The Odisha State Food Commission in association with The Coalition for Food and Nutrition Security (CNFS), a group of policy and program leaders committed to fostering collaboration and evidence based advocacy for improved programs to achieve sustainable food and nutrition security, organised a policy seminar on 'Sustainable Food and Nutrition Security' incoordination with Odisha Environment Congress on June 29  2016 at Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC), Bhubaneswar.

The seminar brought together key policy-makers from the State and the Centre, development partners and research professionals to discuss pathways for sustainable food and nutrition security and improving access to food and nutrition entitlements to demonstrate impact on nutrition outcomes.

Nearly 250 participants from different parts of India participated in the seminar. It aimed at preventing undernutrition in the first 1000 days of a child's life and deliberating upon pathways, strategies and role of State Food Commission in this critical window of opportunity.

On behalf of  Leveraging Agriculture for Nutrition in South Asia (LANSA) Research Programme, Akshaya Kumar Panda, Senior Scientist and Coordinator of the Farming System for Nutrition study in Koraput participated and presented the 'Farming System approach to impact on Nutrition Outcome: An Experience from Leveraging Agriculture for Nutrition in South Asia (LANSA)' in the technical session 'Evidence and Impact: Learnings for Odisha Food commission'. He highlighted LANSA research in India and how some of the studies directly link with the National Food Security Act. Akshaya indicated the current nutrition status of the study area and emphasized on the steps undertaken for designing Nutrition-Sensitive Farming System Approach. He focused on the core interventions that are underway to improve the nutrition status of the community and the Gender and Nutrition Research under Farming System for Nutrition study.

Beside Akshaya, Ranjan Sankar, Senior Advisor, TATA Trusts; Sumitro Roy, International Consultant Alive & Thrive; Salome Yesudas, Nutrition Scientist, Living Farms and Prasanta Tripathy, Ekjute and Member of National Health Mission Steering Group presented their research evidence and impacts in the session as panel members. The session was chaired by Saba Mebrahtu, Chief of Nutrition, UNICEF (India) and co-chaired by. Sipra Mallick, Member-Odisha State Food Commission. Jagadananda, Mentor and Co-Founder, Centre for Youth & Social Development (CYSD) was present in the session as a moderator.

The seminar gave LANSA an opportunity to present its research to policy-makers. It has linked LANSA with the Odisha Food Commission, with whom they can interact closely in the coming months, in sharing the evidence and suggestions for policy emerging from LANSA research.