Reliable reports on the nutritional benefits of local foods are needed to make the biodiversity found in agricultural systems “visible”. Once data is available, organized communication, awareness and education programs targeting policy-makers and consumers are needed to promote biodiversity for food and nutrition and to further emphasize the concept of sustainable diets.

Awareness-raising campaigns are needed to reverse the negative perception that is often associated with local and traditional food species, which are perceived as backward and often of lower quality compared to Western foods. Even in rural areas, where the use of a wide range of foods remains an option, effective promotion may be necessary to preserve not only agricultural biodiversity but also the skills and knowledge that make use of it. Occasionally these crops are traded locally, but are neglected in urban areas, where they have a reputation as poor people’s food. Further, traditional foods are often considered inconvenient due to extended gathering, preparation and cooking times, as well shorter shelf life, making it difficult for them to compete with products such as rice, instant noodles and wheat flour, which in many cases may also be cheaper.

At the community level, culturally-sensitive communication methods have successfully been used in different regional settings to deliver the message to target groups and positively alter dietary habits. Along the more classic school curricula, imaginative delivery mechanisms, such as dedicated stamps, radio programmes, theatre productions, songs, recipes and cooking demonstrations, producing diversity kits, involving famous chefs (Gaston Acurio) and “champions” of biodiversity have been successfully used to promote nutritionally-relevant agricultural biodiversity, revive local food cultures and develop markets for these products.

At national levels, the involvement of the mass media has been key to reinforcing the message, as have been innovative communication approaches that use “champions” to deliver the punch line. At the decision-making level, policy briefs and participation at high level events and fora have proven useful to further underline the message. A recent fitting example is the organization of a “Global Hunger Event”, to coincide with the closing of the successful 2012 London Olympic Games. Furthermore, communication and awareness-raising is more easily achieved where cultural expressions linked to these foods are lying dormant, just waiting to be revived.

However, the lack of appropriate cross-sectoral platforms to support the necessary institutional and policy framework to promote the mainstreaming of biodiversity with high nutritional value remains an issue across the board. Information in countries remains fragmented and uncoordinated, missing opportunities for linkages and synergies with relevant national, regional and global initiatives. The lack of sectoral integration in the key areas where such biodiversity can make a positive impact - agriculture, health and environment - continues to guarantee limited financial and political support within countries, leading to limited resources, capacity and skills. The BFN project will seek to address all these issues by:

• Identifying and promoting best practices for mobilizing biodiversity to improve dietary diversity
• Enhancing the capacity of producers, processors, users and researchers to deploy and benefit from nutritionally-relevant biodiversity
• Carrying out national information campaigns that foster greater appreciation of biodiversity as a resource for development and wellbeing
• Developing guidelines for improved use of nutritionally-rich foods from biodiversity with global significance, including processing, food safety measures, and recipes adapted to modern lifestyles based on traditional food systems
• Upscaling and disseminating tools and methods for mainstreaming biodiversity into food and nutrition strategies

FOOD FAIRS

In Kenya, local food and seed fairs help to raise awareness on local nutritious crops and the region’s unique edible biodiversity.

The 2015 fair attracted schools and the wider public, seven farmer groups from the sub-counties competed for the widest display of indigenous foods and seeds.

COOKING AND CULTURE

Tradition and underutilized crops are often closely linked to the traditional culture of a place. Traditional recipes, highlighting these crops, can help to bring awareness to the potential for the biodiversity of species and the nutritional benefits they can provide.

Recipes collected by KALRO Alupe in Western Kenya were used to develop four recipe cards for sweet potato, bambara groundnut, finger millet and cowpea that are listed among Kenya’s priority crops. The recipes were complemented by nutritional information about the four species, including recent data generated on finger millet and bambara groundnut by BFN Kenya.

SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

A training manual of best practices has been developed for home gardening, health and sanitation, food processing and preservation, and nutrition and family meal planning. Using this manual, a workshop was carried out in Busia County to demonstrate a number of organic agricultural technologies to 24 representatives from seven sub-counties. Training included methods for setting up and sustainably maintaining a nutritious home garden.

As a result of this training, 7 schools, 7 community health extension units, and 7 farmer groups have established garden demonstration plots that include a range of diverse vegetables.

For more information about Kenya’s efforts to raise awareness, including information about their accomplishments and future activities, see their Country Profile. [include link]

Food Fairs

Sri Lanka’s food fairs have helped to raise awareness about local food and celebrate tradition. A two-day food festival entitled “Healthy Nation through Traditional Food”, was organized by the Ministry of Mahaweli Development and Environment. Many attended the event, confirming the considerable public interest in traditional foods and food culture.

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Education

Experts can lead the way in education communities and policy makers on the benefits of agricultural biodiversity. In December 2014, experts from a variety of disciplines came together at the International Symposium on Biodiversity, Food and Nutrition, organized through a multi-sector collaboration. Presentations were delivered by BFN country partners to showcase best practices, and experts were able to widen their knowledge base by discussing the linkages between agriculture, biodiversity, nutrition, food consumption and food security.

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Creating Markets

Access to traditional foods can be a barrier to their integration into the marketplace. Under the brand name “Hela bojun - True Sri Lankan taste”, nine market outlets opened across the country for the sale of traditional foods and targeted agrobiodiversity.  The market outlets are successfully serving as entry points for promoting traditional varieties and healthy eating as well as raising awareness of the BFN project.

The initiative has generated new market opportunities for traditional food sellers and producers of biodiversity products such as honey, jaggery, treacle, bananas and organic products. The shops also promote underutilized crops identified from the baseline surveys at the pilot sites, including medicinal plants such as the water lily Nymphaea pubescens (olu in Sinhala) used in Ayurvedic medicine.

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For more information about Sri Lanka’s efforts to raise awareness, including information about their accomplishments and future activities, see their Country Profile. [include link]