World Food Prize Laureates Call for Climate Smart Nutrition

17 October 2018, Des Moines, IA - FAO North America in partnership with the Alliance to End Hunger convened a timely side event with the 2018 World Food Prize Laureates, Dr. Lawrence Haddad and Dr. David Nabarro, on how to ensure food and nutrition security amidst rising conflict and climate variability. The event took place during the Borlaug Dialogue held annually in in Des Moines, IA around World Food Day (October 16).

“How we can feed the 9 billion that will inhabit the world is the single largest challenge that we have to face in our lifetime,” stated Ambassador Kenneth Quinn, President of the World Food Prize, in his welcoming remarks at the side event.

Vimlendra Sharan, Director of FAO North America, presented the key findings of FAO’s latest report indicating that hunger levels are on rise for the third year in row, reaching 821 million in 2017. Rev. David Beckmann, President of the Alliance to End Hunger and Bread for the World, called on the public to ensure that Zero Hunger remains a priority within the U.S. government.

World Food Prize laureates Dr. Lawrence Haddad and Dr. David Nabarro provided keynote remarks reflecting on the success of the Scaling Up Nutrition movement, which significantly reduced the number of stunted children, highlighted the importance of ensuring that governments work with different stakeholders to prioritize nutrition programs for mothers and children in their national agendas. They also emphasized the need for resilient food systems and climate smart agriculture to sustainably achieve food security targets.

“Conflict and climate have massive effects on child stunting and wasting, effects that leave a legacy on children their entire lives,” warned Dr. Haddad. Dr. Nabarro noted that nutrition, through agriculture and food systems, provides an opportunity to work towards all of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The remarks were followed by a discussion moderated by Roger Thurow, Senior Fellow on Global Food and Agriculture at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and author of The First 1,000 Days. Asma Lateef, Director of the Bread for the World Institute, closed the session with a call to work together and not in silos to “prevent hunger rather than react to it.”

Read Dr. Lawrence Haddad’s blog regarding this issue: https://bit.ly/2B2z7VN