CGIAR Impact Area: Nutrition, health & food security

🎉 Yesterday, South Asia’s premier nutrition conference #D4N2024 concluded on a high note! This year’s event made notable progress, including improved gender balance—a meaningful step toward greater inclusivity. Congratulations to the lead organizer, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), co-organizers, speakers, winners, and participants for the event's success. Global food security and nutrition depend on South Asia’s success. Here’s to transforming evidence into actionable solutions for better nutrition and resilience across the region!

👥👥 🤝 Today we gathered academics and experts from the Global North and Global South for the South-South Capacity Development Initial Meeting to further advance nutrition-sensitive food systems. Discussions centered around building long-term partnerships, capacity development & sharing, and knowledge exchange & transfer in the areas of nutrition, health, food security, and food, land, and water systems. CGIAR Impact Area: Nutrition, health & food security | CGIAR | WorldFish | Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT | Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) | University of Copenhagen (Københavns Universitet) | University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus | The University Of Zambia (UNZA) | Sokoine University of Agriculture

Happy to convene a closed-door meeting with a diverse group of academics from the Global North and the Global South to talk about shared capacity development and partnerships. Delivering shared impacts does not happen overnight, but glad to have this group of passionate people coming together to make a difference. CGIAR Impact Area: Nutrition, health & food security |CGIAR | WorldFish Shakuntala Thilsted Wanjiku. N. Gichohi-Wainaina, PhD Charlotte Berkström Nanna Roos Hadijah Mbwana Ronald Roopnarine BSc, Ph.D, FHEA

💡 Day 2 of #D4N2024 took a deeper dive into connecting the dots across systems to improve nutrition in South Asia. Research showcases from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Colombo Urban Lab, Institute of Development Studies, and King's College London highlighted how accessibility, availability, affordability, desirability, and crisis vulnerability shape dietary choices. The discussions highlighted the need for both individual and system-level interventions to reshape dietary choices and foster healthier food environments, with media playing a pivotal role in driving behavioral change. Experts urged a shift in advertising and coverage toward healthier foods. Chef Thomas Zacharias, Founder of The Locavore, reinforced these insights by showcasing storytelling as a powerful tool to promote indigenous foods. He emphasized the importance of utilizing and valuing local ingredients and the need for shorter value chains. He also reminded participants to reflect on the privilege of choosing what foods to preserve. Thematic Sessions: ✅ Why we eat what we eat: drivers of food choice ✅ Examining linkages between climate change and food systems ✅ Making social protection nutrition-sensitive ✅ Gender and Social Inclusion Learning Labs: ✅ Qualitative Data Handling in Nutrition Research ✅ Unlocking opportunities for policy wins ✅ What it takes to accelerate anemia reduction in South Asia Plenary Session: ✅ Beyond the plate: Exploring dietary diversity and its broader benefits through India’s cultural heritage

Day 2: This was an interesting day: -Research showcase -Climate change and nutrition -Gender and social inclusion I summarize the days impressions in the video below. *Correction:food plate changes were among the urban and not rural families #D4N2024 #foodenvironments #climatechange Purnima Menon Ben Wismen CGIAR Impact Area: Nutrition, health & food security Aniss Khalid

🎉 Day 1 of #D4N2024 was a success! What started as an India-focused half-day event, Delivering for Nutrition in South Asia conference has become a major South Asia-wide conference with over 1,300 participants this year. Purnima Menon, Senior Director at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), opened the event by urging participants to value both experience and evidence during the conference. An inspiring keynote by P. Sainath, award-winning journalist and founder of People's Archive of Rural India , shed light on addressing systemic inequalities to transform nutrition. He emphasized the importance of empowering vulnerable communities, especially women, children, and food producers while urging participants not to depoliticize nutrition. Thematic Sessions: ✅ Agriculture and food security & nutrition pathways ✅ Multisectoral approaches to improving maternal and child nutrition ✅ Methods and metrics to improve nutrition through sustainable agriculture ✅ Natural and built food environments Learning Labs: ✅ Establishing nutrition surveillance system and analyzing longitudinal data ✅ Nudging for good: Real-time AI-driven diagnostics and behavior change to improve adolescents’ diets and nutrition in Sri Lanka ✅ Transforming Food Systems for Better Nutrition: The Power of Fortification ✅ Natural and built food environments Plenary Session: ✅ Aligning Actions Across Sectors to Achieve Healthy Diets and Nutrition Goals: Insights from Sri Lanka Here’s to more impactful presentations and conversations on Day 2 today! 🌍

📣 Happening today! #D4N2024 Join us for South Asia's premier conference on nutrition in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and online! 🗓️ Dec 3-5 | 9:00 AM 🎟️ Free registration: bit.ly/D4N2024_register Don’t miss these important conversations! International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) | ANH Academy - Agriculture, Nutrition and Health | Nutrition International | Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) | UNICEF India | UNICEF Sri Lanka | International Water Management Institute (IWMI) | International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) | CGIAR | BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health | World Food Programme | The World Bank Group | Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation | Food Security Portal (FSP) | High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE-FSN)

🌾🍚 The Council for Partnership on Rice Research in Asia (CORRA), led by the International Rice Research Institute, held its 28th annual meeting on 30-31 October 2024. The two-day event convened agricultural leaders across Asia in Seoul, South Korea to align research strategies, discuss regional policies, and highlight innovations to bolster the #rice sector’s food security and climate resilience. This year’s meeting was hosted by South Korea’s Rural Development Administration. More: https://lnkd.in/gTdfJA-P

📢 3 days to go! Join us on Dec 3 at #D4N2024 for an inspiring keynote plenary featuring the founder of People's Archive of Rural India , P. Sainath. P. Sainath is an award-winning journalist and author of 'Everybody Loves a Good Drought', who has spent decades documenting the lives of rural India’s people. In his keynote, he will connect the dots between rural development, media, and social change to advance nutrition in the region. Panelists include Saiqa Siraj from Nutrition International and Prof. Buddhi Marambe from the University of Peradeniya. The session will be moderated by Biraj Patnaik of the National Foundation for India. 🕘 9:30-10:30 AM (SLST) 📍 Lotus Ballroom, Shangri-La Sri Lanka 🔗 Join online: https://lnkd.in/gDqNEeJ3 Not registered yet? Sign up now: bit.ly/D4N2024 ANH Academy - Agriculture, Nutrition and Health | Nutrition International | Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) | UNICEF India | UNICEF Sri Lanka | International Water Management Institute (IWMI) | International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) | CGIAR | BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health | World Food Programme | The World Bank Group | Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation | Food Security Portal (FSP) | High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE-FSN)

Hundreds of millions of dollars in banana exports from Colombia are at risk from Tropical Race 4 (TR4)—a devastating fungal disease with no cure at the moment. However, the impact goes far beyond crops. TR4 threatens the livelihoods, cultures, and communities that depend on the banana industry. Discover more in the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT's latest socioeconomic study: https://lnkd.in/erWkvXnj #foodsecurity