Agricultural policy and practice affect human health, which in turn impacts agricultural productivity and output. Agriculture contributes to better health by improving the quality and quantity of food available and increasing income. Effective health policies in turn can support agriculture by protecting the labor force from lost time and income due to illness, chronic disability, or mortality. Understanding the complex interactions between agriculture and health, and especially understanding the opportunities for strengthening the positive interactions and mitigating the negative interactions in a rapidly changing landscape, and applying this knowledge to policy and practice is essential for producing outcomes that successfully reduce global hunger and poverty.

This seminar is the first in a lead-in series for the IFPRI 2020 International Conference on “Leveraging Agriculture for Improving Nutrition and Health.”