malnutrition

Question of the threat of malnutrition in Sub-Saharan and South Asian countries  12th April, 2009

Malnutrition is a global issue that every nation needs to take an immediate action to. According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, Sixth Edition, malnutrition is defined as “a poor condition of health caused by a lack of food or a lack of the right type of food.” One out of every three children under the age of five is suffering from malnutrition. It is simply irresponsible and incomprehensible to be acknowledged that children, women and men are constantly dying everyday just because they do not have access to safe and secure food with low-protein and calories. Sub-Sahara African nations and South Asian countries are the ones that are affected the most severely across the globe. They are developing nations which lack investments in health care and agricultural technologies, and suffer even more due to current rising of food prices. On top of that, Sub-Saharan nations are affected from desertification and dehydration, which cause detrimental impact on agricultural production, while South Asian nations, notably India, is affected by lost control of increase of population growth, which in turn decreases the availability of food which raises food price.
 * Abstract:**

([]) **Summary:** This article briefly informs the readers about what must be done to mitigate this long-term crisis. It is written that the more economically developed countries (MEDC) should take the problem of malnutrition seriously, as World Bank and the United Nations are insisting for a “new deal” for food. This is because one solution will not solve the problem of malnutrition, as there are some support given but actually have caused a greater damage in perspective of long-term results. It is suggested that the World Food Programme (WFP) should be funded extra 700 million U.S. dollars to distribute enough food aid in areas such as West Africa and Bangladesh, where rising cost of grain prevents numerous families with average of one dollar a day to survive, from purchasing agricultural products for or to make meals. For another suggestion, the government of the developing nations should provide basic technology and science that helps produce large yields for agricultural seeds. It is said that the proper way to sustainably provide food for all people is not to use up more land for cultivation, but to increase yields. Therefore, it recommends that foreign rich nations should also help support these developing countries as science is crucial to their survival.
 * “The silent tsunami,” The Economist, April 17th 2008,-**

Although these suggestions are ambitious, there are several flaws that would make it unfeasible. First, about the first suggestion that the article made, WFP usually distributes food aid in the form of grain and other agricultural crops. Therefore, this will negatively affect the local poor farmers who produce the similar crops. This will further cause an upshot of civil strife from the poor farmers that will face even more hardship from rising of crop and food prices, when their crops are not being sold. Secondly, regarding the second suggestion, as outlined in the article numerous nations in European Union (EU) do not render the use of genetic modification. I believe that genetic modification is also a harmful method of increasing yields. This is because if the scientists are striving to increase the amount of vitamin A, for example, then other nutrients such as vitamin B could decrease in return, which could cause malnutrition-borne diseases such as rickets. This could cause further malnutrition from not enough intake of a balanced diet. Therefore, because of this possibility of having imbalanced nutrition within genetically modified crops, many European nations have distrust in this method. There is other way to increase yields that does not include genetic modification. From my personal research, I believe that by using the natural technology of selective breeding, we can not only increase yields, but also promote seeds of staple agricultural crops such as wheat and rice that is resistant to various disease and pests, sustainable in harsh environments, especially the Sub-Saharan and South Asian regions, able to mature in a faster rate, and rich in micronutrients. This can be done by breeding with selected crops that has above characteristics. Although this may take some time, but will take no more than five years if constant research is done. Regarding my suggestion of bred crop that has characteristic that is resistant to pests, I have recommended that because I am strongly against the usage of chemical pesticides which contributes considerably to the human cancer and other various fatal diseases. Besides this suggestion, the usage of organic pesticides and other innovative biotechnologies is encouraged. However, a sustainable farming cannot happen without constant water supply to farming regions, especially in drought and desertified regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa, and there needs to be measures taken with the help from United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) by implementing such measures such as water resource management and improved irrigation. As a whole, this problem cannot be solved just from short-term aids and support such as WFP distributing food aid. I believe that there must be concrete, detailed, effective and feasible mechanisms, as well as long-term programs to implement bottom-up approach to promote many proactive developing nations rather than dependent nations, and short-term programs to mitigate the current staggering effects, in order to combat numerous causes of malnutrition faced by the global community, especially focusing on Sub-Saharan and South Asian regions, which are two most extremely affected parts of the world by the malnutrition.
 * Analysis:**

Next update: April 13th, 2009

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 * “Malnutriton and health in developing countries,” Canadian Medical Association, August 2, 2005-**

(source attained from the same page)  **Summary: ** This website informed us that the World Health Organization (WHO) shown its effectiveness through the 10-step scheme as outlined and proven in Table 3 above. However, it is stated that “the necessity of transfusions must take into account the risk of patients that are close to cardiac failure”. It is said that WHO is currently making changes to its protocol to outline three difficulties which are - The specific nutritional problems of children with HIV infection or AIDS - Different dietary regimens, particularly for infants younger than 6 months - The limited availability of potassium-magnesium-zinc-copper preparations.

The WHO-supported Integrated Management of Childhood Illness initiative has been recently shown, according to the webpage, to be very effective towards relieving this issue. This strategy dealt with promoting breast-feeding, improving the water supply and sanitation, and educating the people about basic hygiene, taking into account that these will mitigate the threat of infectious diseases that could be a cause of protein-energy malnutrition.

In 2000, during the United Nations Millennium Summit, 147 nations have adopted 8 development goals, 7 of which would directly or indirectly help in extensive mitigation of malnutrition in developing nations, while one deals specifically about “reducing extreme poverty and hunger by the year 2015 by half relative to 1990 figures.”

([]) **Summary:**
 * “Role of microcredit in the eradication of poverty,” General Assembly Report of the Secretary General, August 10, 1998-**

This website tells us how United Nations have contributed to mitigating malnutrition through implementing micro-credit lending schemes in developing nations. By eradicating poverty, they believed that it will eradicate malnutrition as well. 1. United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) cooperated with the Development Employment Fund of Jordan, to organize “stimulation exercises and learning laboratories development camp” at Amman from 6 to 11 of December 1997. Main purpose was to reinforce trainers’ skills in adapting new technology and existing training materials, and to make them able to invent new materials to meet the needs of many people in urban and rural areas, especially the poor, taking development of microbusinesses in to account. 2. United Nations Capital Development Fund was supported by the Special Unit for Microfinance, created in 1997. The Unit was launched to formulate exercise and projects in Haiti, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania and Mozambique, and the Palestinian territories. They also helped re-engineer the regional microfinance project with the West African Development Bank. //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">**Food and Nutrition** //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">**, Time-life books, 1980, Second Edition** This book told us the cause and effect of malnutrition. Specific details about what United Nations tried to do to mitigate this issue in the 1970s were outlined in this book. One major example is how United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) had distributed food in 18 countries in 1977.
 * Summary:**


 * Analysis and conclusion:**

From 1977, United Nations have contributed to mitigate malnutrition by distributing food aid to areas of such lost integrity. However, nowadays this caused several problems. When these United Nations and Non-governmental Organizations do not have enough finance to provide food aid, they cannot conduct this method. Therefore, many other feasible methods have been produced starting from the 21st century. Although food aid is still given to areas of extreme cases, but many other methods, such as micro-credit lending schemes, can help the developing countries to be independent, by having people make their economy, while receiving food aid constantly will only make developing nations dependent upon rich nations and UN organizations. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">However, I believe that one of the most crucial solutions is to promote free trade between nations, such as using world wide trade specialization based on countries’ production strengths. World Trade Organization (WTO) has worked hard to try similar method([|www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/tpr_e/tp265_e.htm] ), but many times they have failed. However, slowly breaking down the trade barriers and protectionism, will lead to liberation from corrupt governments, and that is when we can start implementing micro-credit loaning schemes in the country, where nationalized banks of the country will play major role in providing minimal capital requirements so that people can set up their own economy and enhance the economy of the nation as a whole.

Also, deficiency of education in the developing countries is perhaps the most crucial issue that we have to tackle foremost hand. United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have tried to provide primary education in developing nations ([|www.unicef.org/mdg/education]), and this resulted in empowerment of women and boost of the economy as a whole. Lack of awareness of what nutritional value or what other possible potential an agricultural crop accessible to the farmers has is what causes farmers reliant on farming common crops, while other various potential crops are available that they are not aware of. Moreover, in health facilities we can easily teach the patients how to observe precursors and symptoms of malnutrition. World Health Organization was very successful in meeting this as outlined in the above first website in the second entry in the journal. For suggestion, these issues can be solved by a public education programs, seminars, health centers as well as dissemination of mass media, pamphlets and flyers.

It is the United Nations’ responsibility as leaders of the world to saving these children with eyes of hope and helplessness, and in order to reach these policies stated above, all nations, rich or poor, would need to cooperate and work together to solve this important international issue. By doing so, we will once and for all eradicate malnutrition from the face of Sub-Saharan and South Asian regions and more, for the good and prosperity of the whole world.