Agriculture can improve nutrition in Afghanistan

Abstract

Like other countries in the South Asian region, malnutrition is a serious problem in Afghanistan. Statistics confirm high rates of stunting among vulnerable groups such as children under the age of five: nationally 40 per cent and in certain provinces over 70 per cent (UNICEF 2014). Additionally, micronutrient deficiencies are strongly implicated in malnutrition among women and adolescent girls (Flores-Martinez, Zanello, Shankar and Poole 2016), conditions which are likely to perpetuate the generational consequences. This research is supported by the Department for International Development’s by the Leveraging Agriculture for Nutrition in South Asia (LANSA) programme