Scope

The mission of this Specialty is to publish original research and review papers addressing the complex interplay of environmental sustainability and human nutrition. Evidence-based policy decisions are critical in health, agriculture and the environment in order to provide sustainable solutions to sectoral problems. However, when these sectors address issues independently, the end result is often collateral damage in the other sectors. In order to sustainably achieve international targets and goals in nutrition, all three sectors need to interact. One hypothesis is that nutrition-driven agriculture within environmental limits can provide the solution to many global problems simultaneously. However, the evidence base is weak and more and better research is required.

Useful perspectives can be found in the domains of sustainable diets and food systems, biodiversity for food and nutrition, food/nutrient losses and waste, environmental impacts of agricultural production and consumption linked to nutrients and nutritional outcomes. The research dimensions may include any of the following:

• Environmental impact studies: analyses of water, land, GHG emissions, agro-chemical use, etc., associated with production of diets, foods and individual nutrients for human nutrition;

• Policy reviews: assessment of global, regional, national or sectoral policy papers and that have real or potential benefits or risks for nutrition and environmental sustainability;

• Food/nutrient losses and waste: assessment of natural resource pressures or environmental impacts due to losses and waste from farm through consumption;

• Impacts, trade-offs and consequences of dietary transitions, current and future demands;

• Environmental sustainability and human health/wellbeing;

• Food composition: analyses of nutrients, bioactive non-nutrients, and contaminants in food biodiversity (varieties, cultivars, breeds; or neglected and underutilized species);

• Dietary intakes / food consumption: studies characterizing agro-ecological zones for delivery of nutrients for human nutrition, or individual or household intakes of agricultural or industrial contaminants via the food supply;

• Diets, foods and nutrients for human nutrition as ecosystem services;

• Hunger, food insecurity, undernutrition as natural resource and environmental issues;

• Overweight, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and other diet-related chronic diseases as environmental issues;

• Impacts and costs of foods and whole diets for delivery of nutrients vs supplements, fortificants, therapeutic formulations;

• Interventions and case studies

• Qualitative and quantitative methods and indicators: development, validation, and analyses.

The scope of the Specialty will evolve as new ideas and assessment techniques emerge.

Submission

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