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health and environment, especially those that reduce GHG emissions and increase
resilience to environmental change. For example, reducing saturated fat intake from
livestock products has co-benefits for health and environment: 8–9% of global GHG
emissions come from the livestock sector, which provides large amounts of saturated fat leading to increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (Friel et al. 2009).
WHO recommends high saturated-fat, high calorie-meats and processed foods be
substituted with more unprocessed foods, fiber-rich foods, and fresh fruits and vegetables. The Global Nutrition Report also recommends increasing dietary diversity,
especially increasing fruits and vegetables in the diet (IFPRI 2016). Many developing countries, however, are shifting from subsistence farming to industrialized food
production, leading to the gradual loss of biodiversity in local food varieties of
legumes, fruits, nuts, seeds, and berries, and to an increased reliance upon simplified diets of imported food varieties or mass-produced staples. This change has led
to diets that are energy rich but contain few vital micronutrients. Thus, more effort
is urgently needed to provide locally sustainable solutions to improve nutrition and
agricultural systems.
In recent years, data show how changes in dietary habits strongly affect health
and the environment (Aleksandrowicz et al. 2016; Springmann et al. 2016; Tilman
and Clark 2014). Erb et al. (2016) have been studying the effects of dietary habits at
a global level and have shown that it is possible to nurture a growing human population without deforestation by combining the transition to a vegetarian diet and sustainable intensification. These scenario-based studies provide insights into potential
pathways for food systems change. These studies, however, do not tell much about
what policies or interventions will help to realize the illustrated scenarios. Because
most of the future population growth is expected to occur in cities, it will be necessary to prepare a nutritious and environmentally-friendly food environment in newly
developed areas and to transform the food environments of existing urban areas.
Enhancing market function was the main development strategy to alleviate poverty. As a consequence, decoupling of consumption from production occurred, followed by unexpected market failure and government failure as explained in detail in
the next section. These undesirable situations were caused by an improper framing,
where production/supply and consumption/demand were separately handled in the
policy application. Namely, the food supply (production) was governed by neoclassical economic theories without consideration of environmental factors; and the
nutritious demand for food (consumption) did not properly consider people’s diet
patterns. In fact, people’s psychological response for the applied strategies/policies,
preference for food, perception and values about food, among others are essential
factors when actual strategies/policies are designed and implemented. In the next
section, theoretical framework of people’s value in the supporting theory of development strategies is overviewed.
8 Framing Food Security and Poverty Alleviation
health and environment, especially those that reduce GHG emissions and increase
resilience to environmental change. For example, reducing saturated fat intake from
livestock products has co-benefits for health and environment: 8–9% of global GHG
emissions come from the livestock sector, which provides large amounts of saturated fat leading to increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (Friel et al. 2009).
WHO recommends high saturated-fat, high calorie-meats and processed foods be
substituted with more unprocessed foods, fiber-rich foods, and fresh fruits and vegetables. The Global Nutrition Report also recommends increasing dietary diversity,
especially increasing fruits and vegetables in the diet (IFPRI 2016). Many developing countries, however, are shifting from subsistence farming to industrialized food
production, leading to the gradual loss of biodiversity in local food varieties of
legumes, fruits, nuts, seeds, and berries, and to an increased reliance upon simplified diets of imported food varieties or mass-produced staples. This change has led
to diets that are energy rich but contain few vital micronutrients. Thus, more effort
is urgently needed to provide locally sustainable solutions to improve nutrition and
agricultural systems.
In recent years, data show how changes in dietary habits strongly affect health
and the environment (Aleksandrowicz et al. 2016; Springmann et al. 2016; Tilman
and Clark 2014). Erb et al. (2016) have been studying the effects of dietary habits at
a global level and have shown that it is possible to nurture a growing human population without deforestation by combining the transition to a vegetarian diet and sustainable intensification. These scenario-based studies provide insights into potential
pathways for food systems change. These studies, however, do not tell much about
what policies or interventions will help to realize the illustrated scenarios. Because
most of the future population growth is expected to occur in cities, it will be necessary to prepare a nutritious and environmentally-friendly food environment in newly
developed areas and to transform the food environments of existing urban areas.
Enhancing market function was the main development strategy to alleviate poverty. As a consequence, decoupling of consumption from production occurred, followed by unexpected market failure and government failure as explained in detail in
the next section. These undesirable situations were caused by an improper framing,
where production/supply and consumption/demand were separately handled in the
policy application. Namely, the food supply (production) was governed by neoclassical economic theories without consideration of environmental factors; and the
nutritious demand for food (consumption) did not properly consider people’s diet
patterns. In fact, people’s psychological response for the applied strategies/policies,
preference for food, perception and values about food, among others are essential
factors when actual strategies/policies are designed and implemented. In the next
section, theoretical framework of people’s value in the supporting theory of development strategies is overviewed.
8 Framing Food Security and Poverty Alleviation