Contribution of the GEF Biodiversity for Food and

Nutrition to ‘mainstreaming’; country experiencesDanny Hunter, Global Project Coordinator, Bioversity International

What is mainstreaming biodiversity?

• Unprecedented biodiversity loss, degradation of ecosystems

• Since 1994, the CBD has called for the integration of relevant concerns related to biodiversity conservation and its sustainable use into sectoral or cross-sectoral policies and national decision-making mechanisms. This process is known as biodiversity mainstreaming

• Experiences and lessons learned largely confined to production sectors – agriculture, forestry, fisheries, mining – few examples of mainstreaming BFN

PROVIDE EVIDENCE – Demonstrate the nutritional value of local BFN and the role it plays in promoting healthy diets and strengthening livelihoods

INFLUENCE POLICIES - Use the evidence to influence policies and markets that support the conservation and sustainable use of BFN for improved human nutrition and wellbeing

RAISE AWARENESS – Develop tools and best practices for scaling up the use BFN in development programmes, value chains and local community initiatives.

•1/3 of the population is food insecure•1.8 million children chronically undernourished

ALVs, sorghum, millets, nuts and oil crops, indigenous fruits and livestock

Undernutrition ↓Overnutrition ↑ 50% of adult population overweight (80 million)

Plants for the Future Project (70 spp.)Non conventional leafy vegetables

Undernutrition ↓Overnutrition ↑•31% overweight•12% obese

28 spp. local edible plant species

• Acute protein-energy malnutrition

• Moderate Iron deficiency anaemia and VAD

Native root and tuber crops, traditional rice varieties, leafy vegetables and native fruits

5 year project : 2012 - 2017

Project aim: Strengthen the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity with high nutritional potential, by mainstreaming into nutrition, food and livelihood security strategies and programmes; develop markets and value chains for nutritionally-relevant biodiversity.

Several possible options exist to undertake the mainstreaming of biodiversity for improving nutrition at

the national and local level

• Policy and Programme Design

• Research

• Implementation

• Awareness

1. Policy and Programme Design

• Mainstreaming BFN into National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAP)

• Mainstreaming BFN directly into relevant policies, programmes and national plans of action on food security and nutrition – Fome Zero, School Feeding Programmes

• Mainstreaming BFN into relevant production sectoral programmes and plans which have a strong bearing on nutritional outcomes – agriculture (Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture), forestry….

• Other policy arenas….

Case Study 1: NBSAP Revision Process

• Global First, Brazil’s revised NBSAP 2015

• Limited appreciation of the use of BFN

• For BFN alone, 23 priority actions identified

• Indicator: “Number of species of Brazilian native biodiversity included in food and nutritional security policies”

• US$60 million pledged to protect BFN

“Mainstreaming needs to recognise who holds power and therefore who needs to

be engaged - Ministries of Finance, or Finance and Planning are particularly

important in this regard.”

Case Study 2: School Feeding & Procurement

• Opportunity: Move to local procurement, family farming. Currently diversification of procurement is low

• PNAE and CECANES: Awareness raising, capacity building, online BFN module, working with nutritionists to develop new recipes/menus

• School gardens, health and nutrition education

• Mainstreaming? Exploit increasing move by programmes such as WFP P4P, Home Grown School Feeding and other institutional markets

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PAA PNAE PGPM

Expendituresonna vebiodiversityfoodproducts

Totalexpenditure

Effective mainstreaming requires

• Awareness and political will from the highest levels, providing support;

• Strong leadership, dialogue and co-operation at all levelsespecially agriculture, environment, nutrition and health sectors

• Good scientific information and understanding• Strategic cross-sectoral platforms and public-private

partnerships• Key role models and champions• Good scientific information and understanding• Institutional capacity and commitment• Effective NGO and civil society involvement• Resources, finance and time• …..

Thank you

BFN Project website, Case studies documenting best practices Diversifying food and diets book.

www.b4fn.org

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• Important link between biodiversity, especially genetic resources, for food security and nutrition

• Highlighted important global initiatives within CBD, FAO, CFS, ICN2….post-2015 Agenda and SDGs

• Highlighted the intolerable persistent situation of malnutrition• What we haven’t highlighted so much is how we move from the Global to

Country action – a few examples from GEF BFN

The Story so far

2. Research

• Development of databases and linkages to FAO/INFOODS

• Capacity building and national and regional courses on development of food composition databases on biodiversity

• Nutrition Sensitive Landscapes and Nutritional Functional Diversity

• Nutrient contents of foods from different varieties, cultivars and breeds of plants and animals, wild, neglected and underutilized species including from forest-derived foods and aquatic genetic resources.

Source: Remans and Smukler, 2014

Nutrition functional diversity plotted against species richness for 170 farms in three Millenium Village project sites, Sauri in Kenya, Ruhiira in Uganda and Mwandama in Malawi

3. Implementation

• Nutrition sensitive agriculture and extension services

• Nutrition sensitive value-chains

• Best practices to mobiliseBFN, homegardens,

• Capacity building

• Nutrition education

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Breastfeeding week - Kenya

Alaçati Herb Festival - Turkey

Busia Food Fair - Kenya

Organic Food Week - Brazil

4. Awareness