Briefing Papers Number 22, September 2013

Other nutrition indicators include those on the following list, which were endorsed by the 2012 World Health Assembly. The targets can be achieved if proven interventions are scaled up: Agriculture-Led Growth While economic growth has played an important role in reducing global poverty in the last • 50 percent reduction in anemia among women of reproductive age two decades, evidence suggests that economic • 30 percent reduction in low birth weight births growth alone is not sufficient to sustain the prog• No increase in childhood overweight ress made in reducing hunger and malnutrition. • At least 50 percent of babies are exclusively breastfed for the first six months In fact, rural hunger and poverty cannot be • Reduction in childhood wasting to less than 5 percent reduced by relying entirely on economic growth in urban areas. For example, rural poverty declined rapidly in In the end, stunting is a tragedy for individuals and families East and Southeast Asia between 1993 and 2002. More than that also impedes a nation’s ability to develop economically.10 80 percent of the decline was attributable to better conditions Among potential indicators of malnutrition, childhood in rural areas, where agriculture was a source of livelihood stunting has proven to be the most powerful, based on its for 86 percent of the population,12 rather than to migration ability to capture inequity; reveal chronic problems of poor to cities. On the other hand, in sub-Saharan Africa, which health, diet, and child-rearing practices; and focus on the has been experiencing strong economic growth for the past period when the effects of malnutrition are largely irrevers- decade, the number of hungry people is actually increasing ible (the 1,000 Days from pregnancy through age 2). at an alarming rate. The post-2015, post-MDG agenda should include an The 2007-2008 food price crisis was a wake-up call for ambitious but achievable goal. In 2012, the World Health the international community, reigniting the discussion of Assembly (WHA)11 endorsed a set of nutrition targets, the need for a much greater focus on agricultural developincluding a goal of reducing the number of stunted chil- ment. In July 2009, Group of 8 (G-8) leaders representing dren by 40 percent by 2025. This will require a reduction in eight developed economies gathered in L’Aquila, Italy, where stunting of nearly 4 percent each year. This rate of progress a U.S. proposal to invest significantly more resources in has proven to be achievable by countries that have made sig- agriculture won support from other donors. In what became nificant nutrition investments as well as nutrition-sensitive known as the L’Aquila Food Security Initiative, G-8 members investments in agriculture, health, and sanitation. Country- committed to providing $22 billion in financing for agriculspecific targets for progress will be required to achieve the ture and food security over three years. More than four years global stunting goal. The SUN Movement is supporting into the L’Aquila initiative, the United States has fulfilled SUN countries in developing and implementing country- its pledge of $3.5 billion, but other donors are falling short. The primary U.S. contribution is the Feed the Future initiaspecific strategies. tive, which seeks to support countries in establishing a Figure 2 Countries with the Highest Burden of Malnutrition complete agriculture value chain. The evidence is clear that agriculture-led growth is far more effective in reducing hunger and poverty than Afghanistan Pakistan growth driven by other secIraq Chad Nepal Bangladesh Egypt tors.13 Today, more than half Niger Myanmar Sudan Burkina Faso of the world’s 870 million Vietnam India Yemen Mali hungry and malnourished Philippines Ethiopia Nepal Guatemala Côte d’Ivoire people live in rural areas Kenya Ghana Uganda Rwanda and depend on agriculture Nigeria DR Congo Cameroon Indonesia Tanzania for their livelihoods.14 Yet it Angola Madagascar took the crisis of 2007-2008, Zambia Malawi which drove more than 100 Mozambique South Africa million additional people I High Burden Countries into poverty, to galvanize I Other Countries national governments and These 34 countries account for 90% of the global burden of malnutrition. Source: The Lancet, 2013. their development partners 4 Briefing Paper, September 2013

Briefing Papers Number 22, September 2013 | Page 4