Coalition Works to Improve Nutrition in India

In June, representatives of the Coalition for Sustainable Nutrition Security in India (managed by the IntraHealth International-led Vistaar Project), presented key recommendations to improve nutrition to the Planning Commission of India. This presented an extremely important advocacy opportunity for the coalition, highlighted by the involvement of M.S. Swaminathan, an internationally-recognized and respected leader in agricultural sciences and nutrition, as well as a member of the Parliament of India and advisor to the National Advisory Council.

The coalition compiled a list of critical, affordable, and administratively implementable recommendations from their Leadership Agenda for Action, including:

• Focusing on proven and essential nutrition and primary health care interventions
• Promoting personal hygiene and environmental sanitation, including safe drinking water and food
• Integrating household food and nutrition security considerations into the design of existing government missions and programs
• Expanding and improving nutrition education, involvement, and accountability at the community level
• Building institutional structures at the local, state, and national levels for coordinated action in nutrition
• Initiating two series of interventions:  The Essential Interventions to Reduce Malnutrition for Infants and Young Children, and The Essential Interventions to Reduce Malnutrition for Girls and Women.