Traditional and Indigenous Food Systems and Nutrition
This Task Force was previously named Traditional, Indigenous and Cultural Food and Nutrition and was chaired by Professor Harriet Kuhnlein and Dr T Longvah. The Task Force recently published a special issue of the journal Maternal and Child Health entitled ‘Indigenous Peoples’ Food Systems: Gender Roles, Biodiversity and Food Security’. The issue consists of eleven chapters and an introduction from Professor Anna Lartey (IUNS Past President) and Professor Catherine Geissler (IUNS Secretary General). This issue is available free online through Wiley. In the current Council period Harriet Kuhnlein and T. Longvah will continue their involvement as a steering committee and there is an expanded membership including Dr Gina Kennedy as the new Chair of the Task Force. The Task Force has shifted the emphasis to documenting diverse local food systems and promoting elements within them for improving nutrition and health in various ways including livelihood development of knowledge holders. They plan to conduct a meta-analysis of the benefits of these food systems drawing on international publications, prepare policy briefs for national governments, UN agencies and professional societies to better enable governments to meet SDG commitments, and prepare symposia for regional conferences.
Previous work: Traditional, Indigenous and Cultural Food and Nutrition (2013 – 2017)
Previous Chair: Dr Harriet Kuhnlein
Objectives of the Task Force
- To review and inform, as comprehensively as possible, indigenous food systems
- To represent the nutritional advantages and/or disadvantages of the systems
- To engage indigenous peoples in the scientific work of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences
The 2015 Task Force report for Traditional, Indigenous and Cultural Food and Nutrition can be accessed here.
The 2014 Task Force report for Traditional, Indigenous and Cultural Food and Nutrition can be accessed here.
The 2013 Task Force report for Traditional, Indigenous and Cultural Food and Nutrition can be accessed here.
IUNS Representative: Professor V. Prakash