The debate on health, nutrition and food security could not have arisen at a more opportune time. The recent pandemic has given rise to increased food and nutrition insecurity for individuals, families, and communities. The crisis threatened the food security and nutrition of millions of people, many of whom were already suffering. We face possible disruptions to the functioning of food systems, with severe consequences for health and nutrition. Pandemics create a greater burden for poorer countries and countries since they are already pressure of inadequate food supplies. With concerted action, we can not only avoid some of the worst impacts but do so in a way that supports a transition to more sustainable food systems that are in better balance with nature and that support healthy diets – and thus better health prospects for all. This book aims to highlight the impact of pandemics in food systems and nutrition security. It draws on the experience from the past and present pandemics to better prepare the world for future crises.

All aspects of feeding and nourishing people: growing, harvesting, packaging, processing, transporting, marketing, and consuming food are part of the food system. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, food systems faced many challenges such as hunger increases, which affected up to 811 million people as of 2020, while healthy diets were unaffordable for at least 3 billion people. More than 80% of the population affected by hunger and 95% of people unable to afford a healthy diet were found in Asia and Africa. Transformation of the global food system is clearly needed if we wish to embed equity, sustainability, and health as priorities in food provision and consumption. Some of these transformations will be facilitated through new technologies, while others will require public policy shifts, changes in the private agro-food industry, actions by civil society, and behavioral changes by individuals. In this dynamic context, technology actors and the consumers they serve sit at an important nexus within the food system, and have the potential to make decisions that cut across the challenges and opportunities to improve sustainable food system outcomes. Although food security has improved in developed countries, many countries, particularly low- to middle-income countries (LMIC), suffer from significant food insecurity challenges. In addition, food production, accessibility, and availability have been further impacted due to the COVID-19 outbreak, causing growing global concerns regarding food security, especially within the most vulnerable communities. Moreover, the transformation of food systems for addressing healthy nutrition, food insecurity, and public health issues is a global concern. Food security and nutrition systems are directly related to human well-being and global stability, particularly in a time when diets transition toward increased reliance upon processed foods, increased fast-food intake, high consumption of edible oils, and sugar-sweetened beverages, lack of physical activities, and increased lifestyles worldwide. These changes in lifestyle continue to contribute to the growing pandemic of non-communicable diseases such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases are clearly noticed across the globe. The study of nutrition systems, food security, and the roles of technological advances, especially in LMIC, is considered the major factor in understanding food transition and population health. Physical inactivity threatens LMIC public health as it is a prime behavioral risk factor associated with major non-communicable diseases such as coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and breast and colon cancer. Its long-term impacts increasingly burden national economies. Decreasing its prevalence is paramount toward decreasing premature mortality and restoring healthy populations. In its most recent iteration of a global action plan for the prevention of non-communicable diseases, the World Health Organization established voluntary global targets to reduce physical inactivity by 10%. Currently, limited published systematic analysis of physical inactivity prevalence among Muslim-majority countries exists. Existing literature is concentrated on Arab countries, which represent less than half of all Muslim nations. To date, however, pan-Islamic physical inactivity data have not been reported. Doing so can potentially galvanize religion-specific agencies (e.g., Islamic Relief Worldwide, Organization of Islamic Cooperation) to support efforts aimed at decreasing physical inactivity.

This Open Access book compiles the findings of the Scientific Group of the United Nations Food Systems Summit 2021 and its research partners. The Scientific Group was an independent group of 28 food systems scientists from all over the world with a mandate from the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations. The chapters provide science- and research-based, state-of-the-art, solution-oriented knowledge and evidence to inform the transformation of contemporary food systems in order to achieve more sustainable, equitable and resilient systems.

The publication looks at innovations happening at all stages of the food value chain: from production to manufacturing and retailing. This also includes the extended value chain, for example input supply, financial services and agribusiness support services. Yields are improving and primary production is becoming more resilient as a result of digital technologies such as precision agriculture, agricultural drones, and digital farming services and marketplaces; and novel business models such as plant factories, crowdsourcing for farmers. Data and robotics help lift productivity and food safety in the manufacturing process. Online grocery commerce and food delivery services are revolutionizing the way consumers purchase food. Distributed ledger technology, such as blockchain, allows making payments and tracing back food products along the chain in order to increase transparency and trust. New business models are springing up to shorten the chain by removing or shifting stages and to make it fairer and greener, stimulated by enabling technologies and changing customer behaviours. Innovations such as these are discussed and illustrated by almost 200 practical examples from 21 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, across various types of firms and commodities. By observing emerging trends and providing concrete examples, the book discusses the nature of these innovations, how they are affecting food systems and value chains, positively or negatively, and how to deal with trade-offs. It concludes with a reflection on the impacts of these innovations, the policy solutions identified, and lessons learned to future-proof the region’s food systems, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

There is growing evidence that the current globalised agri-food system is neither sustainable nor resilient. It is responsible for around one third of the global GHG emissions and is a major driver of biodiversity loss. Furthermore, its structure and distribution mode do not provide food security for all and foster socio-economic inequalities between different parts of the planet. Consequently, an increasing number of scientists and members of the civil society are demanding a radical transformation of agri-food systems. The creation of alternative food networks (AFNs) represent a possible first step towards agri-food system transformation. AFNs can incorporate local, indigenous and innovative knowledge and bring together a diversity of actors to connect food production and consumption and create new practices and relationships around food. The creation of AFNs, and ultimately of Alternative Food Systems (AFS), should involve different actors, from farmers to social movements, from policymakers to scientists. AFNs have the potential to contribute to a transformation towards sustainable, just, resilient and productive food systems, but even though they have increased in numbers and organisational forms in recent years, they still remain in a niche. Consequently, scientific evidence of their performance is still limited. This research topic will contribute to a comprehensive, multi-scalar and critical (e.g. including potential counter-effects) understanding of the current state and future potential of AFNs. It will address multiple aspects, ranging from social, economic and environmental aspects to productivity, participation and justice. Moreover, it will highlight the role of governance, power relations and institutions, as well as barriers and ways forward to promote AFNs and their role in food system transformation.

Two years in, the long-term health and economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to influence poverty, food systems, and food security. Drawing on CGIAR research on the COVID-19 pandemic thus far, this brief presents key lessons learned and policy recommendations to inform decision-making processes around managing risks, addressing structural vulnerabilities, and building resilient and sustainable food systems.

Two years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the health, economic, and social disruptions caused by this global crisis continue to evolve. The impacts of the pandemic are likely to endure for years to come, with poor, marginalized, and vulnerable groups the most affected. In COVID-19 & Global Food Security: Two Years Later, the editors bring together contributions from new IFPRI research, blogs, and the CGIAR COVID-19 Hub to examine the pandemic’s effects on poverty, food security, nutrition, and health around the world. This volume presents key lessons learned on food security and food system resilience in 2020 and 2021 and assesses the effectiveness of policy responses to the crisis. Looking forward, the authors consider how the pandemic experience can inform both recovery and longer-term efforts to build more resilient food systems.

This book presents papers from the 11th Sustainable Education and Development Research Conference on the theme: "Build Resilient Infrastructure, Promote Inclusive and Sustainable Industrialization, and Foster Innovation." Papers related to the sub-themes were presented: i. Develop quality, reliable, sustainable, and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all. ii. Promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and, by 2030, significantly raise industry's share of employment and gross domestic product, in line with national circumstances, and double its share in the least developed countries. iii. Increase the access of small-scale industrial and other enterprises, in particular in developing countries, to financial services, including affordable credit, and their integration into value chains and markets. iv. By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities. v. Enhance scientific research and upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, in particular developing countries, including, by 2030, encouraging innovation and substantially increasing productivity. SEDRC gathers papers that explain how key education on the Sustainable Development Goals is transforming lives, eradicating poverty, professing solutions to the infrastructural deficit in Africa, and providing innovative ways to provide affordable housing in Africa. This book will be of interest to academics, postgraduate students, and industry professionals.

Coronavirus has dramatically changed the world as we knew it in many diverse ways. This new volume explores the impact of the pandemic on many aspects of life and work, including the global economy, entrepreneurship and innovation, intellectual property laws, agriculture, healthcare, teaching and education, marketing strategies, banking mechanisms, travel and tourism, and science and technology. The book looks at how virus outbreak has highlighted and emphasized the role of technological innovation as an essential connector as international borders were shuttered, and commercial activity was disturbed at an unprecedented scale. The information shared here will help healthcare providers, business administrators, and policymakers in many fields and occupations to navigate and manage the changes and impacts of the pandemic in their various roles.