Context-Specific Food-Based Strategies for Improving Nutrition in Developing Countries

Abstract

Viable food approaches for achieving nutrient needs in underdeveloped countries are not well documented. The existing evidence indicates that one out of three people is facing single or multiple forms of malnutrition globally, in which the highly affected sections of the population are children and women from less developed countries. Economic losses, which result from undernutrition are between 3% and 16% of the GDP in the majority of poor countries. This problem is far bigger than what the government and donors can tackle alone. Thus, a new strategy, which is donor-independent, is required to address the problem of undernutrition in developing countries. In this chapter, we report on a food approach that is context-specific for grappling with malnutrition problems in low-income countries. The approach employs the model which encompasses public and private sectors to allow cost-sharing and productivity gains in tackling malnutrition in under-resourced countries. The model urges all stakeholders to consider consumers’ views, which are often overlooked, and properly engross them as key players.