Prof. Felix Ankomah Asante
Prof. Felix Ankomah Asante, Director of the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research, ISSER, has delivered an Inaugural Lecture on the topic “The linkage between Agriculture, Nutrition and Health: Issues for Research and Policy”. The Inaugural Lecture, the first for the second semester of the 2018/19 academic year was chaired by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu.
Prof. Ankomah Asante in his introduction hinted that although strong linkages have been established between agriculture, nutrition and health, these sectors are treated in isolation as policies and programmes designed for each sector are made without considering the linkages between them. He further noted that these sectors have an intricate bi-directional relationship with agriculture affecting nutrition and health and nutrition and health affecting agriculture.
In addressing the issues of food systems globally, Prof. Ankomah Asante indicated that food systems are often concentrated on quantity, and not of the quality of food being consumed by people, with particular attention to their specific health and nutritional needs. He revealed that more than 800 million people globally suffered from chronic undernourishment in 2017 representing 10.9 percent of the total world population. A situation he indicated has led to stunting, wasting and underweight among individuals. Adversely, he stated that obesity was on the rise and has led to an increase in the number of non-communicable diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure which were fast becoming responsible for deaths across the world.
Prof. Asante noted that food safety is critical to global health issues given the fundamental linkage between food and the health of people. Food safety, he added, is intrinsically linked to the prevalence of food borne diseases. According to Prof. Asante, it is estimated that 1-in-10 people fall ill yearly from consuming contaminated food, resulting in about 420,000 deaths of which about a third are children under the age of 5. He further noted that the African continent was the most vulnerable as food borne diseases such as typhoid, was highest in Africa, due to poor hygiene and inadequate food preparation conditions.
Furthermore, Prof. Ankomah Asante revealed that agricultural water projects create parasitic vectors, leading to diseases. He cited malaria as an example of having part of its roots from agricultural water projects, and was responsible for a significant number of deaths annually.
To effectively promote good health, Prof Asante opined that there was the need to pay more attention to food consumption, more stakeholder collaborations and the formulation of workable policies. Moreover, there was the need to identify food production systems with a view to ensuring that these systems absolutely promote safe and good nutrition and in effect, good health.
Prof. Ankomah Asante called on policy makers to reflect on nutrition transition in developing countries, changes in crops, farm practices and markets. He further called on government to focus on the nutrition and health of consumers in a holistic manner and bio fortification. Prof. Asante also recommended that government considers the issue of incentivising businesses seriously as it was critical to sustainable promotion of agriculture, nutrition and health. He also hinted that the rise of zoonotic disease is a threat to human health which must therefore be given the necessary attention by policy makers.
In concluding, Prof. Asante called on researchers to focus on the triple burden of malnutrition in the midst of nutrition transition and how sustainable production systems are in meeting the demands of a growing population and the lack of evidence on food safety burden and impacts. Additionally, researchers were charged to delve into the issues of climate change impact on agriculture and food systems, and public health problems, and the effect on production decisions and the growing threat of vector borne, waterborne and zoonotic diseases. He advocated for food production systems that will reduce the risks of contamination and disease, while promoting food safety and sustainable production systems under climate change shocks. Prof. Asante called for early warning systems for monitoring and tracking incidence of pest and disease outbreaks that can affect the food security status of households and communities.
In his remarks, Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu, Vice Chancellor of the University and Chairman for the occasion, noted that whilst agriculture, health and nutrition had always been treated as separate topics, even within institutions of higher learning, these topics were linked with respect to the role they play in promoting good health. Food, he noted, was meant to sustain life and not to destroy it, and it was important that policy makers, as well as stakeholders ensure the highest level of food safety attainable.
Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu
Earlier, Mrs. Mercy Haizel Ashia in her opening remarks noted that every academic who achieves the highest rank of Professor in the University was expected to deliver an inaugural lecture. The Inaugural lecture, she acknowledged, offers the University an opportunity to distinguish and showcase the academic achievements of its staff, as well as enable the Professor to celebrate his scholarly works. The Registrar indicated that Prof. Felix Ankomah Asante’s Inaugural lecture also brings recognition to ISSER and the College of Humanities for producing another Professor.
Mrs. Mercy Haizel Ashia
In attendance was Prof. Francis Dodoo, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Research Innovation and Development as well as some Provosts, Deans, Directors, members of the University community and family and friends of Prof. Felix Ankomah Asante.
The occasion was graced with a number of presentations to Prof. Felix Ankomah Asante to congratulate him on his achievement. Presenters included Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, Ghana Association of Agricultural Economist (GAAE),Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (CoPEC), Ghana, PRESEC-Legon 1983 Year Group, School of Social Sciences, College of Humanities, Dr. Daniel Arhinful, Senior Research Fellow, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, PhD Students (ISSER), ISSER and Family.
Prof. Felix Ankomah Asante receiving a gift from his family
Prior to Prof. Felix Ankomah Asante Inaugural lecture was a week-long exhibition of his scholarly works held at the Balme Library. The exhibition focused on his research interest in development economics relating to poverty and household food security issues; decentralisation, provision of public goods and services; health issues, specifically burden of disease, spending assessments, health accounts, costing and budgeting; and climate change issues.
A cross section of audience at the lecture
Please click here for more pictures of the event
