistant to resolution in spite of the dire consequences of inaction. The chapters cover multi-sectoral policy, public health, sustainable food systems, climate change, biodiversity loss, agro-ecology, indigenous peoples, the role of cities, and food and waste. The contributions in the second section, 'Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches' (chapters 10-17) discuss the topic of sustainable diets from different cultural, sectoral and disciplinary angles. The issues are analysed with data and methods derived from social sciences, clinical sciences and experimental sciences. Perspectives and solutions, with evidence, are presented to underpin policies and interventions. The last section, 'Moving Forward' (chapters 18-29) deals with selected innovations, initiatives, projects, case studies and programmes enhancing sustainable diets by linking nutrition to food systems.
This book draws together the perceptions and experiences from a range of international professionals with specific reference to food education. It presents a variety of teaching, learning and curriculum design approaches relating to food across primary, secondary and vocational school education, undergraduate initial teacher education programs, and in-service professional development support contexts. Contributions from authors of a variety of background and countries offer insight into some of the diverse issues in food education internationally, lessons to be learned from successes and failures, including action points for the future. The book will be both scholarly and useful to teachers in primary and secondary schools.
This volume focuses on current demands, challenges and expectations facing African higher education institutions in general, and those in South Africa in particular. Subsequently, transformative curricula, pedagogies and epistemologies that define diverse practices of access and inclusion within the context of transformation and decolonisation are explored.
It is widely known that food markets have a high environmental impact, which needs to be minimized in order to help mitigate climate change. Governments and international institutions can help improve the sustainability of global food production; however, consumers’ decisions have an important role in influencing food market stakeholders’ choices towards sustainable food sources and low-emission practices. Understanding consumers' awareness of the importance of choosing sustainable diets and their capability to adapt their individual decision-making, is pivotal to stimulating or improving consumers’ willingness to move towards choosing climate-friendly food and avoiding food waste. There are many factors that influence people’s food choices from cultural and ethical acceptability, visual attractiveness, taste agreeability, and economic affordability, which change depending on the geographical areas and targeted group of people. Thus, to orient consumers’ food choices many challenges need to be considered, including making consumers aware of organic food health and environmental benefits, nutritional high protein alternatives to meat, and offering affordable solutions. The aim of this Research Topic is to collect different perspectives on consumers’ food choices in relation to the environmental sustainability issue. This would support the decision-makers and food systems stakeholders to move towards sustainable food production. Thus, this collection wishes to highlight the consumers’ point of view on the trade-off between personal habits and food preferences, and climate-friendly choices in geographical areas, including the awareness of the impact that the diet choice may have on the environment. This collection welcomes submissions on the following themes, but are not limited to: • Consumers' perception of the diet’s impact on climate change issue • Consumers' food choice drivers • Cultural acceptability of alternative protein sources • Consumers’ willingness to purchase organic food • Trade-off availability between sustainable and affordable food choice
While undernutrition persists, obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases rise, including in low- and middle-income countries. What is wrong with our food systems? How will we feed a growing and urbanizing world population with natural resources that are more and more limited and depleted? In June 2019, a two-day symposium brought together academics, researchers, policymakers, representatives from civil society and private sector, parliamentarians and government agencies to discuss these questions (and many more), and explore pathways to a sustainable future of food and healthy diets for all. These proceedings report the presentations and discussions that recolved around the four main areas of (1) Research, Knowledge Gaps and Needs for Sustainable Food Systems and Healthy Diets; (2) Governance of food systems for healthy diets; (3) Building Consumer Confidence in Food Systems; and (4) Transforming Food Systems: What does it take?
"The workshop considered potential contributions of the organization, functioning and governance of food value chains to the sustainability of food systems. The various sessions were focused on different aspects in order to integrate perspectives of various actors, the private sector and civil society along with contributions from FAO, research and academia."--Publisher's description.
This discussion paper highlights the interlinkages between nutrition and the environment across various dimensions from policy to impact. It focuses on diets and food systems, which lie at the nutrition−environment nexus. The paper illustrates how dietary trends and food systems are contributing to the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, as well as how that crisis is exacerbating nutrition challenges. It also presents a range of policy options and practical measures that generate co-benefits for people and the planet. Furthermore, the paper stresses the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and innovative approaches in promoting positive change. In addition, it explores methodologies that can be used to weigh trade-offs in decision-making to help shift to sustainable solutions that support better human and planetary health. This paper is part of UN-Nutrition’s greater efforts to bridge the nutrition and environmental communities and related stakeholders that engage in food systems transformation.
