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From the charter of the United Nations University

Preface

Foreword

From the charter of the United Nations University

ARTICLE I

Purposes and structure

1. The United Nations University shall be an international community of scholars, engaged in research, postgraduate training and dissemination of knowledge in furtherance of the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. In achieving its stated objectives, it shall function under the joint sponsorship of the United Nations and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (hereinafter referred to as UNESCO), through a central programming and coordinating body and a network of research and post-graduate training centres and programmes located in the developed and developing countries.
2. The University shall devote its work to research into the pressing global problems of human survival, development and welfare that are the concern of the United Nations and its agencies, with due attention to the social sciences and the humanities as well as natural sciences, pure and applied.
3. The research programmes of the institutions of the University shall include, among other subjects, coexistence between peoples having different cultures, languages and social systems; peaceful relations between States and the maintenance of peace and security; human rights; economic and social change and development; the environment and the proper use of resources; basic scientific research and the application of the results of science and technology in the interests of development; and universal human values related to the improvement of the quality of life.
4. The University shall disseminate the knowledge gained in its activities to the United Nations and its agencies, to scholars and to the public, in order to increase dynamic interaction in the world-wide community of learning and research.
5. The University and all those who work in it shall act in accordance with the spirit of the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and the Constitution of UNESCO and with the fundamental principles of contemporary international law.
6. The University shall have as a central objective of its research and training centres and programmes the continuing growth of vigorous academic and scientific communities everywhere and Particularly in the developing countries, devoted to their vital needs in the fields of learning and research within the framework of the aims assigned to those centres and programmes in the present Charter. It shall endeavour to alleviate the intellectual isolation of persons in such communities in the developing countries which might otherwise become a reason for their moving to developed countries.
7. In its post-graduate training the University shall assist scholars, especially young scholars, to participate in research in order to increase their capability to contribute to the extension, application and diffusion of knowledge, The University may also undertake the training of persons who will serve in international or national technical assistance programmes, particularly in regard to an interdisciplinary approach to the problems with which they will be called upon to deal.

ARTICLE II

Academic freedom and autonomy

1. The University shall enjoy autonomy within the framework of the United Nations. It shall also enjoy the academic freedom required for the achievement of its objectives, with particular reference to the choice of subjects and methods of research and training, the selection of persons and institutions to share in its tasks, and freedom of expression. The University shall decide freely on the use of the financial resources allocated for the execution of its functions ....

Preface

In 1975 the Advisory Committee to the World Hunger Programme of the United Nations University recommended holding a series of workshops to explore and emphasize the multiple interactions between agriculture, food science, and nutrition. It was suggested that these workshops should be held at various international agricultural research institutions, and should involve persons concerned with research, training, and policy-making in the three disciplines in the countries of each region in which the workshops were held, with the participation also of some experts from other regions. In accordance with this suggestion, workshops were held at the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Ibadan, Nigeria, in December 1976; at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) at Los Baños, Philippines, in March 1977; and at the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP) in Guatemala City, Guatemala, in November 1978 in co-operation with the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture Research (CIAT) in Cali, Colombia, the International Centre for Maize and Wheat Improvement (CIMMYT) in Mexico City, Mexico, and the Tropical Agricultural Research and Training Centre (CATIE) in Turrialba, Costa Rica. The workshop that formed the basis for this volume was organized by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in Patancheru (Hyderabad), India, in November 1981. Another was subsequently held at the International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA) in Aleppo, Syrian Arab Republic, in February 1982. Two papers from the workshop in Ibadan were published in the first issue of the Food and Nutrition Bulletin. The report of the Los Baños workshop was produced by IRRI as a joint publication with the UN University, and the report of the one in Guatemala is being published in Spanish by INCAP. It is expected that the report of the Aleppo workshop will be published by the UN University in a format similar to this one.

It should be recognized that, from its beginning in 1975, the United Nations University has been concerned with the role of agriculture in assuring adequate food and making possible proper nutrition for the world's population. The UN University was strongly advised, however, to concentrate on issues of post-harvest conservation and food distribution and consumption as areas not receiving attention from the research institutions co-operating with the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and to only a limited degree from other agencies in the United Nations system. Since then, the International Food Policy Research Institute, with headquarters in Washington, D.C., has been established as an integral part of the CGIAR system, and food-distribution issues have been receiving more attention within the UN system. The series of workshops on the interfaces between agriculture, food science, and nutrition have contributed to this trend. While no further workshops in the series are currently planned, the UN University maintains its interest in these issues through sponsorship with the United Nations Development Programme of a series of multidisciplinary research projects on the influence of agricultural policy on nutrition status and on income generation and poverty reduction. It is planned that sometime during 1984 the reports of these projects will be brought together in a workshop and ultimately be published in book form.

The papers and discussions in the present volume give broad coverage to interface problems, focusing not only on interactions at the stage of primary production, which are normally the concern of the international agricultural research institutions, but also on those at the stage of post-harvest food conservation, distribution, and consumption. There is also a section on the handling of foods to achieve better nutrition. It is hoped that this volume will be useful to persons working in the fields of agriculture, human nutrition, and food science throughout the world.

Foreword

Various international organizations and national governments are finding ways and means to increase and stabilize the production of food grains to meet the food and nutritional needs of the galloping population adequately. It is increasingly being recognized that besides increasing food production, its storage processing, utilization, and nutritional evaluation are equally important and deserve immediate attention. No doubt, scientists trained in different disciplines pursue their objectives with great zeal and vigour to fulfil their mission-oriented research, but the food problem cannot be solved unless all aspects of food receive deserved attention. All the efforts should be directed to one goal - to make available within easy access low cost nutritious food to the population. For this purpose a multidisciplinary approach in research is needed that calls for a careful planning and concerted action by scientists, nutritionists, policy-makers, economists, and technologists.

It is with this background that a workshop on interfaces between agriculture, nutrition, and food science was jointly organized by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-arid Tropics (ICRISAT), the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), and the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), and was sponsored by the United Nations University (UNU). The workshop was held on 10-12 November 1981 at Hyderabad, India, with some sessions at ICRISAT and others at NIN. In addition to scientists from the above-mentioned institutions, various specialists from other parts of India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka also participated in the workshop. These specialists presented state-of-the-art reports for their respective countries.

The objectives of the workshop were:

1. to review the existing knowledge in the areas of interaction between agriculture, nutrition, and food science, and evolve newer strategies for coordinated action;
2. to maximize utilization of existing resources through interaction between agricultural production and post-harvest technology and its application to human nutrition;
3. to promote the nutritional status of the population through better quality of food supplies.

It is noteworthy that the three prominent institutes of excellence covering the three different aspects of food chain - production, storage processing, and nutritional evaluation - participated. The workshop also provided an excellent forum for interaction and exchange of information between the neighbouring countries that are faced with similar problems. The twilight zones or interfaces, which are often neglected by the specialized research organizations, were discussed and avenues of future co-operation and collaboration identified. Recommendations were made for strengthening the existing linkage and the collaborative research needs for achieving the common goal.

We gratefully acknowledge the financial assistance provided by the United Nations University for conducting this workshop and thank all the participants and other staff members of the various institutions for contributing to its success.

J.S. Kanwar