Nutrition is political and civil society needs to shape those politics

Nutrition is political and civil society needs to shape those politics
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The two major nutrition meetings - the Global Nutrition Summit in Milan and the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement global gathering in Abidjan – held this month were celebrations of the major progress made in this area in recent years, but also provided a glimpse of the challenges ahead, especially for civil society. Indeed, what is happening in nutrition seems like a microcosm of the broader sustainable development agenda.

Globally, we are producing more food than ever before, yet one in nine people worldwide – more than 800 million people – are chronically undernourished and one in three suffer from one or several forms of malnutrition.

Past decades have seen wondrous advancements – we can grow more food than ever, fortify it with nutrients, and track spikes in market prices using mobile phones. Yet, despite all this progress, the number of hungry people has been increasing since 2014.

The reality is that malnutrition isn’t about food alone. Malnutrition is political. In Syria, South Sudan and now Yemen, blocking food from reaching entire cities, and even entire countries, has become a tactic of war. These blockades are a harsh reminder: there is nothing natural about hunger, it is entirely man made.

The deterioration in global hunger since 2014 also reflects the reality that climate change is already affecting crops, livestock and fish stocks. The super El Nino of 2015 to 2016 has now receded but farmers are still feeling its lasting impacts while preparing for the next extreme weather event.

In 2017 malnourishment is also more complex than it was in centuries past. Malnutrition now exists hand in hand with non-communicable diseases such as obesity and diabetes. Indeed many people experiencing hunger and stunting at a young age are more vulnerable to being overweight later in life. They may have food to eat, but that food can lack nutrition and health benefits, leading to hidden hunger. Not only affecting growing bodies but also growing brains.

Simply growing more corn or wheat or rice will not solve these problems. And while fortification may go a long way in addressing specific nutritional deficiencies, it too alone can not solve the multifaceted problems of malnutrition.

Addressing such problems requires global cooperation. Fortunately, governments, civil society organisations and businesses committed to addressing malnutrition are doing just that. At the SUN meeting last week, it was inspiring to see representatives from governments, international organisations, donors, business and civil society coming together in constructive and creative ways.

However, despite this progress on targets and on inclusive processes, and despite the relatively uncontroversial nature of nutrition, I see that the role of civil society is contested and needs to be re-asserted.

This is because some see civil society simply as a means to deliver projects related to nutrition rather than as independent actors that can amplify the voices of those affected and keep public and private power-holders accountable. The truth is that civil society must always play both these roles. This is no more or less true of nutrition than any other area of sustainable development.

While alliances and networks between governments, business and civil society are an important way to bring together all of the actors necessary to tackle complex challenges like malnutrition, they also have their drawbacks. Such alliances can potentially negate innovation or novel and new ways of implementing nutrition programs as alliances seek government approval over trying new approaches or testing new models of delivery which may not be approved by the government.

As a Lancet paper on nutrition points out: “Framing of undernutrition reduction as an apolitical issue is short sighted and self-defeating. Political calculations are at the basis of effective coordination between sectors, national and subnational levels, private sector engagement, resource mobilisation, and state accountability to its citizens.”

The political, social and cultural nature of hunger manifests itself in many ways, including gender, racial and environmental inequalities.

As Naomi Hossain points out in the 2017 Global Hunger Index, “most often, it is the people or groups with the least social, economic, or political power—those who are discriminated against or disadvantaged, including women, ethnic minorities, indigenous peoples, rural dwellers, and the poor—who suffer from hunger and malnutrition.”

Hossain goes on to describe how those with the least power are often the most affected by food and agricultural policies, “but have little voice in policy debates dominated by governments, corporations, and international organizations.” It is the role of civil society, to ensure that the most important perspectives are not left out of these conversations.

It is here that civil society is so sorely needed, as an independent actor, able to hold governments, corporations, and international organizations accountable for their roles in creating, and addressing these inequalities. We need to protect this role in nutrition – and in every other part of sustainable development.

Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah is Secretary General of CIVICUS, the global civil society alliance, and also a member of the SUN Movement Lead Group. He can be found @civicussg on social media.

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