Connecting biodiversity and sustainable healthy diets through partnerships

Scope
The project focused on sustainable healthy diets as a strategic entry point for integrating biodiversity into food systems. While the geographical scope was flexible, NFP focus areas were prioritized. These priority areas include the Sahel, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Egypt. The project involved organizations from various sectors, including the public sector, civil society, and knowledge institutions. Under these sectors included a diverse range of participants including UN agencies, non-government organizations, civil society networks, and education.

Methodology
The insights presented below were developed through a multi-step process. Initially, a database of strategic stakeholders was compiled, including key contact persons. Stakeholders were identified and expanded through a snowballing method. Semi-structured interviews (n=12) were then scheduled and conducted between mid-August and early-October 2024. Interviews aimed to capture stakeholder positions on biodiversity and sustainable healthy diet approaches, actions that the organization is currently involved related to this theme, challenges in bridging biodiversity and sustainable healthy diets, visions for scaling up existing interventions, including key entry points and opportunities and interest in contributing further to the agenda with other stakeholders.

Identified bottlenecks and challenges

Based on interviews with stakeholders, several challenges emerged in efforts to connect sustainable healthy diets and biodiversity. These challenges can be categorised into three main areas:

1. Knowledge gaps

• Limited understanding of biodiversity-diet linkages: Clear disconnect between biodiversity and nutrition, for e.g., the role that forgotten foods play in bridging these two domains.
• Lack of connection between consumers and producers and vice-versa: Particularly in urban areas, consumers and food producers often lack a connection. This disconnect hinders understanding of how dietary choices impact the environment, and vice versa.
• Monitoring and evaluation: Lack of reliable and validated measures for assessing biodiversity, especially in the context of sustainable healthy diets.

2. Siloed approaches

• Limited mandates: Many stakeholders reported that either biodiversity or sustainable healthy diets were not explicitly included in their organization's mandate.
• Internal divisions: Even within organizations with relevant mandates, separate units often concentrate on biodiversity and nutrition and have limited opportunities, or incentives to collaborate, leading to siloed approaches and misunderstandings of possible connections.
• Duplication of efforts: Several Community of Practices (CoPs) exist, and numerous research efforts, which results in duplication of efforts and inefficiencies. It was also indicated that this could potentially lead to confusion and contradictory messages (see below).

3. Policy and implementation approaches 

• Conflicting messages: Ministries and organizations working in food, agriculture, climate, and nutrition often send conflicting messages, creating confusion, and hindering progress.
• Oversimplification: Terms and actions related to biodiversity and nutrition are often oversimplified.
• Terminology: The use of inconsistent terms like "food" versus "agriculture" and "biodiversity" versus "nature" can hinder understanding and collaboration.
• Prioritisation in the food system: Despite growing concerns about food-related health issues, many organizations continue to prioritize maximizing yield over nutritional value and/or biodiversity. For example, intensive agriculture and the widespread use of pesticides and artificial additives, can have negative consequences for consumer health and biodiversity.
• Limited resources: Insufficient funding, particularly for diet-related initiatives, can constrain efforts to integrate sustainable healthy diets and biodiversity.

Opportunities to address these identified bottlenecks and challenges

Based on the identified challenges, and the several recurring themes central to linking biodiversity and sustainable healthy diets, the following opportunities were stated as potential entry points for addressing these such challenges:

• Knowledge gaps

Interviews revealed institutional bottlenecks and content opportunities for promoting biodiversity-diet linkages. Stakeholders emphasized the need to revive the forgotten foods agenda and suggested ways to strengthen the connection between consumers and producers. A significant challenge identified was the lack of reliable measures for assessing biodiversity in the context of sustainable diets, which also has an impact on how sustainable healthy diets for biodiversity is reported and communicated.

• Limited understanding of biodiversity-diet linkages and the forgotten foods / underutilised crops agenda

Many Indigenous crops, which are often more resilient to climate changes, are nutritious and used for medicinal and ornamental purposes, have been progressively substituted with imported genotypes favoured by industrial agriculture. Pervasive monoculture of the exotic crops and increasingly standardised diets have contributed, in part, to utter denigration of the indigenous crops, earning them the appellation of "forgotten crops.” However, these crops are often difficult to obtain due to limited production and distribution networks, as well as lack of demand for such crops, as consumers commonly associate these crops as ‘poor people's’ food and may be unfamiliar with their nutritional benefits and how to store and prepare them. Ensuring the preservation and multiplication of these crop varieties is crucial for their long-term survival and promotion of biodiversity within the food system.

Five key areas of opportunities to promote the production and consumption of these crops include research and development, seed conservation, education and awareness, market development and policy support. These elements will not be detailed, however, one prominent example in research and development that was mentioned several times during interviews is the Vision for Adapted Crops & Soils (VACS) Research agenda. Launched by the US Department of State, in partnership with the African Union and the FAO in February 2023, it seeks to adapt agricultural systems – starting with Africa – to the anticipated challenges of climate change. The research agenda follows a three-phase approach – identify the crops that are most important for nutrition for Africa; assess the future effects of climate change; and, catalyse climate change adaption efforts for these crops. While VACS has garnered significant attention, stakeholders noted its production-centric focus, highlighting the need to incorporate consumer education and awareness initiatives to drive market development and consumer driven demand for these crops. Given the visibility and funding base of VACS, promoting, and engaging with stakeholder in this research agenda to promote the consumer angle, presents a promising avenue to complement its efforts and ensure a more holistic approach to climate-resilient agriculture and promotion of biodiversity.

Furthermore, it is well known, and highlighted by many stakeholders  that dietary diversification, especially towards plant-based diets, offers significant benefits for both human health and biodiversity conservation. By reducing reliance on animal-derived proteins, plant-based diets can mitigate the environmental impacts associated with mainstream livestock production, such as deforestation, water pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, plant-based diets often require fewer resources, helping to protect ecosystems and conserve biodiversity. Incorporating a variety of plant-based foods into our diets can provide essential nutrients and support diverse agricultural systems, which are more resilient to climate change.

While plant-based diets can offer numerous health benefits, including reducing the risk of premature mortality and Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), it's important to emphasize moderate consumption of animal-sourced foods with a low environmental food print, to provide the necessary balance in nutrient intake. This is particularly relevant for vulnerable populations in low-and-middle income countries who are mainly consuming monotonous plant-based diets and suffering from all forms of malnutrition as a consequence. By striking a balance in diets between consumption of animal and plant-based foods we can improve both human health and planetary health.

• Lack of connection between consumers and producers and vice-versa

Stakeholders emphasized the importance of effectively communicating human and planetary health benefits of sustainable diets, internally and externally, to bridge the disconnect between consumers and the impact of their dietary choices on biodiversity. These insights are also in line with published literature. Specifically, consumers are increasingly being targeted with information aiming to influence their decision-making, but the change mechanisms of such interventions are poorly understood, and consumers are often faced with multiple trade-offs that are challenging to navigate.

Stakeholders highlighted the need for clear education to better connect consumers to producers, and vice-versa, and support informed decision-making. National dietary guidelines incorporating environmental considerations stood out as a key tool to achieve this. It was noted that raising the environment ambition of dietary guidelines by incorporating factors such as land use, water consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions can encourage governments to better align a shared responsibility to all relevant ministries and, at the same time, encourage consumers to make informed choices that minimize their environmental footprint. This can include promoting plant-based proteins, where relevant and appropriate, reducing food waste, and supporting local and seasonal produce.

Another approach to connect consumers and producers is through the development of labelling and certification systems. These systems can provide clear and accessible information about the environmental and nutritional attributes of food products, enabling consumers to make informed choices that align with their values. By establishing labels that highlight sustainable practices, biodiversity conservation, and nutritional benefits, producers can demonstrate their commitment to eco-friendly methods, fostering trust and encouraging consumer support for those prioritizing sustainability. Additionally, effective labelling can help consumers understand the impact of their food choices on the environment and public health, driving demand for biodiversity-friendly products. Certifications can also create market incentives for producers to adopt sustainable practices, as products with reputable labels often command higher prices, ultimately building a more resilient food system that values both ecological health and the planet.

Furthermore, it was highlighted by several stakeholders that the upcoming EAT-Lancet 2.0 report, due in 2025, supports a stronger connection between human health, diet, and the environment and thus is a credible tool offering an opportunity to ensure that communication is clear for practitioners and consumers and importantly, to support the development of a clear strategy for communicating the importance of biodiversity to consumers.

While consumers are often disconnected from producers, one stakeholder noted that farmers often face challenges in understanding consumer needs, measuring biodiversity, communicating progress, and being incentivized to adopt sustainable practices. Competing priorities, such as labour rights, often overshadow human health and nutrition concerns. This disconnect between farmer priorities and consumer demand, represents a missed opportunity.

• Monitoring and evaluation

A significant knowledge gap identified is the lack of reliable and validated measures for assessing biodiversity, especially in the context of sustainable healthy diets. Integrating environmental considerations in nutrition life cycle assessments, for instance, was one suggestion. Another was to develop a toolkit of validated and reliable measures to support practitioners at the country level in capturing and reporting their efforts and identifying gaps.

Quantifying health benefits of dietary diversity was mentioned by one partner. This can be achieved through rigorous research exploring the diversity within crops, bioactive components, and the role of soil in influencing mineral content. To measure biodiversity at the diet level, innovative approaches and collaboration between academic and knowledge institute and action-orientated organizations working at country level should be prioritized.

• Siloed approaches

Limiting and overlapping mandates and internal division of teams often leads to lack of coordination. Stakeholders noted the abundance of existing resources and efforts in biodiversity and sustainable diets, further leading to duplication of efforts. They emphasized the urgent need for coordinated efforts to leverage existing platforms and initiative rather than reinventing the wheel. Stakeholders identified three primary platforms that can be leveraged or expanded upon to advance action on biodiversity and sustainable healthy diets. These include:

National biodiversity strategy and action plan (NBSAPs)

NBSAPs are essential for safeguarding biodiversity and ensuring sustainable food systems. They outline specific targets and actions for agriculture, forestry, and other land-use sectors, aiming to promote sustainable practices, reduce biodiversity loss, and enhance food security. NBSAPs often include initiatives like agroforestry and wildlife corridors to protect biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. These actions not only contribute to biodiversity conservation but also support broader food systems goals, such as improving soil health and reducing reliance on synthetic inputs. By integrating biodiversity considerations into overall food systems policies, NBSAPs ensure a coherent approach across different sectors. It was noted that whilst these strategies and action plans are in place, and commitments have been made, many governments face challenges implementing these plans, due to low interest, competing priorities, and resources constraints. Despite this, it was noted that in parallel to supporting governments in the effective implementation of these plans, these plans offer an opportunity to integrate and strengthen efforts in improving nutrition outcomes. This would support enhancing biodiversity through achieving sustainable healthy diets and not just food security, but nutrition security.

National food systems transformation pathways

National food systems transformation pathways, an outcome from the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit, offer a framework for countries to prioritise biodiversity and sustainable healthy diets. By investing in biodiversity-friendly agricultural practices, reducing food waste, encouraging sustainable consumption, strengthening food systems governance, and supporting local and regional food systems, governments can create more equitable and sustainable food systems. Some key strategies mentioned by stakeholders include:

1. Prioritising biodiversity conservation: Protecting and restoring biodiversity-rich areas and promoting agroecological practices.
2. Promoting sustainable food production: Reducing chemical inputs, supporting sustainable land use, and fostering sustainable fisheries.
3. Encouraging healthy diets: Promoting plant-based diets, reducing food waste, and supporting local and seasonal produce.
4. Adequate financing: Effective instruments and case studies to advocate for funding, and support to mobilize and access sources of finance to ensure dedicated funding streams for nutrition and biodiversity.
5. Strengthening policy and governance: Developing supportive policies, enhancing governance structures, and engaging stakeholders.
6. Investing in research and innovation: Supporting research, promoting technology transfer, and fostering partnerships
   

Existing platforms such as organisational CoP

Many organizations have established separate community of practices (CoPs) for nutrition and biodiversity. While these CoPs often operate independently due to organisational structures, there is growing interest in sharing knowledge and resources more widely and there are many resources that exist that support the integration of these two areas. A key challenge is the limited time and resources available for packaging and sharing knowledge effectively, particularly from country level. It was highlighted that rather than creating a new CoP, it would be more beneficial to examine existing CoPs and strengthen their capacity to bridge the connection between biodiversity and sustainable healthy diets.

• Policy and implementation approaches

Conflicting messages, oversimplified terminology, and limited resources are common challenges in policy and implementation for biodiversity and sustainable healthy diets. These challenges, along with knowledge gaps and siloed approaches, negatively influence policy outcomes.  

As mentioned above, siloed approaches, characterized by isolated departments or teams within an organization, often face significant challenges due to restricted financial and human resources. These combined constraints create a self-perpetuating cycle, where limited resources reinforce siloed approaches and vice versa. To effectively address this issue, stakeholders highlighted the need for better collaboration among experts in planet, human, animal health, prioritizing investments in cross-functional collaboration, increasing awareness of the roles of different disciplines and fostering platforms for collaborative work (such as existing CoPs). One suggestion was to cross-train staff between nutrition and biodiversity units, promoting knowledge sharing and collaboration and if possible, hiring nutrition experts to work in biodiversity units, and vice versa. 

Oversimplification of terms in this field could also be addressed through deliberate collaborative efforts mentioned above. While there is willingness to work together, funding remains a significant barrier to progress. Overcoming the spread of conflicting messages and prioritizing efforts in the food system to consider human, planetary, and animal health, rather than solely focusing on agricultural production, can also be addressed through collaborative efforts and a clear narrative on balancing trade-offs and synergies
in the food system.  

A stakeholder noted that while numerous policy recommendations exist, providing hands-on support to policymakers is crucial for implementing these policies at the national level and ensuring coherence among country-level partners. This would also support in re-prioritisation of efforts to improve biodiversity through sustainable healthy diets. To avoid overcomplicating decisions, policymakers must be supported in carefully considering the economic trade-offs associated with biodiversity-and nutrition related decisions. This will help them understand how such decisions can positively or negatively influence diets and the environment, and vice versa. 

Some stakeholders believe that convening government ministries to discuss the urgent link between biodiversity and nutrition can overcome resistance to investing in nutrition and biodiversity. Whilst the Conference of Parties (COP) aim to achieve this, governments often face conflicting guidance and overwhelming decisions when considering the trade-offs involved.  

To address implementation challenges, knowledge exchange between countries with similar food production systems must be prioritized. This exchange should focus on self-sufficiency, food security, consumption patterns, biodiversity hotspots, and carbon sequestration. Exchange would also be enriched with concrete examples of what is practically possible and how to use research to enhance and scale up these efforts. Furthermore, by identifying agents of change and implementing tailored interventions, this can trigger and accelerate positive transformations.