Every year, 12 million girls marry prematurely and 16 million adolescents become mothers. These young women are subject to widespread discrimination and malnutrition, with rural and indigenous women being even more susceptible.
At this year's International Journalism Festival in Perugia, Italy, journalists and panellists gathered for an IFAD-sponsored panel to discuss youth malnutrition and how promoting better nutrition for young women can build a better future for all.
The panel included IFAD's senior technical specialist in nutrition, Antonella Cordone; Michelin-starred chef, Cristina Bowerman; RAI journalist and TV presenter, Luca Rosini; and freelance photojournalist, Linda Dorigo.
Gender inequalities and malnutrition - A cross-generational issue
Luca Rosini introduced the topic by highlighting that malnourished people can earn up to ten per cent less than properly nourished individuals. He emphasized that the impact of malnourishment transcends generations and that adolescent nutrition is critical in ensuring that future generations flourish.
In one example, Rosini described how gender inequalities in Uganda’s agricultural sector generates a US$67 million disparity between men and women. Women represent the majority of the work force in agriculture in rural economies and yet they are more likely to suffer from malnourishment if there is limited access to food.
Cristina Bowerman, a key supporter of IFAD’s Recipes for Change, echoedthat rural women play a key role in agricultural development, calling women “fundamental” in eradicating poverty and hunger.
Speaking about the obstacles she has faced as a chef, Bowerman related, “I have always tried to become a role model for those, especially women, who decide to pursue a career in which man dominates.”
While in India, Bowerman saw first-hand how teaching Indian women entrepreneurial skills has had a positive impact on combating malnutrition. She says that we need a cultural shift to present women with more entrepreneurial opportunities to flourish and to be autonomous in Indian society.
Linda Dorigo talked about her own experiences visiting and photographing the all-female village of Jinwar in Syria. Seeking refuge from war, these Syrian women started a commune to empower women trying to escape violence by providing them with a safe place to live and sufficient resources. The women, many of them widowed and with children, serve as another example of successful, autonomous women, combating hunger through their own empowered sustainable farming efforts.
Despite these small victories in eradicating poverty, hunger, and malnutrition, Antonella Cordone brought the conversation back to the stark realities of malnourishment by sharing a startling statistic: “every minute, five children die from hunger.”
Cordone restated the cross-generational effects of malnutrition, highlighting the reality that many women suffer from anemia and a lack of micronutrients. This “hidden hunger,” a hunger that does not always manifest visually, is transmitted to future generations and contributes to a destructive and interminable cycle of malnutrition.
If young women are undernourished, they are more likely to experience premature pregnancy, die in childbirth, or give birth to malnourished children. The infants who survive these nutritional deficits also have a greater risk of becoming stunted.
Cordone stressed how combating malnutrition and the long-term effects is a complex issue that requires a dynamic approach. Addressing IFAD’s role, she expressed how IFAD supports and has prioritized women and young people. Since nutrition and malnutrition are a multi-sectoral issue, we must also put climate change at the center, in addition to addressing other complex determinants of malnutrition such as poverty, lack of resources, barriers to education, and various social, political, and economic factors.
All of the panelists brought critical insights to the conversation from drastically different perspectives, yet they all agree that eradicating malnutrition and poverty will require a multi-faceted approach that empowers and supports young women around the globe.