Comments on: What causes bad nutrition – not enough power or not enough vitamins?

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 08:31:08 +0000

I find it interesting that you quote Bannerjee and Duflo’s Moroccan farmer on why he prefers to buy a TV, and then go on to say “Some problems of development are relatively straightforward. You can improve education by building schools and paying teachers.” The point, as Duflo and Bannerjee have shown very clearly, is that building schools and paying teachers is not nearly as effective as de-worming children which, surprise surprise, improves their nutritional status. But which does nothing for teachers or the builders of schools.

And the whole question of the sustainability of bio-fortified seeds, when the farmer cannot tell whether the seeds she saves for next year carry the high-nutrient traits, is also fraught with problems.

By: Matt C

Matt C — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:13:44 +0000

This is a really interesting article. Political will and action combined with technical knowledge and resources are key. India’s impressive response to Polio is a good example of the power and significance of both. Ok so food is in some ways a lot more complex but the combination of knowledge and action has to enable further progress.

By: Sam Gardner

Sam Gardner — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:53:30 +0000

Fome zero seems very political to me. It is a radical redistribution scheme, with a need fro strong political engagement, otherwise it can degrade fast into a pork barrel feast.

Moreover, a lot of the interventions rely on better education. As we all know, education, any education is empowering.

The central issue on politics is the focus. If hunger is central, then you can intervene, and for each type of hunger, you have a different battery of options or mixtures to apply, but we are getting better at knowing them. Applying this battery of options is a political choice for the poorest. A choice that most politicians ill not make.

By: P Baker

P Baker — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:26:01 +0000

Where’s the politics? It’s not there because the political philosophy of The Economist – neolib globalisation – inevitably leads to inequality.

Their idea is that these inequalities can be fixed with technology.

They can’t of course as we are seeing around the world.

Time for a piece on Karl Polanyi, Duncan?

By: Hilary Sutcliffe

Hilary Sutcliffe — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 08:47:49 +0000

My inclination is all solutions should be tried, but that is naive really as funding will prevent it.

Re technology solutions, they seem to me to be split into the agricultural and the ‘medicinal’. The agricultural, fortified or enriched crops at least has the benefit of fitting perfectly into normal lifestyles.

But with the vitamin/salt solutions, don’t they still have the issue of getting to the people who need them, and having them have the will and inclination to actually taken them? I sometimes need iron tabs and never take them. If as your article says people don’t know or really care, can we realistically expect those to work if a conscious choice is needed?

Good luck!