The 14^th Knowledge Exchange will center on the importance of investing in sustainable food and nutrition security, with a focus on how to work towards more resilient, sustainable, nutritious, and resource-efficient food systems.

In the context of rising food prices and inflation more broadly, low-income households may be forced to reallocate resources away from health and education and switch to lower-quality food. This is further exacerbated by disruptions in health and nutrition services over the last three years in the wake of the COVID pandemic. These measures can have long-lasting, irreversible impacts on the cognitive development of young children and those in utero.  Less nutritious foods with so-called ‘empty calories’ can also lead to increases in obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases over time, with substantial economic impacts.

Transforming food systems to ones that are healthier and more resilient is an urgent policy priority to achieve lasting food and nutrition security, particularly for low-income households. During this knowledge exchange, Dr. Meera Shekar, Lead Health Specialist at the World Bank, will provide insights on a range of approaches that can be adopted to develop nutrition-sensitive food and nutrition systems and services to build human capital.

Mr. Suprayoga Hadi from Indonesia, and Mr. Samuel Dusengiyumva from Rwanda, will share reflections on the presentation, linking it to their governments’ experience making financial and policy decisions around human capital.

The final part of the session will be focused on Q&A. 

Date: September 20^th, 2022

Time: 07:00-08:30 am ET Washington / 11:00am-12:30pm GMT