Hunger, malnutrition, and poor health are widespread and stubborn development challenges. Agriculture has made remarkable advances in the past decades, but progress in improving the nutrition and health of poor farmers and consumers in developing countries is lagging behind. Building on the momentum created by discussions at recent IFPRI 2020 Conference in New Delhi, “Leveraging Agriculture for Improving Nutrition and Health,” and follow-on activities, the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health is designed to fill the existing gap between agricultural development and its unfulfilled health and nutritional benefits.

The starting point for this research program is that agricultural practices, interventions, and policies can be better adapted and redesigned to maximize health and nutrition benefits and to reduce health risks. The primary focus will be on improving human nutrition and health by bringing together research and development professionals across the agriculture, nutrition, and health (ANH) sectors to jointly tackle key challenges and design joint solutions.