Transforming South Asia’s Food Systems

Food systems are at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development because they engage food security and human nutrition, ecosystem services, climate change mitigation and adaptation and rural prosperity. However, the current food system in South Asia is dysfunctional and what is needed is its transformation to deliver benefits for people and the planet. The challenge now is to articulate in concrete terms how this is to be achieved in South Asia. In September this year, the United Nations is convening a Food System Summit (FSS) in New York. This Summit aims to “serve as a historic opportunity to empower all people to leverage the power of food systems to drive our recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and get us back on track to achieve all 17 Sustainable Development Goals by 2030”. As an input to this global exercise, I am very pleased to help bring together some of the leading experts working on food system transformation in South Asia to share their perspectives. Indeed, among our contributors,we are delighted to have Pawan Agarwal and Saleemul Huq, who are both co-chairs of individual Action Tracks in the UN FSS and Ramesh Chand, the National Convenor for FSS Dialogues for the Government of India. Chand neatly encapsulates the challenge now facing India as transitioning from a ‘grow more’ to a ‘growth plus’ model which integrates natural resource management and better nutrition. Huq reminds us that ‘even though climate change is a big negative coming our way, it is not something that has to define or defeat us’—so long as we empower citizens, especially farmers, fishers and livestock herders. We submit that to achieve FSS in South Asia requires both a sound evidence base for radical new policies and the adoption of innovations across the food value chain at scale (Meah and Puskur). That means research for development is a critical element in this transition. Micronutrient deficiency remains a major issue across South Asia and one way to address ‘hidden hunger’ in the short term is through biofortification of staple crops (Mohapatra, Yadava et al.). Extension advisory services (EAS) can play a critical role in scaling up climate-resilient agriculture. However, their capacities to support farmers in adapting to climate change need to be substantially enhanced (Sulaiman). Women’s involvement in food systems not only enhances their well-being but also that of their families and future generations. However, there is a pressing need for reducing inequities in access to resources (Vemireddy). Food cannot be considered nutritious if it is not safe. While this point may seem obvious, there is a paucity of evidence on foodborne illnesses and, consequently, food safety has received little attention in South Asia (Agarwal). Despite India’s agricultural exports increasing over time, agricultural transformation led by export specialisation will remain stunted unless there is diversification of the agricultural export basket (Kannan and Kumar). Finally, much has been written about the ‘White Revolution’ in India. However, the role of non-bovine milk is often overlooked, which can play a key role in achieving the UN 2030 Agenda for sustainable development particularly in disadvantaged geographical regions in South Asia (Rout & Verma).