Mapping the Terrain of the Food-Health-Environment Nexus in the Philippines: A Planetary Health Lens

Abstract

The emergence of the field of planetary health serves as a crucial wake up call to urge the people to act against the destruction of natural systems by humanity, whose consequences then significantly affect the health of the public in return. The literature on planetary health in the context of the Philippines is limited, moreso for the topic of the Food-Health-Environment (FHE) nexus. To bridge the literature gap, this study mapped the terrain of the FHE Nexus in the Philippines using a planetary health lens by formulating a narrative review and conducting a focus group discussion (FGD) for Filipino academics regarding the FHE nexus. The collated outputs were then used to formulate a conceptual framework that encapsulates the themes discussed in both the narrative review and FGD. Results indicated that most of the participants were familiar with planetary health, and only two were unfamiliar with the concept. Regarding the concept of the FHE nexus, the pattern is similar wherein most participants indicated their familiarity with the term; however, more experts expressed their unfamiliarity with this term than for planetary health. The experts also supplied various problems they are aware of in the FHE nexus in the Philippines, along with their critiques on the researchers’ proposed framework. As demonstrated by the results of the FGDs, and the overall lack of major disagreement with what the researchers presented, the prepared narrative review and proposed framework are somewhat representative of the FHE nexus in the Philippines. Combined with the inputs of the participants, the final framework is a more apt representation of the current state of the nexus in the country, with some limitations.