Nutrition

Among children under the age of five around the world, 161 million are stunted, 51 million are wasted, and 42 million are obese, according to the 2015 Global Nutrition Report released today by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in Washington, DC. The report illustrates that malnutrition takes many forms and affects every country on earth. Whereas some solutions for reducing malnutrition are promising, it does not take the same form nor demand the same policy solutions in every country or context.

The G7 Summit closed this afternoon in Krün, Germany, and the leaders announced their commitment to continue and build upon a wide range of interventions for food security and nutrition. As part of a broad effort involving partner countries and international actors, the G7 aims to lift 500 million people in developing countries out of hunger and malnutrition by 2030.

Child migration from Central America to the US can be attributed to different socioeconomic factors depending on the point of origin, demanding tailored multisectoral domestic solutions.

The food security and nutrition situation in middle income countries is one of seven food policy issues examined in this year’s Global Food Policy Report, an annual IFPRI flagship publication that examines major food, agriculture, and nutrition developments and trends with a view toward reducing poverty around the globe.

Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, and Mexico may be rising economic powerhouses, but these five fast-growing, middle income countries are still home to nearly half of the world’s hungry, or 363 million people.

On August 14, IFPRI and the Indaba Agricultural Policy Research Institute (IAPRI) held a Policy Forum on food and nutrition security in Zambia. The meeting was attended by 66 representatives of various international organizations and government ministries, including the Zambian Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock and the European Union.