NAIROBI, Kenya Sep 18 – In the fight against climate change, one of the most effective strategies might not be what you expect: investing in nutrition.
According to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Goalkeepers report 2024 released this week, malnutrition hampers progress in tackling a wide range of global challenges, and addressing it could unlock solutions for many of the world’s most pressing issues.
“Malnutrition makes every forward step our species wants to take heavier and harder,” writes Bill Gates in the report. “But the inverse is also true. If we solve malnutrition, we make it easier to solve every other problem. We solve extreme poverty, vaccines become more effective, and deadly diseases like malaria and pneumonia become far less fatal.”
Climate Change and Malnutrition
The eighth annual Goalkeepers report, titled “A Race to Nourish a Warming World,” warns that without immediate global action, climate change will lead to severe increases in child malnutrition. By 2050, an additional 40 million children are projected to suffer from stunting, while 28 million more could face wasting.
Stunting and wasting are the most severe forms of chronic and acute malnutrition, with stunting affecting 148 million children worldwide and wasting impacting 45 million, as estimated by the World Health Organization. These conditions prevent children from reaching their full physical and cognitive potential, putting them at higher risk of developmental delays and even death.
© UNICEF/UNI419516/Aina
Despite these escalating challenges, the report highlights a troubling trend: the share of foreign aid directed to Africa, the region most affected by malnutrition, has plummeted from 40% in 2010 to just 25% in 2023. This decline leaves millions of children at risk and threatens the progress made in global health across Africa between 2000 and 2020.
Gates’ Call for Global Health Funding
In the face of this crisis, Gates calls for increased global health spending, emphasizing the importance of addressing malnutrition in the fight against climate change. He advocates for the immediate scaling up of solutions, such as the Child Nutrition Fund, a new platform coordinating donor financing for child nutrition. Gates also urges continued support for institutions like Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.
“Today, the world is contending with more challenges than at any point in my adult life: inflation, debt, new wars. Unfortunately, aid isn’t keeping pace with these needs, particularly in the places that need it the most,” Gates writes.
Economic and Health Benefits
The report also highlights the catastrophic economic costs of malnutrition, which costs an estimated $3 trillion in productivity loss annually, according to the World Bank. In low-income countries, this can represent 3% to 16% of GDP, the equivalent of a permanent global recession.
More from the Goalkeeper’s Report 2024: https://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2024/09/gates-foundation-report-calls-for-targeted-global-health-spending-to-save-millions-of-children-from-malnutrition-and-disease/
However, the report is optimistic about the solutions already available. Proven tools include new agricultural technologies that boost milk production and fortified pantry staples like salt and bouillon cubes that can reduce anaemia and prevent deadly neural tube defects. Additionally, the adoption of multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) for pregnant women could save nearly half a million lives by 2040 and improve birth outcomes for 25 million babies.
Stories from the Frontlines
The report features inspiring stories from people in various countries, showcasing the profound impact that nutrition-focused interventions can have on communities:
India: Sushama Das’ Dairy Revolution
In the state of Odisha, India, dairy farmer Sushama Das shares how participating in the Livestock Enhancement and Advancement Programme has transformed her family’s livelihood. “Today, we have eight cows, and they are producing 60 litres of milk every day,” she says.
“The subsidies and training schemes have helped our family earn more money—our monthly income is now five times as much as it used to be.” With this increase in income, Das has been able to improve her family’s quality of life and invest in her children’s education, proving that better nutrition and economic development go hand-in-hand.
Kenya: Coletta Kemboi’s Clean Milk Success
In Maili Nne, Kenya, dairy farmer Coletta Kemboi recounts how a MoreMilk training program has dramatically improved her milk production and safety.
“Before, there were some traces of unclean milk, but since I went through the training, inspectors have tested our milk three times, and the results have been proof that our milk is good,” she explains.
“The extra money we are earning goes to the farm…We are able to pay my three children’s school fees.” Kemboi’s success story illustrates how improved nutrition and food safety can boost economic growth and lead to better opportunities for future generations.
Nigeria: Bouillon Fortification in Action
In Nigeria, the large-scale fortification of bouillon cubes with essential nutrients like iron, folic acid, zinc, and vitamin B12 is spearheading efforts to combat anaemia and prevent neural tube defects.
Ladidi Bako-Aiyegbusi, the director of nutrition at Nigeria’s Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, has been at the forefront of this initiative.
She highlights the importance of nutrition: “Without access to the essential nutrients that children under 5 years need to grow, thrive, and lead healthy lives, they are being robbed of their future.”
The fortification project aims to prevent 16.6 million cases of anaemia and avert thousands of deaths from preventable conditions, providing a powerful example of how simple interventions can save lives.
Rwanda: Saving Lives with Prenatal Vitamins
In Rwanda, efforts to provide multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) to pregnant women have already reached over 50,000 women in regions with the highest rates of stunting.
Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana, Rwanda’s Minister of Health, explains that prenatal vitamins are life-saving and should be accessible to all: “Prenatal vitamins save lives. That’s why you can find them on grocery store shelves in wealthy nations. But for women in low- and middle-income countries, like Rwanda, they are at once more essential and harder to find.”
By scaling up access to MMS, Rwanda aims to improve birth outcomes and drastically reduce stunting rates across the country.
Ethiopia: The Power of Fortified Salt
In Ethiopia, the introduction of a new process to fortify salt with iodine and folic acid is having a major impact on reducing anaemia and neural tube defects.
The Goalkeepers report projects a 4% reduction in anaemia and the potential elimination of up to 75% of all deaths and stillbirths caused by neural tube defects. This simple, yet effective intervention demonstrates how nutrition can address public health crises at scale and offer a brighter future for millions of children.
The Goalkeepers report makes it clear that addressing malnutrition is not only vital to improving global health but is also an essential strategy in the fight against climate change.
Bill Gates emphasizes the importance of acting now to mitigate the worst impacts of both crises. “If we do these three things—maintain global health funding, support child nutrition efforts, and fully fund proven institutions—we won’t just usher in a new global health boom and save millions of lives,” Gates writes. “We’ll also prove that humanity can still rise to meet our greatest challenges.”
Source: capitalfm
