Healthy farms makes healthy people-IFAD

(ANSA) - Rome, October 10 - Investing in climate-resilient agriculture not only improves food security but also contributes to eradicating malnutrition, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) said in a new report Tuesday.
    The report, entitled The Nutrition Advantage - Harnessing the Nutrition Co-Benefits of Climate Resilient Agriculture, is a study of the Rome-based UN agency's experience in improving nutrition in climate-sensitive agricultural investments.
    It shows that climate change impacts in agriculture and the prevalence of malnutrition in rural areas are deeply intertwined.
    "For those living on land that is increasingly degraded, or at risk due to greater climate variability, what is grown is not as rich in nutritious content as it could be, which has implications for rural and urban populations alike," said IFAD President Gilbert F. Houngbo.
    The research also points to the urgent need to sensitize farmers to spending their hard-earned income on more nutritious food choices which lead to better health outcomes for the whole family, it said. Income-raising activities are also crucial to allow families to buy the food they do not grow themselves. Paired with nutrition education, the report shows the positive economic and nutritional benefits of a diversified approach.
    "Promoting diversified, climate-smart food systems that take nutritional considerations into account can help smallholders to be more resilient, provide more stable incomes and improve dietary quality, while at the same time addressing climate change," said Margarita Astralaga, Director of IFAD's Environment and Climate Division.