Global acute child malnutrition (GAM) is a severe public health problem affecting nearly 50 million children under the age of five. In the Sahel belt and the Horn region, GAM has surpassed the emergency threshold (15% GAM) for the last three decades, despite investment by government, humanitarian, and development actors. The result is persistent GAM.
The challenge of persistent acute malnutrition and the growing scale and complexity of humanitarian crises, necessitates a more comprehensive and collaborative understanding of the nature of the problem and innovative approaches to address it. For the last five years the FAO, in collaboration with Tufts University and Washington State University, UNICEF and other UN agencies and partners, supported by USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), has sought to better understand and act on the drivers of the problem.
This webinar will present the results of the Livestock for Health Research project in the arid and semi-arid areas of Kenya and discuss the role of food systems in preventing wasting in drylands.
SPEAKERS
Prof. Helen Young, Research Director, Tufts University Feinstein International Center
Dr Thumbi Mwangi, Associate Professor, Paul G Allen School for Global Health, Washington State University
Ms Patrizia Fracassi, Senior Nutrition and Food Systems Officer, Food and Nutrition Division, FAO
Dr Simone Moraes Raszl, Scientist, Multisectoral Action in Food Systems, Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, WHO
Speakers to be confirmed: UNICEF Kenya, Minister of Health of Kenya, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Co-operatives of Kenya
Moderator: Mr Dominique Burgeon, Director, FAO Liaison Office in Geneva
more information soon