This book is the first comprehensive assessment of nutrition in Asia, a region that has the largest concentration of global malnutrition. It reviews a wide array of nutrition-relevant trends, policies, programmes, challenges and opportunities in Asia. The simple fact that every third child born is malnourished at birth represents an enormous drain on human and economic development. The pay-off to turning this tide is both immense and immeasurable. In the long-term, sustainable poverty-reducing economic growth will simply not be possible without dealing with malnutrition. This book describes the main driving forces behind the groundswell of under nutrition. It sheds light on the emerging "double burden" of co-existing underweight and overweight and the linkages between these two different forms of malnutrition.

In several developing countries, undernourishment is still prevalent while obesity and its related co-morbidities, including chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer, are emerging and contributing increasingly to morbidity and mortality. Several countries are now facing a double burden of malnutrition, i.e. caloric (energy) and micronutrient deficiencies and, at the same time, obesity and diet-related chronic diseases. This "nutrition transition" is associated with rapid economic development, urbanization and global changes, which lead to shifts towards a more energy dense diet, including more fat and sugar and more processed foods, and at the same time dramatic alterations in physical activity patterns and lifestyles. While infectious diseases and maternal and child undernutrition continue to take an enormous toll in lives and health worldwide, the rapid rise of NCDs represents one of the major health challenges to global development in the twenty-first century and threatens economic and social development of nations as well as the lives and health of millions globally. This publication explores the situation of the double burden of malnutrition in six geographically and culturally diverse case study countries and presents conclusions and recommendations from a follow-up workshop with the case study authors.

Disease caused by major micronutrient deficiencies posed a growing and urgent problem for the newly emerging countries of Central Asia in the 1990s. The Asian Development Bank responded with a regional food fortification initiative—the first major initiative using public–private partnerships to address public health problems in the region. This report details how the initiative helped the participating countries move toward universal salt iodization and establish sustainable wheat flour fortification, and how the intitiative successfully addressed three unknown development issues in mainly newly emerging market economies: the use of public–private partnerships; collaboration between the government and industry; and the formation of industry associations.

Obesity is a global ticking time bomb with huge potential negative economic and health impacts, especially for the poor. As of 2016, an estimated 44 percent of adults (more than two billion) worldwide are overweight or obese, and over 70 percent of them live in low- or middle-income countries, dispelling the myth that obesity is a problem only in high-income countries. The global obesity epidemic presents a formidable challenge to human capital acquisition, national wealth accumulation, and the goals of ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity. Given the renewed global focus on human capital, its links to the obesity epidemic, and the growing evidence base for double- and triple-duty actions, there is both an urgent need for action and a great opportunity for engagement that will require both a whole-of-government and a whole-ofdevelopment-partner approach. Countries and global partners need to act urgently to address this ensuing epidemic, with emphasis on interventions that require corrective public action rather than one of individual responsibility.

This report presents the latest updates related to food security and nutrition in Europe and Central Asia, including estimates on the cost and affordability of healthy diets. It also explores how governments are supporting the food and agriculture sector and how to repurpose policies and incentives to make healthy diets more affordable and agrifood systems more environmentally sustainable. The new estimates confirm that the prevalence of hunger at chronic or severe levels is relatively low in the ECA region, through the prevalence of food insecurity at moderate or severe levels can be quite high. The region is seeing alarmingly high – and rising – rates of overweight and obesity. The COVID-19 pandemic has added 25.5 million people in the region to the ranks of the moderately or severely food insecure, leaving them without access to safe, nutritious and adequate food. The war in Ukraine has made the situation worse. Almost all ECA subregions are experiencing increased costs and reduced affordability of healthy diets because of higher food prices and lower incomes. This report contains an in-depth analysis of the repurposing of food and agricultural policies to ensure the food systems transformation is better suited to addressing the “triple challenge” of achieving food security and good nutrition for better health, providing livelihoods to farmers and others connected to the sector, and reducing the nature and climate footprint of the sector. This report also reviews complementing policies within and outside of agrifood systems to assess whether repurposing efforts are impactful in the ECA region.

This is an open access book. International Symposium – SEAVEG 2021 as a medium for educators, researchers, practitioners and students to convey the results of research, insights, knowledge, and innovations that have been carried out and compile them into a concrete, implementable formula. SEAVEG 2021 could be a discussion forum that encourages and accelerates agricultural development in Indonesia, especially horticultural commodities. The symposium welcomes papers that explore but not limited to the topic of Vegetables for Resilience and Healthy Diets. The range of the topics covered by SEAVEG 2021 includes: Hunger and MalnutritionStarvation occurs when a person does not get enough food, and in the long run, it can lead to malnutrition. Malnutrition can also occur when a person lacks essential nutrients as a result of not eating sufficiently.The horticultural sub-sector, especially vegetables, is a rich source of nutrients. As a food ingredient that contains many nutrients including vitamins and minerals, proper consumption of vegetables is important. It includes breeding, seed quality, production, and related aspects. Food and Nutrition Security Food as basic human need plays a significant role to create a good life. The availability of safe and nutritious food must be fulfilled. Food deficiency can create instability. >In order to achieve food stability, each country has different concepts and methods depending on their respective conditions, such as economic, geographic, technological, regional dan socio-cultural conditions. It includes breeding, seed quality, production, and related aspects. Food Supply Chain and Agribusiness In developing countries, the food supply chain has not been efficient because of the many actors involved. The supply chain describes the process of food, in this case from horticulture commodities, from production, processing, distribution, consumption, and disposal. Each step of the supply chain requires human resources that will reduce the farmer’s margin. The length of the supply chain also affects people’s purchasing power. Food Supply Chain is one of the many aspects from agribusiness system. To make an environmental that is leaning towards farmer’s prosperity, we need to make an agribusiness system that is efficient. Digital marketing system, such as marketplace, can shorten the supply chain and support better agribusiness system. Young Agripreneur in Horticulture Currently, young people around the world are not much interested in the agricultural sector. Agriculture, especially horticulture sub-sector, is very prospective to increase income and economic value. Farming vegetable commodity from upstream to downstream is very challenging for the millennial generation to develop. The demand in the horticultural sector, especially vegetable products, is increasing during the covid-19 pandemic. It is a business opportunity in itself, especially for young agricultural entrepreneurs. Millennial characteristics, adaptive to technology, full of innovation, make young agricultural entrepreneurs have the potential to increase the income and develop their business in horticultural commodities. Covid-19: Issues and Challenges in Vegetables for Resilience during PandemicThe Covid-19 pandemic is a momentum for the revival of the horticultural sub-sector. A balanced nutritional intake, especially vegetables, is highly recommended. People are increasingly aware that vegetables accompanied by a proper and healthy diet are beneficial for increasing body immunity. People are also encouraged to practice a healthier lifestyle to maintain endurance. Therefore, they will get infected by the disease. This change in mindset has influenced people’s interest in finding healthy food sources, such as vegetables that are good for health.

The Asian Development Bank hosted the Asia-Pacific Rural Development and Food Security Forum 2022 to prompt governments to provide leadership to rethink the future of agriculture amid complex and evolving challenges; explore new research, innovations, and technologies to build nature-positive food systems; and forge partnerships and collaboration to mobilize financing for innovation, research, and business for food and nutrition security. This publication provides the forum’s key highlights and takeaways on sustainable, resilient, and inclusive food systems, financing for sustainable agriculture and natural capital, nutrition security, and the rural–urban divide, and offers recommendations for moving forward.

A large amount of research effort goes into assessing the health benefits of a plant-based diet, resulting from human desire to consume a more sustainable diet that is less destructive of the earth’s natural resources. In addition, a growing number of people are choosing the vegan or total vegetarian diet because of the potential to greatly reduce the risk of chronic diseases and mortality rates. Although this interest in plant-based eating is popular, there exist concerns on the safety of some vegetarian diets, especially a vegan diet. This book describes issues of the vegetarian diet and outlines ways to prevent nutrient deficiencies. Vegetarian Nutrition and Wellness focuses on synthesizing research around vegetarian diets and human health. A major section of the book deals with how a vegetarian diet protects population groups from the major chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and various cancers. Based upon ecological and clinical studies, chapter authors explain the health-promoting properties of plant-based diets, and compare/contrast health outcomes obtained from consuming omnivorous diets with a vegetarian or vegan diet. Fruits and vegetables figure prominently in vegetarian diets and provide a substantial effect in disease reduction and health-promoting properties of a plant-based diet. Vegetarian Nutrition and Wellness is written for the academic community, registered dietitians, health professionals, and graduate students in nutrition and public health. Each chapter provides a comprehensive review of the scientific literature and includes a concise summary at the beginning of each chapter. The time is ripe for this book to update the scientific community with a collage of well-documented topics on vegetarian nutrition.