Agricultural and Food-System Methods Affecting Nutritional Value

A food system encompasses all elements (environment, people, inputs, processes, infrastructures, institutions, and so on) and activities involved in the production, processing, distribution, preparation, and consumption of food, as well as the outcomes of these activities, such as socioeconomic and environmental outcomes. Nutrition-sensitive Agriculture is a strategy for ensuring the production of a diverse range of affordable, nutritious, culturally relevant, and safe foods in sufficient quantity and quality to meet population nutritional needs in a sustainable way. The realisation that addressing nutrition necessitates action at all stages of the food chain – from production to processing to retail and consumption – has resulted in a broader focus that spans the entire food system. Making agriculture and food systems more nutrition-sensitive entails addressing input quality, production, post-harvest handling, processing, retailing, and consumption in order to provide consumers with safe and nutritious foods all year. Nutrition-sensitive agriculture and food systems contribute to improved health.