APPSANA INTEGRATION PLUS

For example, Ghana uses Blockchain ledgers of land use and ownership rights for allocating land (Mintah et al.

Technology can ensure transparency and efficiency. Protecting the land rights of smallholders, women and indigenous peoples is paramount. For example, if female-headed households in Southern Ethiopia had same resources as male-headed ones, their productivity in maize would increase by 40%, to match that of the latter (Gebre et al. They must identify pathways out of inequitable and unfair arrangements over land, credit and labor and empower the rights of women and youth. Socio-economic researchers need to suggest inclusive ways to transform more than 400 million smallholder farms. Poverty and inequalities associated with gender, ethnicity and age restrict many people’s access to healthy foods. Payment schemes are needed to encourage farmers to manage and capture carbon in soils and trees and trade it. Smart-phone apps would provide farmers with information on local crop pests, weather risks and market opportunities these are already used in Kenya, Senegal, India and Bangladesh (Baumüller 2017). Solar powered irrigation systems would reduce risk from drought. For example, novel insurance products facilitated by remote sensing and weather forecasts would provide cover for lost crops and livestock. Policies and economic solutions are needed. Successful initiatives combining on the ground observations of food systems and nutrition with forecasting include FEWS NET ( ) and the joint FAO-World Food Program Early Warning System ( ). The COVID-19 pandemic and armed conflicts have shaken food value chains across Africa this year, driving up food prices. For example, droughts, biofuels expansion and financial speculation after the sudden imposition of trade barriers led to food price hikes in 2008 (Kalkuhl et al. Scientists need to better understand, monitor, analyze and communicate such vulnerabilities. The more global, dynamic and complex food systems become, the more they are open to novel risks. The health properties of fortified foods and cultivated meats need establishing. They should develop policy guidelines for educational food labels and taxes and regulations on unhealthy foods (such as sugar, trans-fats and high-fructose corn syrup). Researchers also need to study behavioral barriers to healthy eating, such as snacking under stress.

Under Covid-19 lockdowns these programs become even more relevant, as in Addis Ababa schools.

APPSANA INTEGRATION PLUS

School feeding programs offering nutritious meals for students, plus incentives like take home rations for parents to keep children in education, have increased school participation in Mali by 10% (Aurino et al. Developing new forms of packaging using recycled materials, coatings of nanomaterials and even edible films, would keep foods fresh for longer and reduce losses. Research priorities include powering fridges and preserving plants with solar energy.

Three big game changers are: enhancing research and development (R&D) in agriculture and food to increase productivity sustainably, adding income and nutrition components to social protection programs, and slashing food waste and losses. For example, improving irrigation on small farms in Tanzania and Ethiopia has enhanced productivity, lowered prices for consumers and increased farmers’ income (Passarelli et al. Measures that do all three are most effective in cutting hunger and improving diets.

Scientists need to identify optimal conditions and investment opportunities to make healthy and nutritious foods more available, affordable and accessible. Science-driven advances are needed in the following areas.

Appsana integration