Improved Metrics & Data are Needed for Effective Food System Policies in the Post-2015 Era

Decision makers only have fragmented evidence on which policies and interventions work best to enhance food value chains for nutrition.

Abstract

Most low and middle income countries are burdened by persistent undernutrition as well as by rapidly growing overweight, obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases. It is widely accepted that agricultural and food system policies must make a greater contribution to enhancing diets and hence to improving nutrition if these challenges are to be addressed.However, existing tools which measure the outcomes of agricultural and other food policy interventions relevant to nutrition capture only some elements of food systems, such as agricultural output, total food supply, and food prices. These provide a partial assessment of actual food and nutrition needs of vulnerable populations, dietary quality, or the drivers of food choices. Consequently, decision makers only have fragmented evidence on which policies and interventions work best to enhance food value chains for nutrition.

This output is funded under the Department for International Developments Global Panel on Agriculture & Food Systems for Nutrition Programme

Citation

Global Panel (2015), Improved Metrics & Data are Needed for Effective Food System Policies in the Post-2015 Era, Technical Brief No. 2, London: Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition, 12pp

Improved Metrics & Data are Needed for Effective Food System Policies in the Post-2015 Era

Published 1 October 2015