This open-access course has been designed to explore the multi-sectoral links between agriculture, nutrition and health, highlight current evidence and identify potential programmatic solutions.
- Email enquiries: openstudy@lshtm.ac.uk
The course is supported by Irish Aid and has been written by a team of academics at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the Leverhulme Centre for Integrative Research in Agriculture and Health. The Institute of Development Studies also kindly contributed to the course.
The course is hosted on the School's Open Study platform. Please note that these are self-study sessions and that no tutorial support is provided. The course is free of charge to undertake. Participants are required to register their details to access the course.
A printed and personalised Certificate of Participation can be obtained for a fee of £30. In order to be eligible for a Certificate of Participation, registered participants must complete two core sessions (Sessions 1 and 2) and a minimum of 1 optional session (Sessions 3 to 9). A set of multiple-choice questions can be found at the end of each session. These questions must be answered in order to be eligible to obtain a Certificate of Participation.
Certificates will be produced termly; at the end of January, April, August, November. Postage and delivery may take up to two weeks. Incomplete requests, or requests received after a deadline will be processed during the next certificate production run.
The course
Agriculture, a supplier of food and nutrients, a source of income, and an engine of growth, is linked to food security, nutrition security and health outcomes. Global food production has been successful in keeping pace with population growth, yet food insecurity and undernutrition remain widespread. At the other extreme, excess dietary consumption is leading to global epidemics of overweight, obesity and chronic disease resulting in rapidly rising burdens of disability and death affecting all regions worldwide. The State of Food and Agriculture report published by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation in 2013 suggests that the agricultural and food systems must now play an increased role in promoting more nutritious and sustainable diets for populations all over the world. At the same time there is increasing emphasis on bringing together research and development professionals across the agriculture, nutrition and health sectors and to more fully integrate their practices, interventions and policies.
This module explores the multi-sectoral links between agriculture, nutrition and health and consider how these interactions might be used to promote pro-poor agricultural development, reduce food and nutrition insecurity and improve the health of the poor.
Who is the course for?
This course is designed for students and professionals with an interest in nutrition-related health systems.