Nutrition

The SAGE Impact Leaders will be both Indian and International students registered at participating institutes. For information on the Junior and Senior Ambassadors, please see: https://sites.google.com/echonetwork.in/sagereport2023/home. The PhD SAGE Fellows will be selected through National and International calls in early 2024. The projects will be supported for three years (a typical PhD fellowship period).

Host Institute: International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
Host Academic Supervisor: Victor Afari-Sefa, Acting Deputy Director General - Research, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
Co-Project Supervisors:
- Gurmeet Singh, Professor & Dean Research & Outreach, Trans-Disciplinary University, Bangalore
- Kranti Yardi, Senior Scientist, Naoroji Godrej Center for Plant Research (NGCPR)
- Sara Monteiro Pires, Senior Scientist, National Food Institute, The Technical University of Denmark (DTU)
Advisors:
- Nityananda Dhal, Integrator - Research & Resource Centre & NRLM Support Organisation, PRADAN (Professional Assistance for Development Action)
- Srajesh Gupta, Founder & Lead, C-GEM and Manager - Climate Change Research, AKRSPI, Centre for Grower-Centric Ecovalue Mechanisms (C-GEM); Aga Khan Rural Support Program, India (AKRSP-India)
Contributors:
- Minhaj Ameen, Director of Strategic Operations, Finance and Administration, Agroecology Fund (AEF)
- Rohan Mukerjee, Programme Coordinator - Networks and Alliances, Keystone Foundation

Aim

Assessment of economic and ecological viability of ecosystem-based agriculture for nutrition-positive local food systems to establish a “Food Systems Roadmap” for a circular approach linking sustainable food production to nutrition and One Health.

Key Objectives

Map foods currently consumed in the target communities
Map food crops currently grown and changes from food crops grown historically
Identify interventions/approaches/methodologies at the individual (income) and community levels that increase sustainability of the food and nutrition systems
Outline linkages between nutrition and food security
Identify barriers of adoption with local healthcare workers and community members
Assess holistic strategies to overcome barriers and promote adoption
Integrate a feedback loop with the target communities to refine the Food Systems Roadmap based on their experiences and challenges

Key Outcomes

Baseline study of socio-economic and ecological factors impacting local nutrition
Stakeholder mapping
A roadmap for farmers with a cost-benefit analysis and nutrition report on different ecological systems and farm structures to effectively adopt sustainable practices.