Read the full A4NH 2020 Annual Report.
2020 was dominated by COVID-19, a health, food, economic and social crisis with dramatic losses of income and livelihoods, especially on the vulnerable populations A4NH research is meant to serve. Diets and nutrition suffered, as well: before the pandemic, 3 billion people could not afford a healthy diet. This number increased by 10 percent in 2020. Unlike epidemics and pandemics in recent memory, COVID-19 transmission seems likely to persist through 2021 and beyond.
The pandemic emphasized the importance of A4NH core research strengths: One Health, nutrition, and food systems, into which gender and equity considerations are integrated as critical to improve nutrition and health outcomes. As a result, A4NH research leaders and teams were called into central roles in COVID-19 response and recovery efforts during 2020 by CGIAR as well as in programs and projects in partner countries.
While there was considerable adaption in A4NH research because of COVID-19 in 2020, these changes largely reinforce the longer-term research objectives, impact pathways and theories of change, and partnerships built during the program’s 10 years. In 2021, many field projects will restart, often in modified form. Other research related to COVID-19 in food systems, nutrition, and One Health will continue. All this work is done with core partners in our focus countries. The strong partnerships developed by A4NH researchers and leaders during the lifespan of the program have proved resilient during the pandemic with discussions, meetings, and events held virtually rather than in-person. As CGIAR moves to a new research structure and portfolio in 2022, we see many opportunities for A4NH research and strong social capital to be continued and build on in future.
-- John McDermott, Director, A4NH
A4NH has been a critical part of CGIAR and IFPRI’s research since its inception in 2012. Its core research and capacities have made particularly critical contributions to COVID-19 responses, providing critical insights into public health that effectively complement other IFPRI and CGIAR capacities. I am grateful for the coordination and research leadership roles that A4NH leaders and research teams were able to quickly take on from the pandemic’s early days. The CGIAR COVID-19 response plan, developed in April 2020, was co-led by A4NH, which then hosted and managed the CGIAR COVID-19 Hub together with the CGIAR System Office. I am very proud of the way that IFPRI and CGIAR were able to respond and A4NH experience and capacity was a critical part of that response.
IFPRI has been pleased to serve as the lead Center for A4NH. As CGIAR transitions to a new structure and research portfolio to begin in 2022, I see multiple ways in which A4NH research will provide a foundation to build on. A platform on nutrition and health will benefit from A4NH research methods, evidence, and partnerships. Two proposed research initiatives, food systems for sustainable and healthy diets and One Health, will build directly on A4NH research, while other initiatives will benefit from the considerable body of food systems, nutrition, health, and gender and equity evidence from A4NH in informing their pathways for nutrition and health impacts. A4NH has been a fantastic research program whose impacts will be felt for a long time to come, and IFPRI has been privileged to lead it.
-- Jo Swinnen, Director General, IFPRI
