Compact2025 regrets to share the news of the passing of Sir Fazle Hasan Abed. Sir Fazle was the founder and chairperson of BRAC, friend of IFPRI, and Leadership Council member of Compact2025. His unwavering dedication to the development community was an inspiration to us all.
Peru regulates food loss and waste nationwide
A new law entered into force regulating Peru’s food loss and waste and intending to end hunger and improve the country’s environmental footprint. The Ministry of Agriculture—who sponsored the law—and the Multi-sectoral Commission on Food and Nutrition Security are now tasked with developing guidelines for specific food loss prevention and reduction actions.
Lancet series on double burden of malnutrition
The Lancet published a four-paper series exploring how the double burden of malnutrition—the coexistence of overnutrition (overweight and obesity) alongside undernutrition (stunting and wasting) at all population levels—is affecting low- and middle-income countries. Contributors include Compact2025 Leadership Council member Gerda Verburg, Compact2025 Technical Advisory Committee member Patrizia Fracassi, and IFPRI Poverty, Health, and Nutrition Division Director Marie Ruel. In a blog post, Marie Ruel reflects on the key messages of the series and how nutrition actions can be redesigned to simultaneously tackle all forms of malnutrition.
Biofortification to help end hidden hunger
A joint brief from HarvestPlus and FAO presents the latest research evidence and implementation lessons learned on how biofortification can contribute to improved food systems and public health for all. It summarizes peer-reviewed evidence of over 16 years of information including availability, farmer adoption, consumer acceptance, nutrition and health benefits, cost-effectiveness, and answers to frequently asked questions.
Video: The need for dietary data in Ghana
A video from Intake—a Center for Dietary Assessment at FHI Solutions—describes the changing nutritional situation in Ghana, where dietary patterns are shifting towards increased consumption of “fast foods.”
Helen Keller International studies examine snack food consumption by children
Two studies from Helen Keller International examine snack food consumption and the implications for child nutrition. The first summarizes patterns in commercial snack food consumption by children in four West African countries; it finds that 26 percent of children in Niger, 32 percent in Burkina Faso, 42 percent in Mali, and 46 percent in Cote d’Ivoire ate at least one commercial snack food or beverage product in the 24 hours prior to data collection. The second study examines how nutritional quality of snacks consumed between meals relates to overall dietary adequacy and total energy intakes for young children during the complementary feeding period in Nepal.
Mapping food system sustainability around the world
A paper in Scientific Data presents the first global map of food systems sustainability based on a rigorous protocol using indicators across four dimensions: environment, social, food security and nutrition, and economic. The results present a global sustainability map covering 97 countries and 20 indicators.
Effects of supermarkets on child nutrition in Kenya
Recent research has suggested that supermarkets may contribute to rising rates of obesity in Africa, but most of these studies looked at adult populations. A study in Global Food Security examines data from urban Kenya and shows that supermarkets do not seem to be a driver of childhood obesity in this setting and instead help reduce child undernutrition and contribute to gains in child height.
Local value chain interventions for health and nutrition: the case of Malawi
An article in World Development Perspectives uses rural Malawi to apply the Value Chains and Nutrition framework to explore how local value chain interventions can be designed to advance health and nutrition goals. The results suggest that interventions will need to be carefully sequenced within and across value chains to address supply and demand constraints and that stronger collaborative ties are needed between NGOs, government agencies, and the private sector.
Do you have a climate-smart nutrition solution? Apply for Sight and Life’s elevator pitch contest
Sight and Life is inviting ideas from students, young professionals and entrepreneurs to provide a planet-friendly disruptive solution to free the world from malnutrition. Applications for the elevator pitch contest are due January 31, and finalists will be invited to present in person at the Micronutrient Forum Global Conference in Bangkok on March 24.
IFPRI and Rwanda government partner on policy analysis and capacity strengthening for rural transformation
IFPRI and the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources in Rwanda have partnered to create the new Rwanda Agricultural Policy Analysis and Capacity Development Program to accelerate the country’s sustainable development and inclusive growth. The program launched at an event on December 6 in Kigali, attended by 100 high-level government officials including Rwanda Prime Minister and Compact2025 Leadership Council member Edouard Ngirente, development partners, key stakeholders, and the media.
National Nutrition Conference in Ethiopia
The Ethiopian National Nutrition Conference took place in Addis Ababa on December 12. It brought together over 150 delegates from different sectors, including policy makers, academia, development partners, NGOs and private sector, to discuss evidence around two key elements of the National Food and Nutrition Policy: Improving consumption and utilization of diverse and nutritious diets; and improving access to nutrition-smart services. Learn more and view the conference presentations here.
