Food & Nutrition

Challenge

Much of our agriculture relies on chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation water from nonsustainable groundwater pumping. In addition, obesity, cancer, diabetes and other diet-related illnesses continue to exact a growing toll on all age groups, despite the U.S. having the highest health care expenditures in the world. The University of Arizona shall work with producers to make agricultural practices more sustainable, and shall utilize a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to advance the discovery and translation of the role of nutrition in optimizing health for people in Arizona, the nation and the world.

Goals

• To work with Arizona farmers and ranchers to better protect the environment, improve profits, and enhance their quality of life.
• To discover, integrate, extend and apply knowledge of nutritional sciences to improve human nutrition, health, and well-being.
• To prevent infectious and chronic diseases including cancers, diabetes, obesity, and musculoskeletal and cardiovascular diseases.
• To promote nutrition, exercise and wellness

Sustainable food production and consumption

• University of Arizona Cooperative Extension
• The Southwest Center at The University of Arizona
• Sustainable food consumption tips

Nutrition and wellness

• Center for Physical Activity and Nutrition
• Arizona Nutrition Network