Youth Engagement in Transforming the Food System to Address Malnutrition in the Philippines

Unless the Philippine food system is made more resilient, the aspirations of AmBisyon Natin 2040 will remain elusive, hindering the country’s ability to achieve inclusive growth, eradicate poverty, and ensure the well-being of all Filipinos. Focused on the youth, this paper brings together three related issues: (1) how can the youth be encouraged to devote their careers to agriculture? (2) How do poor quality diets compromise the cognitive abilities of young people? and (3) How can nutrition concerns be incorporated into agricultural policies? Early exposure to agricultural concepts can inspire young people to pursue careers in agriculture, ensuring a steady influx of leaders and professionals equipped to tackle the challenges within the food system. This approach not only secures the future of the agriculture sector but also promotes innovation and resilience in food production and distribution. One in two preschoolers in the lowest wealth quintile in the Philippines are stunted, while only one in eight in the highest wealth quintile are stunted. Children who are stunted are not reaching the full potential of their cognitive development. The dietary quality of mothers before pregnancy, during pregnancy, and during breastfeeding improves markedly with income and so is associated with the better heights of their children. In the long term, agricultural productivity must be improved with a particular focus on increasing the incomes of the poor. Increasing household income is the most sustainable way to improve dietary quality. In the shorter term, there are two broad strategies to link Philippine agriculture to nutrition by adding more minerals and vitamins to the food supply: (1) by increasing the density of minerals and vitamins in food staples, a strategy referred to as “biofortification,” and (2) by lowering the prices of nutritious nonstaple food such as vegetables, fruits, pulses, fish, and meat through improved productivity that results in rapid supply increases.