International Conference on Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture and Food Systems

Theme: Strategic Approaches to Nutrition-sensitive Agriculture and Food Systems in Southeast Asia

Ratonale

Food and nutrition security are essential to bring about universal sustainable development. Globally, however, insufficient food and nutrition systems remain an overriding challenge.

About 11 % of the world population is affected by hunger (FAO, 2017). As reported, the number of undernourished people increased from 777 million in 2015 to 815 million in 2016.

In Southeast Asia, 20-34% of the people are undernourished. This is attributed to inefficient production of about 87% of the small farms in Asia.

In the Philippines, the poverty incidence is high at 21.6% while malnutrition rate is 15-24% (PSA, 2016). During the 1st National Conference organized by the UPLB Interdisciplinary Studies Center on Food and Nutrition Security, nutrition emerged as one of the major concerns of the country's food security.

The 2013 Lancet Nutrition Series showed that implementing large-scale, proven, nutrition-specific interventions alone will only reduce stunting by 20% (Bhutta et al, 2013), leaving an 80% 'black box' which can only be addressed through nutrition-sensitive programming.

One key strategy to address food and nutrition insecurity is nutrition-sensitive agriculture (NSA). The NSA strategy seeks to maximize agriculture's contribution to nutrition using an integrative approach to production, processing, retailing, and consumption of food (FAO, 2017). NSA aims to produce affordable, nutritious, culturally appropriate, and safe food in adequate quantity and quality to meet population requirements in a sustainable manner.

Recognizing the importance and benefits of nutrition-sensitive agriculture, the UPLB Interdisciplinary Studies Center on Food and Nutrition Security (UPLB-ISC-FaNS), in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), and the Cavite State University (CvSU) is holding an international conference on nutrition-sensitive agriculture and food systems with the theme Strategic Approaches to Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture and Food Systems. The conference will gather advocates and stakeholders of nutrition-sensitive agriculture to assess NSA programs and activities in the ASEAN region, including the Philippines.

It provides a venue to identify challenges and adopt best practices in implementing NSA. Overall, the conference will broaden the level of understanding on the role of agriculture to meet the nutritional needs of a population.

Objectives

The International Conference on Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture and Food Systems seeks to:

• Create awareness about nutrition-sensitive agriculture and food systems
• Draw lessons from the experiences, opportunities, challenges, and issues in implementing nutrition-sensitive agriculture and food systems
• Establish a common ground to address the issues and challenges of nutrition-sensitive agriculture and food systems
• Recommend policies and strategies to enhance and support nutrition-sensitive agriculture and food systems

Program of Activities and Topics

Call for Paper Presentations and Poster Papers

Practices or policies that will improve nutrition on the following functions of the food system may be presented as papers during the parallel sessions and as poster presentations during the conference duration

1. Food Production - this will cover diversification and intensification of agricultural production which also includes nutrition-sensitive livestock and fisheries production, biodiversity for food and nutrition, biofortification, and urban and peri-urban agriculture.
2. Food Handling, Storage, and Processing - this will cover nutrition-sensitive post-harvest handling, storage and processing, and food fortification.
3. Food Trade and Marketing - this will cover trade for nutrition, food marketing and advertising practices, food price policies for promoting healthy diets, and food labeling.
4. Consumer Demand, Food Preparation, and Preferences - this will cover income generation for nutrition, nutrition-sensitive social protection, school food and nutrition and nutrition-sensitive humanitarian food assistance.
5. Cross-cutting Issues - this will cover nutrition-sensitive value chains, women's empowerment and gender equality, and food loss and waste (prevention, reduction, and management).

Guidelines for Abstract Submission

• The abstract should include the background and objectives of the study, methodology used, major findings, recommendations, and at least 3 keywords.
• It should not exceed 300 words in length using Times New Roman font, size 12, and single spaced.
• It should indicate Author's complete name, institutional affiliation, and contact information such as mailing address, mobile/telephone number, and email address.
• It should indicate the sub-theme under which the abstract belongs: Food Production, Food Handling, Storage and Processing, Food Trade, Marketing, Consumer Demand, Food Preparation, Preferences, and Cross-Cutting Issues.
• The Program Committee will select from the abstract submissions, papers which can be presented during Parallel Sessions and as poster papers.

Important Dates

Conference Fees

* The early bird and on-site registration fees include lunch, morning and afternoon snacks, and conference kit.
* The fees exclude accommodation during the conference duration. Kindly make your own reservation for accommodations. For accommodation needs, please contact Ms. Dominique R. Vida at (046) 483 1290 to 1292 or e-mail her at .
* Deadline for registration and payment is on 15 October 2018. Please email the Secretariat for details of payment.
** Student participants are subsidized for the conference. tudents must show validated student ID.