Gathering of community health workers in Kenya. (Photo credit: Molly Snell/ PhotoShare)
Agricultural and food systems in low- and middle-income countries are changing, in some places, quite rapidly, in ways that will have major impacts on population health. A4NH has been preparing for an expanded area of collaborative research done in partnership between the agricultural, public health, nutrition, and environmental research sectors—a partnership that can identify and assess benefits and risks of agricultural change and design and also test solutions that promote benefits and/or prevent or mitigate the risks. Recognizing that these research relationships are at present poorly linked (particularly in the context of international development programs), A4NH is making strides to forge these linkages.
From April through May 2015, A4NH convened regional experts representing existing and potential health research and development partners in three separate regional consultations. The first consultation took place mid-April 2015 with stakeholders from West and Central Africa at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) campus in Cotonou, Benin. The second consultation took place in late-April 2015 with East and Southern African stakeholders in Nairobi, Kenya, at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) campus. The third took place in late-May 2015 with stakeholders from South Asia in New Delhi, India, at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) office. The consultations have been organized by A4NH, in collaboration with IITA, ILRI, IFPRI's South Asia Office, and the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI).
Representatives from each of the three regional consultations convened in London in June 2015, along with representatives and sponsors of international research, to share some of the initial ideas from the regional discussions and to discuss areas of shared interests and mutual priorities. Results from these four events have been summarized into a single report and were shared with all participants. Themes from these consultations were incorporated into A4NH’s pre-proposal for Phase II of the research program (2017-2022), which was submitted to the Consortium Office in August 2015.
Event materials:
