Publications / Annual Report 2001
HEALTH
Healthier people, more productive people The world is now producing
more food than ever. But satisfying human nutrition and health needs depends on
much more than quantity. In the midst of plenty, people the world over will continue
to live and develop far below their full capacity if issues of food quality and
safety are not addressed.
In this section we examine two health-related concerns at the root of key research
at CIP. The first is micronutrient deficiency. CIP is spearheading a drive to
fight vitamin A deficiency in Sub-Saharan Africa, where it is a leading cause
of early childhood death and a major risk factor for pregnant and lactating women.
The VITAA Partnership, as this effort is known, brings together agriculturists,
health experts and nutritionists, all of whom work through the strong community
and women's groups existing in the region. The second is pesticide poisoning.
As Center scientists search for ways of countering this peril in the Andes, they
bring into play years of experience in integrated pest management. By combining
their acquired expertise in this field with new participatory approaches and powerful
information tools, our researchers are finding that they can make critical contributions
to farmers' health, as well as to their productivity.
In both cases, collaboration with a broadening circle of partners, spanning sectoral
as well as disciplinary divides, is the key to impact far more profound than we
could achieve by going it alone. For the direct beneficiaries of this research,
and for countless others as well, the boon of health will bring more gains in
its train. Healthier people are more efficient at working and spend less money
on medical care. This means a healthier economy with diminished poverty and hunger.
The wheel comes full circle.
