Nourishing the PlanetWorldwatch Institute Project on Hunger and Poverty Alleviation

Danielle NierenbergSenior Researcher, Worldwatch Institute

dnierenberg@worldwatch.org http://blogs.worldwatch.org/nourishingtheplanet/

www.worldwatch.org

Nourishing the Planet Part IV: Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

Source: World Bank

Building on Past Analysis

• United Nations, Millennium Project Hunger Task Force, 2005

• World Bank, World Development Report, Agriculture for Development, 2008

• International Agricultural Assessment of Science and Technology for Development, 2008

• UNEP Environmental Food Crisis, 2009

International Agricultural Assessment of Science and Technology for

Development (IAASTD)

• Input from more than 400 scientists worldwide• Approved by 59 governments• Found that farmers and researchers need to

abandon conventional, reductionist approaches that separate:

• Agriculture from the environment• The environment from meeting human

needs

Conclusions: • There is no single or silver-bullet approach

to alleviating hunger and poverty• Reintegrating livestock and crop production

could dramatically improve rural economies in the most degraded environments

• Orphan crops and traditional seed varieties have huge potential

International Agricultural Assessment of Science and Technology for

Development (IAASTD)

The Epicenter of Hunger:Sub-Saharan Africa

According to the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) Global Hunger Index, the countries with the most hunger and the least

progress on alleviating malnutrition over the last few decades are in sub-Saharan Africa

Source: World Bank

www.worldwatch.org