SCN News No 36 - UNSCN

www.unsystem.org/scn PROGRAMME NEWS 67
of anaemia among adult women is 63 percent, while 17 percent are underweight (BMI 25). Infant mortality stood in 2004/5 at 61/1.000 live births and maternal mortality at 377/100.000.
The Policy and Programme have been formulated within the context of the national poverty reduction strategy * and
together with this Strategy provide a broad and inclusive policy framework aimed at reducing food insecurity and
malnutrition in Zanzibar. The Policy clearly states that Government is committed to realizing the right to adequate food
for all Zanzibari. Focusing on increasing in sustainable ways food availability and equitable access to safe and nutritious
food for all, the Policy and Programme envisage the implementation of integrated and well-coordinated multi-sector
measures at all levels of Government, directly involving civil society and the private sector. The Policy and Programme
aim for existing sector policies and budgets to focus on food security and nutrition issues, and to maximize inter-sector
synergies to effectively strengthen and protect food security and nutrition in Zanzibar. Efforts are currently underway to
strengthen planning capacity at district level to mainstream food security and nutrition in harmony with the Policy and
Programme.
* Zanzibar Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty 2007 - 2012
Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and the Environment, Zanzibar, United Republic of Tanzania, Contact: kilimo@zanlink.com
Office of the FAO Representative, Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania, Contact: fao-tz@fao.org
Prevention more effective than treatment IFPRI
When it comes to child malnutrition, early intervention is crucial. Two studies conducted by IFPRI researchers and
published in the leading medical journal The Lancet have made clear that preventing malnutrition is much more effective
than treating it and that action must be taken in the first two years of a child's life to avoid lifelong repercussions.
The first study, conducted in Haiti, found that the rates of child stunting, underweight, and wasting were lower among
poor communities participating in programs to prevent malnutrition rather than treat it. "Malnutrition must be addressed
in the first two years of life, the crucial period for a child's physical and cognitive development," said Marie Ruel, lead
author of The Lancet article and director of IFPRI's Food Consumption and Nutrition Division. "If nutrition programs wait
until children have already become malnourished, their benefits are significantly diminished."
The study—conducted by IFPRI and Cornell University in conjunction with World Vision-Haiti and the U.S. Agency for
International Development—indicated that it is essential for food-assisted maternal and child health and nutrition
programs to proactively target all children under the age of two in poor communities. "Common sense tells us that
preventing malnutrition is better than treating it, especially because children can suffer irreparable harm if
undernourished during the first two years of life," said Ruel.
The harm is not only physical, but economic as well. By analyzing the significant economic benefits accruing to
Guatemalan adults who received adequate nourishment as children, the second IFPRI-led study published in The
Lancet highlights some of the lifelong, negative impacts on those who did not. It, too, stresses the importance of action
during the first two years of a child's life. Specifically, the study found that boys who received a nutritional supplement in
the first two years of life earned on average 46 percent higher wages as adults, while boys who received it in their first
three years earned 37 percent higher wages on average. Those who first received the supplement after age three did
not gain any economic benefits as adults.
This study is the first to present direct evidence of the effects of early childhood nutrition programs on adult economic
productivity and incomes. The research was conducted in Guatemala by IFPRI, Emory University, the Institute of
Nutrition of Central America and Panama, the University of Pennsylvania, and Middlebury College.
To download from IFPRI website go to http://www.ifpri.org/PUBS/newsletters/IFPRIForum/200803/if21prevent.asp
Contact N.Aberman@cgiar.org
Partnership for improving HIV/AIDS and Nutrition Programming
IFPRI
Despite increased activity and attention to food and nutrition security interventions integrated into AIDS care and
treatment programs, such interventions remain in their infancy. They tend to be ad-hoc, small scale, with limited
capability to function across sectors, and poorly monitored. As a consequence, there is a lack of information about
specific factors which influence their delivery and uptake by clients, and little robust evidence regarding the impact of
these efforts and the ability of these boutique interventions to scale-up.
The Regional Network on AIDS, Livelihoods and Food Security (RENEWAL) facilitated by the International Food Policy
research Institute (IFPRI), The AIDS Support Organization (TASO) in Uganda, and Concern Worldwide have initiated
two operational research studies in Uganda and Zambia to explicitly fill this information gap. Their main purpose is to
systematically collect information along the flow of program implementation, monitoring and evaluation process to
ultimately improve program processes, develop key monitoring and evaluation indicators, and identify key conditions for
impact and for scaling-up such programs. The preliminary results are expected by November 2008.
Website: www.ifpri.org/renewal Contact N.Aberman@cgiar.org
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