Media release – Food Plant Solutions, 18 September 2023
Tasmanian NGO invited to join World Vision International’s expert panel at global micronutrient conference
Food Plant Solutions Rotary Action Group (FPSRAG), a Tasmanian initiative established in 2007, has been invited by World Vision International (WVI) to participate as an expert panellist for their symposium at the upcoming global Micronutrient Conference in The Hague, Netherlands, 16-20 October 2023.
The Micronutrient Forum is one of the largest global nutrition conferences, with WVI hosting a symposium titled “The Power of Food-Based Approaches to Fight Malnutrition in Stable and Fragile Contexts”.
The symposium will focus on the importance of using under-utilised / indigenous foods that are locally available and low in cost to rehabilitate undernourished children, using their experiences from successful programs.
The FPSRAG project was designed to address malnutrition and food security using readily available and local food plants. By extracting information from the Edible Plants of the World database (created by Tasmanian agricultural scientist Bruce French OA), the group creates evidence-based educational resources that identify highly nutritious local food plants in easy-to-understand formats.
These resources empower people to make informed choices, enabling them to select their foods according to the nutritional, economic, and environmental impacts. This proven approach supports the achievement of a diverse nutritious diet using agroecological methods and helps create climate change resilient food production.
This invitation by WVI underscores the critical importance and impact of the work undertaken by FPSRAG, and has been extended for these key reasons:
- FPSRAG’s extensive experience on the topic;
- To showcase to a global audience the tools and resources available that support implementation of food-based approaches;
- To highlight the group’s ability to communicate and promote highly nutritious plants with lay people.
