How to Accomplish Dietary Diversity in Practice

Reference from the joint report of FAO/WHO expert consultation on Human Vitamins and Minerals verbatim. (Chapter 2)

4. FAO/ILSI. 1997. Preventing Micronutrient Malnutrition: A Guide to Food-Based Approaches, ILSI Press, Washington DC. 

It is essential to work on strategies, which promote and facilitate dietary diversification to achieve complementarity of cereal or tuber-based diets with foods rich in micronutrients in populations with limited economics or limited access to food. A recent FAO and International Life Sciences Institute (4) publication proposed strategies to promote dietary diversification within the implementation of food-based approaches. 

These strategies, which follow, have been adapted or modified based on the discussions held in this consultation:

1. Community or home vegetable and fruit gardens. These projects should lead to increased production and consumption of micronutrient-rich foods (legumes, green leafy vegetables, and fruits) at the household level. The success of such projects requires a good knowledge and understanding of local conditions as well as the involvement of women and the community in general. These are key elements for supporting, achieving, and sustaining beneficial nutritional change at the household level. Land availability and water supply may present common constraints, which require local government intervention or support before they are overcome. 

The educational effort should be directed towards securing appropriate within family distribution, which considers the needs of the most vulnerable members of the family, especially infants and young children. Separate FBDGs for vulnerable groups, such as pregnant and lactating women, children, and the elderly, should be developed. 

2. Production of fish, poultry, and small animals (rabbits, goats, and guinea pigs). These are excellent sources of highly bio-available essential micronutrients such as vitamin A, iron, and zinc. The production of animal foods at the local level may permit communities to access foods which otherwise are not available because of their high costs. These types of projects also need some support from local governments or non-governmental organizations to overcome cost constraints of programme implementation, including the training of producers.

3. Implementation of large-scale commercial vegetable and fruit production. The objective of this initiative is to provide micronutrient-rich foods at reasonable prices through effective and competitive markets, which lower consumer prices without reducing producer prices. This will serve predominantly the urban and non-food-producing rural areas.

4. Reduction of post-harvest losses of the nutritional value of micronutrient-rich foods,such as fruits and vegetables. Improvement of storage and food-preservation facilities significantly reduces post-harvest losses. At the household level, the promotion of effective cooking methods and practical ways of preserving foods (solar drying of seasonal micronutrient-rich foods such as papaya, grapes, mangoes, peaches, tomatoes, and apricots) may significantly increase the access to bio-available micronutrient-rich foods. At the commercial level, grading, packing, transport, and marketing practices reduce losses, stimulate economic growth, and optimise income generation. 

5. Improvement of micronutrient levels in soils and plants, which will improve the composition of plant foods and enhance yields. Current agricultural practices can improve the micronutrient content of foods through correcting soil quality and pH and increasing soil mineral content depleted by erosion and poor soil conservation. Long-term food-based solutions to micronutrient deficiencies will require improvement of agricultural practices, seed quality, and plant breeding (by means of a classical selection process or genetic modification). 

The green revolution made important contributions to cereal supplies, and it is time to address the need for improvements in the production of legumes, vegetables, fruits, and other micronutrient-rich foods. FBDGs can serve to reemphasise the need for these crops. 

It is well recognised that the strategies proposed to promote dietary diversity need a strong community-level commitment. For example, the increase in price of legumes associated with decreased production and lower demand needs to be corrected. The support of local authorities and government may facilitate the implementation of such projects because these actions require economic resources, which sometimes are beyond the reach of the most needy.