Vegetable Research Matters for Southeast Asia M.C.S. Wopereis
World Vegetable Center
Abstract
Malnutrition presents a significant challenge across most Southeast Asian countries. Vegetables can reduce malnutrition by contributing vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, proteins and dietary fiber to diets. However, average vegetable consumption in many Southeast Asian countries is far below the recommended intake. A Push-Pull-Policy framework is used to discuss knowledge gaps and research priorities to enhance vegetable production and consumption, leading to healthier diets but also to jobs and income opportunities in particular for women and youth. This will require a thorough understanding of vegetable value chains, food environments, dietary gaps, and consumer behavior, as well as external drivers such as climate change, urbanization, and policy. Making vegetables more available and affordable to consumers in Southeast Asia will entail technological and organizational innovations along the value chain, from seed to retail, and strong public-private sector partnerships to enhance vegetable productivity. Moreover, it will need significant investment in infrastructure to enable value-adding capabilities, and to reduce post-harvest vegetable losses and food waste. Consumer behavior also needs to be better understood- some consumer segments have a low acceptance of vegetables due to food safety concerns, high preferences for animal-based foods, lack of knowledge about nutrition and health, or repeated exposure to high-calorie, low-nutrient snack foods. There is a need to diversify food systems with nutritious vegetables, aiming to achieve favorable and lasting dietary, economic, and environmental outcomes at scale. Given the rapid urbanization across the region this is particularly important in and around cities. Vegetable research clearly matters for Southeast Asia. To fully tap the economic and nutritional power of vegetables, these crops need to be given much greater priority than they currently receive. In the context of COVID-19, it is imperative to address di
