Healthy diets depend upon availability and accessibility of a variety of plant and animal foods. While this variety is characteristic of traditional food systems, current trends simultaneously erode the biodiversity that provides it and the sociocultural context in which it is conserved. In this article, Johns and Sthapit consider the importance of biodiversity for dietary diversity and health and review issues raised at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in context of foods systems. They offer a model for improving contemporary food systems by integrating nutrition, income generation, culture, biodiversity, and the reduction of disease risk as well as its policy implications. According to the authors, most nutrition interventions address the symptoms rather than the problems. By integrating cultural and biological diversity with the preservation of food traditions and nutrition, lasting solutions can arise to improve health and livelihoods.

Prepared by Erin Smith