Nutrition
Can the agricultural development community end hunger differently?
The global community is not on track to end hunger and all forms of malnutrition by 2030. Hunger remains a major problem in low- and lower-middle-income countries, affecting an estimated 673 million people. Other forms of malnutrition are either skyrocketing (e.g. overweight) or stagnating (e.g. micronutrient malnutrition).
Much of the global effort to date has focused on quantity rather than quality. The increase in the availability of wheat, maize, and rice has been seen as a key pathway to reducing caloric hunger. Yet, the effect of addressing hunger only through calories has contributed to colossal health problems with malnutrition emerging as a major crisis affecting one in three people worldwide. The negative environmental impacts generated from the way food is currently produced is also exacerbating climate change, biodiversity loss, and soil degradation.
Our new report focused on nutrition identifies identifies ten high-impact nutrition interventions for agriculture and food systems – from production to markets and consumption – to improve diet quality and contribute to ending hunger and all forms of malnutrition.
Can the agricultural development community end hunger differently? Ten high-impact nutrition-sensitive interventions for agrifood systems.
The 10 nutrition-sensitive interventions for agrifood systems identified are based on 1,732 individual studies across 83 countries and drawn from 52 high-quality systematic reviews and meta-analyses published over the past 20 years.
The evidence synthesis yielded 116 studies included in the overall review.
This project ws undertaken by researchers from the Shamba Centre for Food & Climate, the JUNO Evidence Alliance and the FAO.