The Department of Science and Technology-Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) received the Best Poster Award in the recently concluded International Conference on NutritionSensitive Agriculture and Food Systems, on November 7-9, 2018 at the Development Academy of the Philippines, Tagaytay City, Cavite.
The conference, with the theme “Strategic Approaches to Nutritionsensitive Agriculture and Food Systems in Southeast Asia, aimed to (1) create awareness about nutritionsensitive agriculture and food systems, (2) draw lessons from the experiences, opportunities, challenges, and issues in implementing nutrition-sensitive agriculture and food systems, (3) establish a common ground to address the issues and challenges of nutritionsensitive agriculture and food systems,
and (4) recommend policies and strategies to enhance and support nutrition-sensitive agriculture and food systems.
The conference gathered advocates and stakeholders of nutrition-sensitive agriculture to assess NutritionSensitive Agriculture programs and activities in the Southeast Asia region, including the Philippines. Paper and Poster Presentations focused on the following functions of the food system: (1) Food Production; (2) Food Handling, Storage, and Processing; (3) Food Trade and Marketing; (4) Consumer Demand, Food Preparation, and Preferences; and (5) Cross-cutting Issues.
The paper entitled “Modelling an Edible Garden in the Workplace” was selected for best poster presentation during the conference in the Crosscutting Issues category. The authors include Dr. Milflor S. Gonzales, Ma. Idelia G. Glorioso, Jerlyn D. Avilla, Shannen Faye Q. Arevalo, Dexter Y. De Leon, Mark Anthony Quiambao, Andrea Marie P. Malit and Dr. Mario V. Capanzana.
The conference broadened the level of understanding on the importance and benefits of agriculture in meeting the nutritional needs of a population. This success is attributed to the collective efforts of and strong partnership between the University of the Philippines Los Baños Interdisciplinary Studies Center on Food and Nutrition Security, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), and the Cavite State University (CvSU)
