policy

A new edition of Food wars, a book written by Tim Lang and Michael Heasman, was published by Routledge. Food wars can be understood as a war declaration against nowadays food-world. This new edition brings new developments since the first edition fully up to date within the original analytical framework of competing paradigms or worldviews shaping the direction and decision-making within food politics and policy. »

This report is a reference document on the status of global soil resources that provides regional assessments of soil change. The report states that soils are rapidly deteriorating due to soil erosion, nutrient depletion, loss of organic carbon, soil sealing and other threats. The report notes how there is a general consensus on soil-related strategies that can, on the one hand, increase the supply of food, while on the other, minimize harmful environmental impacts. »

This paper elaborates on the food security transition that China has undergone over the last 35 years. It tries to understand the evolving axes of inequality with regard to access to affordable, safe and nutritious food in the context of changing rural–urban linkages. In China the production, distribution and consumption of food changed in this period due to rapid economic growth, urbanisation and industrialisation. The paper discusses how this change was addressed by policies aimed at ensuring adequate food provision and the regulation of quality and safety. »

This paper identifies conceptual synergies and dissonances between food security and income security. It considers the contribution of mainstream social protection instruments, such as cash transfers, to food security. The paper presents specific food security policies that would strengthen the ability of national social protection floors to address food insecurity. »

This expert opinion of David Suttie on the INCLUDE Knowledge Platform, highlights the role that agriculture can play in tackling the youth unemployment challenge in Sub-Saharan Africa. Suttie states that integrating the dynamism, energy and innovative potential of youth in agriculture is crucial to increase agricultural productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa, to meet the food and nutrition needs of its population, and to increase the competitiveness of African food markets. »

This study (PDF) by the Asian Development Bank and the Asian Development Bank Institute examines ways of encouraging SME participation in value chains, and explores policy solutions to address the financial and nonfinancial barriers faced by SMEs in global value chains. The authors highlight that two main factors
require attention: 1) enterprise competitiveness and 2) enterprise connectivity. »