Hidden Hunger

Hidden Hunger PDF Author: Aya Hirata Kimura
Publisher: Cornell University Press
ISBN: 0801467683
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 241

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Book Description
For decades, NGOs targeting world hunger focused on ensuring that adequate quantities of food were being sent to those in need. In the 1990s, the international food policy community turned its focus to the "hidden hunger" of micronutrient deficiencies, a problem that resulted in two scientific solutions: fortification, the addition of nutrients to processed foods, and biofortification, the modification of crops to produce more nutritious yields. This hidden hunger was presented as a scientific problem to be solved by "experts" and scientifically engineered smart foods rather than through local knowledge, which was deemed unscientific and, hence, irrelevant.In Hidden Hunger, Aya Hirata Kimura explores this recent emphasis on micronutrients and smart foods within the international development community and, in particular, how the voices of women were silenced despite their expertise in food purchasing and preparation. Kimura grounds her analysis in case studies of attempts to enrich and market three basic foods—rice, wheat flour, and baby food—in Indonesia. She shows the power of nutritionism and how its technical focus enhanced the power of corporations as a government partner while restricting public participation in the making of policy for public health and food. She also analyzes the role of advertising to promote fortified foodstuffs and traces the history of Golden Rice, a crop genetically engineered to alleviate vitamin A deficiencies. Situating the recent turn to smart food in Indonesia and elsewhere as part of a long history of technical attempts to solve the Third World food problem, Kimura deftly analyzes the intersection of scientific expertise, market forces, and gendered knowledge to illuminate how hidden hunger ultimately defined women as victims rather than as active agents.

Prevention of Micronutrient Deficiencies

Prevention of Micronutrient Deficiencies PDF Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 030906029X
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 222

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Book Description
Micronutrient malnutrition affects approximately 2 billion people worldwide. The adverse effects of micronutrient deficiencies are profound and include premature death, poor health, blindness, growth stunting, mental retardation, learning disabilities, and low work capacity. Preventing Micronutrient Deficiencies provides a conceptual framework based on past experience that will allow funders to tailor programs to existing regional/country capabilities and to incorporate within these programs the capacity to address multiple strategies (i.e., supplementation/fortification/food-based approaches/public health measures) and multiple micronutrient deficiencies. The book does not offer recommendations on how to alleviate specific micronutrient deficienciesâ€"such recommendations are already available through the publications of diverse organizations, including the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Micronutrient Initiative, World Bank, United Nations Childrens' Fund, and the World Health Organization. Instead, this volume examines key elements in the design and implementation of micronutrient interventions, including such issues as: The importance of iron, vitamin A, and iodine to health. Populations at risk for micronutrient deficiency. Options for successful interventions and their cost. The feasibility of involving societal sectors in the planning and implementation of interventions. Characteristics of successful interventions. The book also contains three in-depth background papers that address the prevention of deficiencies of iron, vitamin A, and iodine.

2014 Global Hunger Index

2014 Global Hunger Index PDF Author: Saltzman, Amy
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN: 0896299589
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 56

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Book Description
With one more year before the 2015 deadline for achieving the Millennium Development Goals, the 2014 Global Hunger Index report offers a multifaceted overview of global hunger that brings new insights to the global debate on where to focus efforts in the fight against hunger and malnutrition. The state of hunger in developing countries as a group has improved since 1990, falling by 39 percent, according to the 2014 GHI. Despite progress made, the level of hunger in the world is still “serious,” with 805 million people continuing to go hungry, according to estimates by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The global average obscures dramatic differences across regions and countries. Regionally, the highest GHI scores—and therefore the highest hunger levels—are in Africa south of the Sahara and South Asia, which have also experienced the greatest absolute improvements since 2005. South Asia saw the steepest absolute decline in GHI scores since 1990. Progress in addressing child underweight was the main factor behind the improved GHI score for the region since 1990.

Truth

Truth PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 1632

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Book Description


Food Security in Nutrient-Stressed Environments: Exploiting Plants’ Genetic Capabilities

Food Security in Nutrient-Stressed Environments: Exploiting Plants’ Genetic Capabilities PDF Author: J.J. Adu-Gyamfi
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 940171570X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 333

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Book Description
Ultimate success in exploiting the genetic capabilities of plants to grow in nutrient-stressed environments of the semi-arid tropics (SAT) requires a holistic view of food systems to ensure that genetic selections for improved yields on nutrient-poor soils will actually be adopted by farmers. This book sets out to address the important issue of how physiological mechanisms of nutrient uptake can best be combined with genetic options to improve the adaptation of crops to low-nutrient availability, thereby enhancing productivity of nutrient poor soils in the semi-arid tropics. The book examines (i) the sustainability of breeding for low-nutrient environments from the viewpoint of three interrelated disciplines; physiology, breeding, and socio-economics, (ii) candidate mechanisms and physiological traits to enhance uptake and utilization efficiencies, (iii) genetic approaches for manipulation of crop plants to enhance root exudation and access nutrients in the rhizosphere, and (iv) field practices and farmers' preferences for crop varieties grown in low-nutrient environments. Finally, the role of modelling in improving nutrient efficiency in cropping systems, recommendations for future research needs and strategies were highlighted. Attended by 50 international participants, this book is the outcome of the workshop held at ICRISAT-India during 27-30 September 1999 to mark the culmination of the Government of Japan/ICRISAT Project.

International Public Health: Diseases, Programs, Systems and Policies

International Public Health: Diseases, Programs, Systems and Policies PDF Author: Michael Merson
Publisher: Jones & Bartlett Learning
ISBN: 0763729671
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 755

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Book Description
In this text for graduate students in various disciplines who are studying international public health, the author focuses on conditions in low- and middle-income countries, occasionally making reference to high-income countries. He suggests approaches for fostering public health, and discusses future challenges for health promotion and disease prevention around the world. The text can also be used as a reference by those working in government agencies, international health and development agencies, and NGOs.

AoA Reports

AoA Reports PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Older people
Languages : en
Pages : 36

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Book Description


Enriching Lives

Enriching Lives PDF Author:
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 9780821329870
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 100

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Book Description
Vitamin and mineral (micronutrient) deficiencies impose high economic costs on virtually every developing country. But programs for alleviating these deficiencies are among the most cost-effective of all health programs—with high rates of return in terms of human resources. 'World Development Report 1993: Investing in Health' highlighted both needs and opportunities in this area.This report provides detailed arguments for addressing micronutrient malnutrition and practical advice drawn from program experience. The book suggests three main strategies: • Educate consumers so that they fully appreciate and understand the importance of micronutrients in their diet • Encourage the fortification of foodstuffs by combining market incentives and regulatory enforcement • Distribute, as a last resort, micronutrient capsules and other supplements, using all public and private channels available. World Bank-assisted projects in 30 countries now have micronutrient components. This number could grow, but the effort will require stronger partnerships with nongovernmental organizations, private industry, and international organizations.

Improving Crop Productivity in Sustainable Agriculture

Improving Crop Productivity in Sustainable Agriculture PDF Author: Narendra Tuteja
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 3527665196
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 770

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Book Description
An up-to-date overview of current progress in improving crop quality and quantity using modern methods. With a particular emphasis on genetic engineering, this text focusses on crop improvement under adverse conditions, paying special attention to such staple crops as rice, maize, and pulses. It includes an excellent mix of specific examples, such as the creation of nutritionally-fortified rice and a discussion of the political and economic implications of genetically engineered food. The result is a must-have hands-on guide, ideally suited for the biotech and agro industries.

Therapeutic Uses of Trace Elements

Therapeutic Uses of Trace Elements PDF Author: Jean Nève
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1489901671
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 429

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Book Description
Organized by the French Speaking Society for Study and Research on Essential Trace Elements (SFERETE), the Fifth International Congress on Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology "Therapeutic Uses of Trace Elements" was held February 4-7. 1996, in Meribel (Savoy, France). This resort is situated in the heart of the Three Valleys domain, at the gate way of the beautiful Vanoise National Park. More than 250 participants covering six conti nents attended the meeting. This volume contains the text of plenary lectures and of several oral and poster communications. Trace element deficiencies are not only encountered in developing countries or during malnutrition. Subclinical features are also observed in developed societies where they consti tute a background for an impressive number of pathological states. Preventive and curative treatments with commercial products are often prescribed without reliable studies about their clinical interest or potential efficiency. By contrast empirical approaches such as the catalytic therapy, nutritional and pharmacological aspects of trace elements were emphasized on a sci entific basis to favor their rational therapeutic use.

Anemia

Anemia PDF Author: Donald Silverberg
Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand
ISBN: 9535101382
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 483

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Book Description
This book provides an up- to- date summary of many advances in our understanding of anemia, including its causes and pathogenesis, methods of diagnosis, and the morbidity and mortality associated with it. Special attention is paid to the anemia of chronic disease. Nutritional causes of anemia, especially in developing countries, are discussed. Also presented are anemias related to pregnancy, the fetus and the newborn infant. Two common infections that cause anemia in developing countries, malaria and trypanosomiasis are discussed. The genetic diseases sickle cell disease and thalassemia are reviewed as are Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria, Fanconi anemia and some anemias caused by toxins. Thus this book provides a wide coverage of anemia which should be useful to those involved in many fields of anemia from basic researchers to epidemiologists to clinical practitioners.