Our Commitments
Nutrition for All
Commitment to the fight against malnutrition and hunger
Overview
Scaling up nutrient rich crops
The food system has the potential to preserve and improve human health, sustain and regenerate the environment, and be reconstructed with equity at its core. We can create a system that makes proper nutrition affordable and accessible to everyone while also providing fair returns to those who produce and supply our food. We are implementing a systemic approach to nourish people and the earth in a sustainable and equitable manner.
In partnership with organizations from around the globe, Marri Channa Reddy Foundation is working on groundbreaking approaches and interventions that can combat malnutrition in human beings, especially the most vulnerable groups.
53.53 Lakh
Anaemic mothers in Telangana
16.34 Lakh
Anaemic children in Telangana
46%
Women in Telangana have less than 10 years of education
A closer look
Better nutrition lays the foundation for a healthy newborn, child, and mother; stronger immune systems, safer pregnancy, and delivery, a decreased risk of non-communicable diseases (including diabetes and cardiovascular diseases), and longer life.
Malnutrition, in all of its forms including “hidden hunger” or “micronutrient deficiency,” poses a serious threat to the growth and development of the human mind and body. Even mild levels can impact an individual’s cognitive and physical development, lower immunity especially in children, pregnancy complications, and reduce productivity. Furthermore, a hungry, malnourished child may suffer from mild to severe learning difficulties resulting in poor academic performance and growth. Access to proper nutrition is therefore critical to overall human and nation development, be it better learning outcomes in education, healthier human capital in workplaces, and more equitable society.
In the Sustainable Development Goals Report 2020 of the UN, the need for better nutrition was recognized. It aimed at ending hunger, achieving food security and better nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture.
Hunger is on the rise worldwide, affecting 9.9% of the world’s population. Between 2019 and 2020, the number of malnourished people increased by 161 million, a crisis primarily driven by conflict, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some Ground Realities
Pregnant women are anaemic
Under the age of five are anaemic as well.
Children stunted
Children wasted
Are the lowest performers.
Hunger and malnutrition rates are proportional to a country’s degree of development. The nutritional well-being of all individuals is pre-conditioned for the development of societies and a primary goal of human progress.
Poverty plays a factor in the nutritional deficiencies that developing countries like India face.
Protein-energy malnutrition, nutritional anaemia, vitamin A deficiency, iodine insufficiency, and potentially others are examples of deficiency illnesses. Diets of the poor in developing nations often consist mainly of grains (maize, wheat, rice, etc.) and don’t include many vital fruits, vegetables, animal or fish products. Furthermore, COVID-19 has exacerbated the malnutrition status of the vulnerable communities weakening their immunity further.
Controlling these nutritional diseases necessitates a comprehensive assessment of the current situation as well as appropriate intervention strategies such as targeted food and specific micronutrient supplementation, food fortification, nutrition education, and infection reductions, as well as improvements in general economic and social equity.
Our approach
In the next 10 years, we aim to improve the dietary quality of vulnerable children and families in the state and nation.
Our Work
To build better, more nourishing, resilient and equitable food systems, we are adopting a systemic approach that introduces transformative solutions at every step from farmer to consumer. This method supports fair returns for the producers as well. To achieve this goal, Marri Channa Reddy Foundation is working with a wide variety of partners including international agricultural research centers and food processing industries to lead the biofortification effort.
We believe biofortification may hold the key to tackle deficiencies around malnutrition and hidden hunger. Through collective efforts around research, data generation, identification of innovative solutions and demonstrations to come forward with nutrient-rich, high-yielding varieties that are affordable and locally available, would meet the needs of poor farmers as well as transform the health of poor and rural people.
How do we do it?
1. We are working with agricultural scientists and research centers through the process of identifying naturally nutritious varieties and crossing them with high-yielding, climate-smart crops
2. We are working on demonstrations of the new seed varieties to ensure they have all the traits promised
3. We have distributed seeds to farmers and tribal communities to grow and harvest, keeping most for home consumption for improved nutrition for their family and selling the surplus in local markets
4. We are working with farmers to undertake feedback and acceptability surveys
5. We have further collaborated with some food processors to work on options that benefit more urban consumers as well
