Our Common Interest: Ending Hunger and Malnutrition

2011 is a time of opportunity to achieve lasting progress against global hunger and malnutrition. For the United States, it is a time of renewing our commitment to this objective and strengthening partnerships with countries that are eager to work together in this common interest.

The dramatic surge in global hunger as a result of a spike in food prices in 2007-2008 galvanized support in both rich and poor countries for raising agricultural investments to the top of their development priorities. It also brought into focus the long-term consequences of hunger, especially for the youngest children. During the 1,000 days from conception to the second birthday, the consequences of malnutrition are irreversible.

Malnutrition and hunger are one and the same in the U.N. Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Progress toward MDG 1, eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, is measured by reductions in the number of underweight children. In 2008, the distinguished medical journal The Lancet attracted international attention with a series of articles on maternal and child malnutrition—in particular finding that a third of all early childhood deaths are the result of malnutrition. Nutrition is important in meeting all of the MDGs.

The foods consumed by poor people are predominantly staple grains like rice, sorghum, and maize. These are cheap and fill the stomach to quell hunger pains. But people, especially children, need more than cereals to live a healthy life. Good health depends on dietary diversity: protein from animal products, groundnuts and legumes, and the vitamins and minerals in fruits and vegetables.

Increases in international funding for agriculture present an opportunity to develop stronger linkages between food security and nutrition. Historically, agricultural programs have rarely focused on improving nutritional outcomes. One exception is a U.S.-funded program implemented by Helen Keller International (HKI) in Bangladesh from 1993-2003. The program provided seeds and technical assistance to families to plant homestead gardens with nutrient-rich vegetables.

Child malnutrition rates in Bangladesh are among the highest in the world. A poor family’s diet consists of rice and little else. When the program started, Vitamin A deficiency was causing 30,000 Bangladeshi children to go blind every year. HKI reported that children in households participating in the homestead garden program consumed significantly more nutrient-rich foods. Moreover, the households earned on average an additional $8 per month by selling their surplus, and studies showed that families used this extra income to purchase additional healthy foods not grown in the gardens, such as legumes and animal products.