Leveraging agriculture to improve diets and reduce the double burden diet-related disease

Two billion people in the world suffer from micronutrient deficiencies and over a billion are overweight or obese, often co-existing in the same country or even household. Food system incentives are currently aligned to promote cheap calories and expensive nutrients, which compromises the health of populations and leads to the double burden of diet-related disease. Leveraging agriculture to improve the availability and affordability of nutrient-dense foods (high in vitamins and minerals) will reorient the food system towards a healthier and more sustainable food supply. There is an urgent need to identify feasible cost-effective agricultural interventions that improve access to nutrient-dense foods to reduce the double burden. This study has three aims. First, using value chain analysis, it will identify innovative agricultural interventions that improve access to nutrient-dense foods. An analysis of fruit and vegetable value chains in Kenya, India and Myanmar will be conducted. Second, the study will evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of agricultural interventions using a microsimulation model populated from existing data sources. Third, the study will prioritise a package of agricultural interventions to inform policy development and implementation to address the double-burden of diet-related disease. Qualitative interviews with key value chain stakeholders will be conducted in each country and a health impact assessment-based prioritisation tool will be used to assess the feasibility of policy options, forming the basis of a framework for leveraging agriculture. This project offers a major contribution by developing evidence-based guidance on a package of agricultural interventions that represent best-buys and a scaling-up framework for leveraging agriculture to address diet-related disease. The findings of the study have global relevance for all countries that are striving to increase access to nutrient-dense foods to improve population health.