South Asian nations are facing challenges in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to ending hunger, improving nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture. Malnutrition is described as the greatest form of violence and a weapon of mass destruction. Shakeb Nabi, Country Director of Nepal of Welt Hunger Hilfe (WHH) says, “Two millions people die around a year globally of hunger i.e. 5,500 people per day die of hunger.”

The regional consultation meeting on “Promoting Nutrition sensitive Agriculture for improving Nutrition security and Health of Smallholders in South Asia” was held for a two-day period on 12-13 July 2023 in Kathmandu, with the goal of addressing malnutrition and food security as well as identifying major Nutritional Sensitive Approaches (NSA) in South Asia. 

The event, organized by the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and Welt Hunger Hilfe (WHH), brought together stakeholders from the food and agriculture industries, government representatives, and experts in the field to discuss nutrition-sensitive approaches in the region.

Dr Tamanna Ferdous, the Regional Nutritional Advisor, emphasized the need for a multi-sectoral approach to combat child malnutrition in South Asia. She provided alarming statistics on global hunger and malnutrition, highlighting the insufficient consumption of necessary food groups by children in South Asia. “According to the Global Hunger Index research, world hunger is increasing and most children in South Asia do not consume enough of the necessary food groups,” she said that over 7m individuals experience regular hunger, and 2 out of 3 women who are of reproductive age have at least a micronutrient deficiency worldwide. Globally, 50m  children are wasted, 150m children are stunted, and 30 percent of women of childbearing age have an iron deficiency. 

Bedu Ram Bhusal, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Development, attended the event as a special guest. Stephan Russek, Head of Development Corporation and Economics at the German Embassy, emphasized the importance of collaborative efforts and a multi-sector approach.

Minister Bhusal said that we should focus on indigenous crops to minimize hunger and malnutrition issues.

During the event, country representatives presented papers on the nutrition situation in their respective nations. Issues such as poor meal diversity, lack of micronutrients, improper cooking techniques, and increased marketing of unhealthy food were discussed. Progress reports showed improvements in reducing underweight, child wasting, and anemia in Nepal. However, challenges such as poor policy implementation, lack of coordination among stakeholders, unregulated pesticide use, and pre- and post-harvest losses still hinder Nepal’s nutrition-sensitive approaches.

Sujan Dhungel, senior monitoring and evaluation officer, presented a progress report on the state of anemia, stunting, and wasting. Within a five-year period, the prevalence of underweight decreased from 48 to 19 percent, child wasting decreased from 11.3 to eight percent, while anemia among children under the age of five decreased from 53 to 43 percent. 

Sachin Jain, Secretary Bikash Samiti of Madhya Pradesh in India, highlighted the significance of nutrition-sensitive micro planning and community engagement. He emphasized the importance of equal participation, prioritization, implementation, and continuity in the community. Project Coordinator of WHH Nepal, Deependra Chaudhary, shared insights on a behavioral change approach to address malnutrition, specifically discussing a successful 15-day nutrition camp that educated the community on health and nutrition.

In a panel discussion, Sabnam Shiwakoti, Joint Secretary of Nepal’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, identified weak strategic implementation, sectoral funding distribution, and inadequate reporting and monitoring as obstacles to improving nutritional security programs. Dr Dipika Agrahar, Principal Scientist at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), highlighted the lack of value placed on micronutrients in South Asia due to financial constraints.

The conference celebrated the collaborative multi-sectoral strategy called ‘Nutrition Smart Community,’ involving various stakeholders. It also resulted in new policies and recommendations to promote nutrition security in South Asian countries, taking into account the contextualized nutritional status of each country and the challenges discussed during the event