Why nutrition is foundational to development
Good nutrition is critical at the start of life from conception and during pregnancy. It paves the way for greater equality, and prosperity making nutrition foundational to development.
This is the case made in the short brief Why Nutrition is Foundational to Development, which the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition and United Against Malnutrition and Hunger (UAMH) have published to help inform UK Parliamentarians.
This brief is timely. Poor nutrition has geopolitical significance; hunger and malnutrition contribute to social unrest and conflict and can drive outward migration. The substantial investment in development finance made in previous decades by the UK and its international partners contributed substantially to a decline in global hunger. However, this latter trend has now reversed. Today 1 in 11 people or 783 million of the world’s citizens face hunger, affecting people’s lives and earning potential.
Global malnutrition and hunger perpetuate inequality as deprivation of good nutrition impairs mental and physical development in childhood and productivity in later life. Yet malnutrition is treatable with cost-effective and simple interventions, and preventable with long-term action to address its root causes, such as poverty, inequality, and climate change. This brief explains the role of good nutrition in early childhood development, health, gender, educational attainment, and the prevention of conflict.
Despite its importance in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), support for nutrition remains underfunded in many parts of the world. Today, malnutrition receives less than 1% of Official Development Assistance (ODA) globally. There is a real opportunity for the UK Government to show leadership and put nutrition at the heart of its development programmes.
The brief offers specific recommendations to support better nutrition in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). These include integrating nutrition services within national health systems; breaking the cycle between food systems and environmental degradation; prioritising the nutrition of women and girls; and increasing financing for long-term nutrition programmes to build resilience.
