Dairy and Nutrition in the Global South: Potential, Progress, and Obstacles Ahead

Malnutrition in early childhood is a major risk factor for premature death and disease, and is associated with 45% of all deaths of children under the age of 5. But malnutrition has important economic consequences too, by delaying learning and slowing down economic growth. Solving malnutrition requires multi-sectoral efforts, including more nutrition-oriented food policies. But how exactly can food policies improve nutrition?

This policy seminar examines the potential of dairy development to improve nutrition outcomes, focusing on dairy’s sizable potential for reducing child stunting and other forms of malnutrition, and how dairy systems are being developed to help meet this potential.  Speakers will present success stories that highlight diverse paths to progress, as well as major economic and environmental challenges to scaling up dairy production and consumption in the global South.

The seminar will draw on a recent special issue published in the journal Food Policy on “Dairy Development and Nutrition in the Developing World”, which summarizes the most recent evidence on dairy’s importance for improving child nutrition, as well as the economic challenges of accelerating dairy development in the global South.

Case studies of dairy sector development success stories from sub-Saharan Africa and Asia will be presented by dairy experts to examine how concerted efforts to improve the production, trade, and marketing of milk, were tackled through unique policy, programmatic and institutional approaches. 

Introduction

• Namukolo Covic, Director General’s Representative to Ethiopia, CGIAR Ethiopia Country Convenor and CGIAR Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) 

Dairy Development and Nutrition: A synthesis of recent evidence

• Derek Headey, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI

Dairy Development in Eastern Africa

• Mark Tsoxo, Tanzania Country Director, Heifer International

Dairy Development Programs at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

• Donald Nkrumah, Senior Program Officer, Livestock, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF)

Dairy Development and Nutrition in India

• Meenesh Shah, Chairman & Managing Director, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), India

Transforming Dairy Sectors in the Global South: A comparative perspective

• Johan Swinnen, Managing Director, Systems Transformation, CGIAR; Director General, IFPRI

Moderator

• Charlotte Hebebrand, Director of Communications and Public Affairs, IFPRI