NEPAL NUTRITION AND FOOD SECURITY PORTAL

In the late 1970s, Nepal’s first national study on nutrition found that more than 70 percent of its children suffered from the irreversible condition of stunting. Experts say this was the result of diets too dependent on just a few nutrient-limited foods, irregular meals and high infection rates that could be traced to limited access to clean water. Stunting rates would remain persistently high over the next two decades, even as the country introduced basic interventions, including efforts to address deficiencies in vitamin A and iodine. By the late 1990s, though, the government had committed to making malnutrition reduction – particularly stunting – a top priority. “The government gathered that families with well-nourished children will eventually lead to the country’s economic prosperity,” Geeta Bhakta Joshi told News Deeply. Joshi is a member of the National Planning Commission, which guides government development policy. “A healthy young generation will grow to become a capable human resource.”