Malnutrition Response Should Integrate Health Care, Agricultural Support

Writing in the Huffington Post’s “World” blog, Segal Family Foundation Founder Barry Segal and Julie Carney and Jessie Cronan of Gardens for Health International examine “why an increasing number of clinics and hospitals are including agriculture extension programs as part of their approach to treating malnutrition.” They write, “Seventy percent of malnourished people in the world are engaged in agriculture; if we want to dramatically reduce rates of malnutrition, there is widespread consensus that agriculture has to be a part of the solution.” They continue, “[W]e need to start thinking about the seeds and support we provide through the lens of improving long-term health and nutrition,” adding, “By broadening the definition of health care beyond immediate medical interventions and by pushing those interventions beyond the clinic walls and into kitchen gardens and backyards, we believe that it is possible to dramatically reduce malnutrition among vulnerable farm families” (10/22).

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