Household food and nutrition security in low and middle-income countries with a focus on PNG

Household food and nutrition security is a basic human right. However, the 2019 State of the World’s Children Report by UNICEF stated that poor diets are driving malnutrition in early childhood with around half of the world’s children aged 6 to 23 months not receiving adequate quantities of fruit, vegetables, eggs, dairy, fish or meat. Further, the 2019 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World indicates that the number of hungry people has been increasing over the past four years. High rates of childhood stunting occur in two of our near neighbours, Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste. Achieving equitable food and nutrition security for all household members is hugely challenging.

This challenge will be unpacked by Dr Emily Schmidt and Dr Jim Woodhill. They will explore the multifaceted issues and solutions associated with: access of poor households to nutritious food; improving fair market access to smallholder farming households; orienting production towards more nutritious foods; stimulating public-private partnerships that facilitate the development of needed physical, financial and risk protection insurance infrastructure; and the key elements of public regulatory frameworks that enable inclusive and sustainable private investments. This seminar will be chaired by Professor Robyn Alders.

Speakers

Dr Emily Schmidt, Development Strategy and Governance Division, International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington DC, USA

Dr Jim Woodhill, Lead, Global Foresight4Food Initiative, Oxford University, UK, and Food Security Advisor to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Sustainable Development Investment Portfolio in South Asia

Chair

Professor Robyn Alders, Development Policy Centre, ANU,and the Centre on Global Health Security, Chatham House, London, UK.