ZEF new secretariat of GlobalHort

ZEF was officially inaugurated as the new secretariat of GlobalHort on January 13, 2104. On this occasion, Dr. J.D.H. Keatinge, Chair of the Board of Directors of GlobalHort and Director General of AVRDC (The World Vegetable Center), held a well-visited lecture on "The importance of horticulture for pro-poor development".

The GlobalHort secretariat will be led by Dr. Detlef Virchow, ZEF senior researcher.

Abstract of lecture

Global production of common and traditional fruit vegetables is steadily increasing. Nonetheless, many factors constrain fruit and vegetable production, including climate change, increased urbanization and pressure on arable land, pests and diseases, an aging farming population, and adverse policies toward horticulture. Families must have year-round access to affordable and nutritious food for a balanced, healthy diet. Failure to make sufficient fruit and vegetables available to the general population (<200 g/day) may result in substantial child mortality or stunting. This supply failure can be due to the lack of local production, ignorance of the importance of fruit and vegetables for health, or most common, prices in excess of what the poor can afford. The developing world must maximize crop productivity while minimizing losses, wastage and the impact on the environment where it is negative.

Solutions to improve productivity, profitability, and human nutrition include expansion and mechanization of protected agriculture, better production and environmentally-sensitive management technologies, investment in research to support traditional vegetables, improving all elements along the fruit and vegetable value chain, better engagement of the private sector (including postharvest value addition, food preservation technologies, and more efficient marketing performance), etc. Future initiatives to increase production must also emphasize consumer education to raise awareness about the value of fruit and vegetables for a well-balanced, healthy diet for all family members.