Landscapes in transition and food systems:

looking back to the future

Roseline Remans The Earth Institute at Columbia University

& Bioversity International

Landscapes in transition

Earth from Above

e.g. Ethiopia & Tanzania agricultural growth corridors

Changing food systems: increased access to

global markets, global homogeneity, processed

food, triple burden of malnutrition

Land use change,

urbanization, agricultural

intensification, pop growth

Climate change

Changing landscapes & food systems

Nutritional diversity: nutrition & agro-biodiversity

Nutritional yield: nutrition & land use efficiency

Nutrition and agro-biodiversity

51 essential nutrients for sustaining human life Air, water and

energy Protein

(amino acids) Lipids-Fat

(fatty acids) Macrominerals Trace

elements Vitamins

Oxygen Histidine Linoleic acid Na Fe A Water Isoleucine Linolenic acid K Zn D

Carbohydrates Leucine Ca Cu E Lysine Mg Mn K Methionine S I C (Absorbic acid) Phenylalanine P Fe B1 (Thiamine) Threonine Cl Se B2 (Riboflavin) Tryptophan Si B3 (Niacin) Valine Mo B5 (Pantothenic acid) Co (in B12) B6 (Pyroxidine) B** B7/H (Biotin) Ni** B9 (Folic acid, folacin) Cr** B12 (Cobalamin) V** As** Li** Sn**

Maize Beans Spinach

7

How to consider nutritional diversity in agricultural and food systems?

and at which scales?

• Average number of edible crop species per farm: 21 • Average number of livestock species per farm: 2 • Number of edible crop species in the community: 72

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Prevalence of crops on farms

Plant and livestock diversity in banana-based system

Plant and livestock diversity in maize-based systems

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KENYA- SAURI Crop prevalence on farm

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MALAWI-MWANDAMA Crop prevalence on farm

Species composition

Nutritional composition

Nutritional functional diversity

Nutritional functional diversity (NutFD)

Remans et al. 2011

Nutritional functional diversity

Overall objective: Integrate nutrient diversity in agriculture and market assessments and planning Specific objectives: 1. Monitor the diversity in nutritional composition produced

or supplied by agriculture or market systems 2. Explore relationships between Nut FD and other

indicators of the food system 3. Identify species/ varieties that add nutritional diversity to

a system 4. Evaluate sensitivity/ resilience of a system for providing

nutritional diversity

Species richness

Nut

ritio

nal F

D

Maize Banana Cassava Papaya Pigeon Pea Mango

Mulberry Groundnut Pumpkin

Sweet potatoes Irish potatoes Avocados

Nut FD versus species richness

Nut FD resilience & sensitivity

Nut FD of food availability on local markets: seasonality

NSL team, forthcoming

Remans et al. 2014

Nut FD in national food production & supplies

As diversity in national food supply increases, % stunting decreases

Coefficient -3.10*** Adj R2 0.707

% st

untin

g am

ong

child

ren

<5

Nut FD metric Remans et al. 2014

Remans et al. 2014

Relationship between production & supply diversity

Remans et al. 2014

Nepal Malaysia Ghana

Three # case studies

Integration of the idea of Nut FD into decision support tools & processes

Vital Signs (www.vitalsigns.org)

VITAL SIGNS (www.vitalsigns.org) An integrated monitoring system of ecosystem services, agricultural production and human well-being

Integration of the idea of Nut FD into decision support tools & processes

Exploring potential of biodiversity-based solutions

Nutrient gaps

Food system dynamics

Food cultures, joy, preferences & awareness

Landscape potential & ES

Some key questions

• What are cost-effective ways to make food systems more bio-diverse for better diets and ecosystem services?

• What market factors and dynamics enable increased biodiversity?

Nutritional diversity: nutrition & agro-biodiversity

Nutritional yield: nutrition & land use efficiency

Cereal yield

Nutritional yield: nutrition & land use efficiency

Defries, Fanzo, Remans et al. forthcoming

Nutrient composition

per 100 g ENERGY (kcal)

PROTEIN (g)

IRON (mg)

ZINC (mg) Description (item number)

wheat 361.0 12.0 0.9 0.9 Wheat flours, bread, unenriched (20129)^

rice 360 6.6 0.8 1.2 Rice, white, medium-grain, raw, unenriched (20444)^

barley 352 9.9 2.5 2.1 Barley, pearled, raw (20005)^

maize 365 9.4 2.7 2.2 Corn grain, yellow (20014)^

rye 338 10.3 2.6 2.7 Rye grain (20062)^

oats 389 16.9 4.7 4.0 Oats (22038)^

millet 361 11.6 8.0 3.1 Millet, bulrush (16)*

sorghum 339 11.3 4.1 0.8 Sorghum (24)*

Defries, Fanzo, Remans et al. forthcoming

How to consider nutrient composition in yield metrics?

EAR/RDA for adults 19-50 years MALE FEMALE AVERAGE ENERGY (kcal/day; see worksheet) 2550 1940 2245 PROTEIN (g/day) 56 46 51 IRON (mg/d) 8 18 13 ZINC (mg/d) 11 8 9.5

0.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

ENERGY PROTEIN IRON ZINC

DRI/

100

g

wheat rice maize barley rye oats millet sorghum

1. Compare to Estimated Average Requirements/ Recommended Daily Allowance values

Defries, Fanzo, Remans et al. forthcoming

How to consider nutrient composition in yield metrics?

2. Multiply by production per hectare => nutritional yield

Defries, Fanzo, Remans et al. forthcoming

How to consider nutrient composition in yield metrics?

e.g. India

Defries, Fanzo, Remans et al. forthcoming

Nutritional yield

Defries, Fanzo, Remans et al. forthcoming

Nutritional diversity: nutrition & agro-biodiversity

Nutritional yield: nutrition & land use efficiency

Tools & metrics to enable cross-disciplinary adaptive management

Thank You!

Earth from Above