President of the National Complementary and Alternative Medical Association (NACAMA), Professor Peter Katchy, has listed eight reasons why Nigerian government should subscribe to the World Food Programme’s (WFP) zero hunger initiative.
Professor Katchy, in a chat with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu today, October 19, said that one of the reasons is that subscribing to zero hunger initiative could save the lives of 3.1 million children every year, especially children in sub-Sahara Africa, which Nigeria falls into.
“Second: well-nourished and well-fed mothers have healthier babies with stronger immune systems as they totally commit to exclusive breastfeeding of their babies.
“Third, adopting zero hunger initiative will certainly end child malnutrition and increase a developing country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), such as Nigeria, by 16.5 per cent.
“Fourth, a dollar invested in hunger prevention, through the zero hunger initiative, could return between $15 and $139 in benefits.
“Fifth, proper nutrition and availability of a balanced diet early in life could mean 46 per cent more in lifetime earnings.
“Sixth, eliminating iron deficiency in a population could boost work place productivity by 20 per cent.
“Seventh, eliminating nutrition-related child mortality, through the zero hunger initiative, could increase a work force by 9.4 per cent.
“Eighth, zero hunger can help build a safer and more prosperous world for everyone.”
Prof. Katchy lamented the dwindling investments in agriculture in developing countries, especially those in sub-Sahara Africa, including Nigeria.
He also decried the negative impact of climate change on food production and other agricultural practices worldwide.
The don challenged scientists and international organizations on inventing climate resistant crops and climate-smart agricultural practices that could mitigate against climate change worldwide.
“The costs of hunger and malnutrition fall heavily on the most vulnerable as 60 per cent of the hungry in the world are women, while four in every 10 children in poor countries are malnourished, damaging their bodies and brains as well as retarding their growth.”
The Zero Hunger Initiative is embedded in the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2, which emphasises end to hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture, all priorities for the WFP.
Source: NAN.
