Hunger and Malnutrition

The planet creates more than enough food to meet everyone's needs. But there are still about 925 million hungry people in the world, and nearly 180 million preschool-age children do not get vital nutrients.

Summaries and download links to all our research papers on Hunger and Malnutrition below.

Publications

Haïti Priorise: Nutrition, Stone

Le problème L’anémie et les carences en micronutriments touchent une grande proportion de la population en Haïti. Selon les estimations, 21% des enfants nés lors des trois dernières années dans le...

Haïti Priorise: Pertes après récolte, Theodat

Le problème Malgré la faible capacité de production du secteur agricole, des pertes importantes, estimées à plus de 50-60 % de la production, sont rapportées dans la chaîne de distribution. C'est la...

Haïti Priorise: Émaciation, Vosti

Le problème Des dizaines de milliers de jeunes enfants haïtiens souffrant de malnutrition aigüe sévère (MAS) et de malnutrition aiguë modérée (MAM) ne sont pas traités chaque année ; beaucoup d'entre...

Haïti Priorise: Nutrition, Stone

The Problem Anemia and micronutrient deficiencies affect a large proportion of the population in Haiti. An estimated 21% of children born in the last 3 years in Haiti had low birth weight, although...

Haïti Priorise: Post Harvest Losses, Theodat

The Problem Despite the weak productive capacity of the agricultural sector, significant losses – estimated at more than 50%-60% of production – are recorded through the distribution chain. This is,...

Haïti Priorise: Wasting, Vosti

The Problem Tens of thousands of young Haitian children suffering from severe (SAM) and moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) go untreated every year; many of them die and those who survive may face...

Haïti Priorise: Taxes agricoles et subventions, Josling

Présentation du problème Les rendements stagnants de la culture du riz ont rendu celui-ci plus cher que le riz importé. Généralement, les faibles rendements résultent de problème de structure des...

Haïti Priorise: Agriculture Tariffs and Subsidies, Josling

Description of Problem Stagnant domestic yields have made Haitian rice expensive relative to imported rice. Low yields are generally attributed to problems of farm structure and farm management...

Haïti Priorise: R&D agricole, Bairagi

Présentation du problème Les principales céréales qui sont cultivées en Haïti sont le maïs, le riz et le sorgho et constituent les denrées de base. Actuellement, ces cultures de faible valeur sont...

Haïti Priorise: Agriculture R&D, Bairagi

Description of Problem The main cereal crops that are grown in Haiti are maize, rice, and sorghum, which also make up the staple food. Currently these low-value crops are cultivated in approximately...

Haïti Priorise: Renforcement du système rizicole, Lybbert

Présentation du problème Le rapport entre la production nationale de riz et sa consommation a diminué de cinq fois depuis 1985. Les contraintes et les difficultés de production abondent et...

Haïti Priorise: Rice Intensification, Lybbert

Description of Problem National rice production relative to rice consumption has fallen five fold since 1985. Productivity constraints and challenges abound, including poor infrastructure, ecological...

Bangladesh Nutrition: Girls Education

Research by Ahsanuzzaman evaluates the costs and benefits of girl’s secondary schooling as a means to mitigate child malnutrition. The analysis indicates that children whose mothers have...

Bangladesh Nutrition: Girls Secondary Schooling

Research by Atonu Rabbani looks at how providing stipends to girls could help encourage them to stay in school and receive a secondary education. Rabbani’s analysis shows a strong correlation...

Bangladesh Nutrition: Home Livestock

Research by Mahmud Khan offers an analysis on the costs and benefits of increasing homestead production of animal-source-foods as a means to increase household income and subsequent nutritional...

Bangladesh Nutrition: Pregnancy Supplements

Research by Jonathan Rose and Enamul Hoque focuses on three key nutrition direct interventions during pregnancy – calcium supplementation, balanced energy protein supplementation and iron-...

Bangladesh Nutrition: Tobacco Cessation

Research by Enamul Hoque focuses on the costs and benefits of smokeless tobacco cessation among pregnant women in Bangladesh. Bangladesh has the highest prevalence of Smokeless Tobacco (SLT) among...

Bangladesh Nutrition: Complementary Feeding Promotion

Research by Mahmud Khan and Rubina Shaheen offer an analysis on the costs and benefits of promoting nutritious foods that can be eaten alongside rice. The promotion of supplementary and complementary...

Bangladesh Nutrition: Nutrition Direct Package

Research by Jonathan Rose suggests that direct nutritional interventions aimed at mothers, babies and small children in the first 1,000 days would yield improvements in physical and cognitive...

Bangladesh Priorities: Pregnancy Supplements, Rose

Jonathan Rose, a research advisor with the South Asian Institute of Advanced Legal and Human Rights Studies, looks at how nutrition could also help pregnant women. Providing nutrients to the mother...

Bangladesh Priorities: Nutrients and Micronutrients, Rose

Research by Jonathan Rose, a research advisor with the South Asian Institute of Advanced Legal and Human Rights Studies, examines programs to fight malnutrition by delivering nutrients and...

Bangladesh Priorities: Golden Rice, Deb

New research by Uttam Deb, an economist at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, suggests that investment in the development and dissemination of golden rice can help...

Bangladesh Priorities: Seasonal Migration, Mobarak and Akram

Research by Mushfiq Mobarak, a Yale University economist, and Agha Ali Akram, a postdoctoral fellow with Evidence Action, suggests that helping people from rural areas migrate to work seasonally in...

Assessment Paper

Post-2015 Consensus: Food Security and Nutrition Assessment, Rosegrant et al

The 2008 and 2011 food price spikes sparked concerns about whether the growing global population would be able to feed itself in years to come, and with this came a renewed increase in interest in the level of postharvest losses (PHL) and the potential to improve food security by reducing them. It has been estimated that an additional one billion people could be fed if food crop losses were halved, which could potentially relieve some of the pressure on the significant increase in production that would be required.

Perspective Paper

Post-2015 Consensus: Food Security and Nutrition Perspective, Horton Hoddinott

Nutrition has always been a key development indicator. Inadequate nutrition is a major contributory factor for child mortality; good nutrition is important both for healthy growth and cognitive development. Cognitive development itself leads to educational success, and both are important determinants of labour productivity and hence economic growth. Balance is also important: there should be neither under- nor over-nutrition.

Perspective Paper

Post-2015 Consensus: Food Security and Nutrition Perspective, Barrett

By 2050, there will be far more people to feed, increasingly distant from the rural areas where food is produced, and with the vast majority of the increased demand coming from Africa and Asia. In a world where currently up to 900 million people are chronically malnourished, reducing post-harvest losses could play a significant role in meeting the coming challenge.

Policy Advice

Preliminary Benefit-Cost Assessment of Final OWG Targets

This report assesses the targets in the OWG’s Final Outcome Document from 19 July 2014. This builds upon the information presented in similar documents which the Copenhagen Consensus Center released...

Policy Advice

Preliminary Benefit-Cost Assessment for 12th Session OWG Goals

The Copenhagen Consensus has updated our benefit-cost assessment of UN Post-2015 Millennium Development Goals for the 12th session of the Open Working Group. The Copenhagen Consensus will present...

Policy Advice

Preliminary Benefit-Cost Assessment for 11th Session OWG Goals

Some of the world’s top economists have assessed the targets from the 11th session Open Working Group document into one of five categories, based on economic evidence: Phenomenal, Good, Fair, Poor and Uncertain.

Assessment Paper

A Scorecard for Humanity: Malnutrition, Horton Steckel

By Sue Horton and Richard H. Steckel. Hunger, one of humanity’s oldest scourges, has relented. The researchers measured it through height, a strong indicator of childhood starvation. They find that humanity's made magnificent progress, but it also shows there is still much to do.

Assessment Paper

Third Copenhagen Consensus: Hunger and Malnutrition Assessment, Hoddinott Rosegrant Torero

The problem of hunger can be solved. The planet creates more than enough food to meet everyone’s needs. But there are still about 925 million hungry people in the world, and nearly 180 million pre-school children do not get vital nutrients.

Perspective Paper

Third Copenhagen Consensus: Hunger and Malnutrition Perspective, Deolalikar

Anil Deolalikar provided a Perspective Paper in response to the Copenhagen Consensus Assessment Paper on Hunger and Malnutrition.

Perspective Paper

Third Copenhagen Consensus: Hunger and Malnutrition Perspective, Rogers

Beatrice Rogers prepared a Perspective Paper for Copenhagen Consensus in response to the research done by Hoddinott, et al.

Best Practice Paper

Second Copenhagen Consensus: Biofortification Best Practice, Meenakshi

A diverse diet rich in micronutrients is out of reach of many of the world’s poor. Because foods that are high in micronutrients such as vegetables, fruits, dairy, and meats are expensive, resource‐poor people rely primarily on a few starchy staples that are rich in energy, but not in micronutrients.

Best Practice Paper

Second Copenhagen Consensus: Deworming Best Practice, Hall Horton

By Andrew Hall & Sue Horton In the Copenhagen Consensus 2008 the Expert panel ranked five nutritional interventions among the top ten of 30 proposals to answer the question, what would be the...

Best Practice Paper

Second Copenhagen Consensus: Micronutrient Fortification Best Practice, Horton et al

Fortification with iron and iodine, two minerals needed in small quantities in daily diets, was ranked as a top public health intervention priority for countries using benefit‐cost analysis.

Best Practice Paper

Second Copenhagen Consensus: Micronutrient Supplements for Child Survival Best Practice, Horton et al

By Sue Horton, France Begin, Alison Greig & Anand Lakshman The 2008 Copenhagen Consensus ranked micronutrient supplements as the top development priority out of more than 40 interventions...

Assessment Paper

Second Copenhagen Consensus: Hunger and Malnutrition Assessment, Horton Alderman Rivera

Despite significant reductions in income poverty in recent years, undernutrition remains widespread. Recent estimates from UNICEF (2006) are that “one out of every four children under five – or 146 million children in the developing world – is underweight for his or her age."

Perspective Paper

Second Copenhagen Consensus: Hunger and Malnutrition Perspective, Martorell

Reynaldo Martorell wrote a Perspective Paper for CC08 in response to research by Sue Horton, Harold Alderman, and Juan A. Rivera.

Perspective Paper

Second Copenhagen Consensus: Hunger and Malnutrition Perspective, Deolalikar

By Anil Deolalikar, a Perspective Paper in response to the Copenhagen Consensus research by Sue Horton, Harold Alderman, and Juan A. Rivera.

Assessment Paper

Copenhagen Consensus: Malnutrition and Hunger Assessment, Behrman Alderman Hoddinott

While episodes of severe hunger such as famines receive considerable press coverage and attract much public attention, chronic hunger and malnutrition is considerably more prevalent in developing countries.

Perspective Paper

Copenhagen Consensus: Malnutrition and Hunger Perspective, Appleton

Simon Appleton wrote a Perspective Papers for CC12 in response to Berhman, et al.

Perspective Paper

Copenhagen Consensus: Malnutrition and Hunger Perspective, Svedberg

By Peter Svedberg, Perspective Paper in response to the Assessment Paper by Berhman, et al.

A Scorecard for Humanity

A Scorecard for Humanity fits into the ongoing conversation between optimists and pessimists for the last half century. The central question has been: what is the state of the world? The results of our study have been published by Cambridge University Press under the book title How Much Have Global Problems Cost the World? A Scorecard from 1900 to 2050

Copenhagen Consensus

The Copenhagen Consensus was our first project. The basic idea was to improve prioritization of the numerous problems the world faces, by gathering some of the world's greatest economists to a meeting where some of the biggest challenges in the world would be assessed.

Copenhagen Consensus III

In 2004 and 2008, the Copenhagen Consensus Center held two major projects that helped to shape overseas development spending and philanthropic decisions for years to come. The third Copenhagen Consensus was the latest iteration of our ongoing work to prioritize the best solutions.

Guide to Giving

Even the wealthiest government, business, or individual has limited resources. A dollar spent in one place cannot be spent elsewhere. We are often asked by individuals: how can I make personal donations in line with Copenhagen Consensus findings? This Guide provides an answer.

Post-2015 Consensus

In 2015, the UN's Millennium Development Goals are expiring and the international community will set new goals. The Post-2015 Consensus brings together the world’s top economists, NGOs, international agencies and businesses to identify the goals with the greatest benefit-to-cost ratio for the next development agenda.

Copenhagen Consensus II

The second Copenhagen Consensus took place 25-30 May in Copenhagen. Once again, our Expert Panel tackled the question, Imagine you had $75 billion to donate to worthwhile causes. What would you do, and where should we start? The Panel released a prioritized list recommending how best to tackle ten of the world's most pressing issues.

Copenhagen Consensus Georgetown

Copenhagen Consensus 2006 followed a similar procedure to the first Copenhagen Consensus, drawing on the earlier exercise. Representatives had available to them the materials from the previous meeting, and over two days heard new presentations from acknowledged economists and UN experts for each of the ten challenge areas.

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Hunger and Malnutrition

Publications

Haïti Priorise: Nutrition, Stone

Haïti Priorise: Pertes après récolte, Theodat

Haïti Priorise: Émaciation, Vosti

Haïti Priorise: Nutrition, Stone

Haïti Priorise: Post Harvest Losses, Theodat

Haïti Priorise: Wasting, Vosti

Haïti Priorise: Taxes agricoles et subventions, Josling

Haïti Priorise: Agriculture Tariffs and Subsidies, Josling

Haïti Priorise: R&D agricole, Bairagi

Haïti Priorise: Agriculture R&D, Bairagi

Haïti Priorise: Renforcement du système rizicole, Lybbert

Haïti Priorise: Rice Intensification, Lybbert

Bangladesh Nutrition: Girls Education

Bangladesh Nutrition: Girls Secondary Schooling

Bangladesh Nutrition: Home Livestock

Bangladesh Nutrition: Pregnancy Supplements

Bangladesh Nutrition: Tobacco Cessation

Bangladesh Nutrition: Complementary Feeding Promotion

Bangladesh Nutrition: Nutrition Direct Package

Bangladesh Priorities: Pregnancy Supplements, Rose

Bangladesh Priorities: Nutrients and Micronutrients, Rose

Bangladesh Priorities: Golden Rice, Deb

Bangladesh Priorities: Seasonal Migration, Mobarak and Akram

Post-2015 Consensus: Food Security and Nutrition Assessment, Rosegrant et al

Post-2015 Consensus: Food Security and Nutrition Perspective, Horton Hoddinott

Post-2015 Consensus: Food Security and Nutrition Perspective, Barrett

Preliminary Benefit-Cost Assessment of Final OWG Targets

Preliminary Benefit-Cost Assessment for 12th Session OWG Goals

Preliminary Benefit-Cost Assessment for 11th Session OWG Goals

A Scorecard for Humanity: Malnutrition, Horton Steckel

Third Copenhagen Consensus: Hunger and Malnutrition Assessment, Hoddinott Rosegrant Torero

Third Copenhagen Consensus: Hunger and Malnutrition Perspective, Deolalikar

Third Copenhagen Consensus: Hunger and Malnutrition Perspective, Rogers

Second Copenhagen Consensus: Biofortification Best Practice, Meenakshi

Second Copenhagen Consensus: Deworming Best Practice, Hall Horton

Second Copenhagen Consensus: Micronutrient Fortification Best Practice, Horton et al

Second Copenhagen Consensus: Micronutrient Supplements for Child Survival Best Practice, Horton et al

Second Copenhagen Consensus: Hunger and Malnutrition Assessment, Horton Alderman Rivera

Second Copenhagen Consensus: Hunger and Malnutrition Perspective, Martorell

Second Copenhagen Consensus: Hunger and Malnutrition Perspective, Deolalikar

Copenhagen Consensus: Malnutrition and Hunger Assessment, Behrman Alderman Hoddinott

Copenhagen Consensus: Malnutrition and Hunger Perspective, Appleton

Copenhagen Consensus: Malnutrition and Hunger Perspective, Svedberg

Projects

A Scorecard for Humanity

Copenhagen Consensus

Copenhagen Consensus III

Guide to Giving

Post-2015 Consensus

Copenhagen Consensus II

Copenhagen Consensus Georgetown

Copenhagen Consensus Center

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