Nutrition is not only a public health problem, it is also a matter of basic human rights and a key issue in global development. Food, health and hygiene, access to water and sewerage, education, family welfare, promotion of women’s rights and social protection: all of these are necessary in the fight against malnutrition. None of them are sufficient on their own. Because nutrition needs to be tackled by way of joint efforts in a multi-sectoral approach, it has long been neglected in development policies. The persistence of high levels of malnutrition is a clear sign of the lack of access to basic human rights.
Nutrition has nevertheless become a subject of increasing attention at international level, notably in the agricultural sector where more and more initiatives with agricultural, food and nutrition-related objectives are being taken. What exactly is their role? How can agriculture improve its contribution to combating malnutrition?
