I
f there is one positive result of the spike in food prices
that occurred in 2008, it is the renewed emphasis on
agriculture and rural development in developing countries. President Obama has made fighting hunger in the
United States and around the world a top priority of his administration. He has helped to convince other wealthy nations that they have a role to play as well. At the G-8 summit
in July 2009, leaders agreed to invest $20 billion over the
next three years to increase agricultural productivity in developing countries, help farmers earn more money for the
food they grow, and improve food security.1
When countries do focus on nutrition, however, dramatic
improvements are possible. In the United States, the
importance of child nutrition became clear in the 1940s
when hundreds of thousands of military recruits were
turned down for service because they were undernourished
and in poor health.5 In response, the government introduced
programs to reduce hunger, including school breakfast
and lunch, the Food Stamp Program, and the Special
Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and
Children (WIC).6 In 2008, nearly half of all infants born
in the United States received WIC benefits, which include
nutritious food and referrals to health and social services.7
In other countries, millions of mothers and children are
now seeing rapid progress in nutrition. In Mexico, over the
last decade and a half, the Oportunidades program has been
providing pregnant women and mothers of young children
(up to age three) with cash assistance and selected nutritious
foods, on condition that the children are regularly seen by
a doctor. As a result of the program, malnutrition among
young children has dropped 17 percent.8
U.S. foreign assistance supports many activities that make
a difference for hungry children. Humanitarian assistance
helps feed children and put them on a path to good health.
Food aid programs are increasingly focused on preventing
malnutrition. U.S.-funded global health programs target key
micronutrient deficiencies, provide nutritious food to people
with HIV, and offer assistance to developing countries
interested in expanding their nutrition efforts.
Todd Post
Basic Definitions
Renewed attention to agriculture and food security must
also include maternal and child nutrition as a top development
priority. Providing good nutrition early in children’s lives
can help them grow up to be stronger, healthier adults, better
able to contribute to their households, communities, and
countries. Yet preventing and treating malnutrition currently
receives little attention, support, or investment.
The scope of malnutrition is staggering. Hundreds of
millions of young children face hunger and malnutrition
every day. Malnourished mothers are more likely to die
during childbirth or give birth to undernourished babies
who are also at increased risk of death. In 2008, nearly
9 million children died before they reached their fifth
birthday.2 One-third of early childhood deaths are the direct
or indirect result of malnutrition.3 Children who survive early
childhood malnutrition suffer irreversi