UNICEF targets child food poverty in Afghanistan with new nutrition program

UNICEF is launching First Foods Afghanistan after finding that 90% of children in the nation are suffering from food poverty. Supported by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the multisectoral initiative seeks to help improve diets by targeting nutrition and food systems until 2028.

The organization has released two reports on Afghanistan’s children, one of which reveals that four out of ten children are stunted and that wasting (10.3%) is prevalent among children under five. It also reports that one-third are suffering from severe wasting — “the most life-threatening form of malnutrition”— experienced by 850,000 children. This leaves 2.6 million children impacted by moderate wasting.

“These children lack access to the variety of foods essential for their growth and development, often consuming diets that include, at most, four food groups, and on some days even fewer. As a result, Afghanistan is ranked fourth globally among countries with the highest rates of child food poverty,” says Dr. Tajudeen Oyewale, UNICEF representative in Afghanistan. He adds that they either live on cereals and, at times, some milk daily.

“Addressing malnutrition is not only a moral imperative but also an economically sound investment, with an estimated 23:1 benefit–cost ratio. Meanwhile, the tragic cost of inaction will fall squarely on children and will ultimately hinder Afghanistan’s long-term economic growth rather than eliminating extreme poverty.”

Through First Foods Afghanistan, UNICEF says it will partner with UN agencies, financial institutions, and private sector actors committed to improving child nutrition.

Lack of diverse diets

To meet the minimum dietary diversity for healthy growth, UNICEF recommends consuming five out of the eight food groups: Breastmilk; grains, roots, tubers, and plantains; vitamin A-rich fruits and vegetables; flesh; pulses, nuts, and seeds; eggs; other fruits and vegetables; and dairy products.

UNICEF calls for Afghanistan to shift from focusing on food production to prioritizing nutrition impact.“In Afghanistan, 76% of children aged six to 23 months consume breastmilk and 64% eat grains, roots, or plantains. However, only 39% eat dairy products, and just 29% consume vitamin A-rich fruits and vegetables,” details the report.

“Only 17% and 13% of young children consume eggs and meat, respectively. Children in severe food poverty mainly consume breastmilk or breastmilk and only one more food group, such as dairy or starchy staples (grains, roots, and tubers). Their diets severely lack nutrient-rich foods such as eggs, fish, and poultry.”

UNICEF calls for Afghanistan to shift from focusing on food production to prioritizing nutrition impact by agricultural investments in diverse foods, improving the affordability of nutritious foods, and measuring success by improved child diets, not just crop yields. It adds that young children should be protected from unhealthy processed F&B and marketing practices.

“Afghanistan should not only be growing food — it must now grow nutrition,” comments Oyewale. “We are shifting the focus from calories to nourishment through child-sensitive food systems, and from addressing malnutrition solely through services to prioritizing the foods young children consume. This integrated approach is the only sustainable path to breaking the cycle of malnutrition and poverty in Afghanistan.”

Multisectoral approach 

First Foods Afghanistan will support local, homemade, and homegrown first foods. It also includes community-driven behavior change initiatives and skill-building for women and youth. The initiative links food, health, WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene), education, and social protection systems.

Just 29% of Afghani children eat fruits and vegetables high in vitamin A, while 39% consume dairy products.UN partners include the WHO for policy development and food safety standards, the World Food Programme for assistance in humanitarian settings, and the FAO to support local food companies. 

The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank will support and incubate programs that facilitate the production of and access to nutritious first foods for young children. Meanwhile, the private sector will provide the local production of ready-to-use therapeutic foods and preventive foods.

UNICEF outlines that it requires US$50 million through 2028 for the First Foods Afghanistan project. 

An FAO economist recently told Nutrition Insight that nutrition’s invisibility in the financial system has created barriers to enhancing global nutrition. He underscored that the system favors inaction over innovation while proposing solutions to bring development closer to finance and link return on investment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.