Linkages between Poverty Reduction Strategies and Child Nutrition

This article reviews the evidence on the rate of economic growth and reduction in malnutrition and shows that, while economic growth clearly translates into improved nutrition, this happens at a modest rate; the percentage decline in malnutrition is roughly half the rate at which GNP per capita grows. Governments which focus on growth as a means to address nutrition will require an extra generation to make substantial inroads compared to governments which successfully implement nutritional programmes. Thus, the commonly held belief that nutrition programmes are welfare interventions that use resources that could profitably be used to raise national incomes is a myth; investments in nutrition are among the most profitable available.