Inclusive value chains for sustainable agriculture and scaled up food security and nutrition outcomes

Published in September 2016 as a background document to a side-event (CFS 2016/43/INF/21) in the framework of the Forty-third Session of the Committee on World Food Security, this report describes possible paths for the creation of nutrition-sensitive value chains (NSVCs) and provides some practical recommendations. As explained in the document, although VC interventions have historically focused on increasing economic returns, they also play an important role in shaping food systems as they influence both food supply and demand. The report considers that achieving positive nutritional outcomes requires consideration not only of the way food is produced, but also how it is processed, distributed, marketed and consumed. In this context, an inclusive value chain (VC) approach is emerging as a useful framework to unpack the complexity of food systems and identify entry points for policy, investment, and capacity development. Such a framework can help identify the roles and motivations of different VC actors, the needed enabling policy and regulatory environment, and the impact of such cross-cutting issues as gender and climate change.

The report summarizes the analytical framework for NSVC development which starts by identifying the nutrition problem, and its relation to the excessive or insufficient consumption of key foods that compromise diet quality. Based on whether the constraints are on the supply or demand side of the VC, three diverse paths (strategies and policies) are suggested with examples of case studies and recommendations for the way forward.