Definitions and Significance of Nutrition for SDC

Definitions

Hunger: Hunger is an uncomfortable or painful physical sensation caused by insufficient consumption of dietary energy. It becomes chronic when the person does not consume a sufficient amount of calories (dietary energy) on a regular basis to lead a normal, active and healthy life. Read more

Food insecurity: A person is food insecure when they lack regular access to enough safe and nutritious food for normal growth and development and an active and healthy life. This may be due to unavailability of food and/or lack of resources to obtain food. Food insecurity can be experienced at different levels of severity. Read more

Heathy diets: Healthy diets promote health, growth and development, support active lifestyles, prevent nutrient deficiencies and excesses, communicable and noncommunicable diseases, foodborne diseases and promote wellbeing. Read more

Zero hunger

Defined as the SDG Goal 2, Zero Hunger aims to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.

Nutrition

Definition: Nutrition is the intake and utilisation of food necessary for health, growth, and development. It encompasses not only adequate caloric intake but also the quality and diversity of nutrients required for physical well-being, cognitive development, and immunity.

Malnutrition

Definitions (from WHO): Malnutrition refers to deficiencies or excesses in nutrient intake, imbalance of essential nutrients or impaired nutrient utilisation. The double burden of malnutrition consists of both undernutrition and overweight and obesity, as well as diet-related noncommunicable diseases. Undernutrition manifests in four broad forms: wasting, stunting, underweight, and micronutrient deficiencies.

A common misconception about malnutrition is that it only refers to undernutrition or lack of food. In reality, malnutrition includes all forms of poor nutrition, including overnutrition (obesity), micronutrient deficiencies, and imbalanced diets. This misunderstanding can lead to fragmented responses, focusing solely on hunger while overlooking the rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) linked to unhealthy diets. Addressing malnutrition effectively requires a comprehensive approach that tackles all its forms, ensuring access to nutritious, diverse, and sustainable diets for long-term health and development.

Even though international cooperation has a narrative focused on the “fight against hunger”, malnutrition is more complex and comprehensive than “just” undernutrition. Malnutrition is a condition that occurs when an individual’s nutrient intake and utilisation do not meet their body’s requirements, leading to health problems. It is a global health issue with diverse forms, each affecting the body in distinct ways. Malnutrition encompasses a range of nutritional imbalances, including:

• Undernutrition: Insufficient intake of calories, protein, or micronutrients, resulting in conditions like wasting, stunting, underweight, or micronutrient deficiencies.
• Overnutrition: Excessive intake of calories or specific nutrients, contributing to overweight, obesity, or toxicity from certain micronutrients.
• Double burden of malnutrition: This phenomenon occurs when undernutrition and overnutrition, as well as diet-related noncommunicable diseases, coexist within a population, household, or individual. For example, a child may be stunted due to chronic malnutrition but simultaneously overweight. Another example is that a country may face high rates of both wasting and obesity, reflecting food insecurity and changing diets.
• Nutrient deficiencies or imbalances: Lack of relevant nutrient(s) necessary for a healthy diet, despite maybe an adequate intake of calories. Therefore, it occurs when diets lack essential vitamins and minerals, even if caloric intake is sufficient. It often coexists with both undernutrition and overnutrition.

Malnutrition can affect growth, development, immunity, and overall health, and can occur in individuals of any age or socioeconomic status. The causes often stem from a combination of factors:

• Food insecurity: Lack of access to nutritious food.
• Poor dietary practices: Overreliance on calorie-dense, nutrient-poor foods.
• Infections: Diseases like diarrhoea, tuberculosis, or HIV/AIDS worsen nutrient loss.
• Social and economic factors: Poverty, lack of education, gender, and inadequate healthcare.
• Physiological or medical issues: Eating disorders, metabolic conditions, or malabsorption syndromes.

Furthermore, malnutrition also has a global impact as it affects individuals across all age groups but is particularly severe for children under five years old and pregnant women. It contributes to nearly half of all child deaths globally (often linked to undernutrition) and, therefore, increases healthcare costs and reduces economic productivity. Furthermore, it also strongly affects the prevalence of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), which are drastically on the rise in Low and Middle Income countries.

Addressing malnutrition requires multi-faceted strategies, including improving food access, ensuring balanced diets, enhancing healthcare systems, and addressing the underlying social determinants.

• Learn more about the different forms of malnutrition: definitions, symptoms, key indicators, impacts and examples

  Undernutrition occurs when the body does not receive enough energy, protein, or micronutrients, leading to insufficient growth, weakened immunity, and other health issues. Its subtypes include:

  • Wasting (acute malnutrition)
    • Definition: A severe loss of weight relative to height, usually due to inadequate food intake or illness.
    • Symptoms: Thinness, reduced muscle mass, lethargy.
    • Key Indicators: Low weight-for-height (WHZ < -2 standard deviations).
    • Impact: High risk of mortality, particularly in children under 5.
  • Stunting (chronic malnutrition)
    • Definition: Impaired growth and development due to long-term insufficient nutrient intake or recurrent infections.
    • Symptoms: Short stature for age, delayed development.
    • Key Indicators: Low height-for-age (HAZ < -2 standard deviations).
    • Impact: Long-term effects on cognitive and physical development, productivity in adulthood.
  • Underweight
    • Definition: Low body weight relative to age, reflecting acute or chronic malnutrition.
    • Key Indicators: Low weight-for-age (WAZ < -2 standard deviations).
    • Impact: Increased susceptibility to diseases and delayed recovery.
  • Micronutrient deficiencies (hidden hunger)
    • Definition: Lack of essential vitamins and minerals.
    • Examples:
      • Iron deficiency: Leads to anaemia, fatigue, and impaired cognitive function.
      • Iodine deficiency: Causes goitre, hypothyroidism, and intellectual disabilities.
      • Vitamin A deficiency: Increases risk of blindness and infections.
      • Vitamin D deficiency: Leads to rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults
      • Vitamin B12 deficiency: Causes anaemia and neurological disorders.
      • Zinc deficiency: Weakens immunity and delays wound healing.

  Overnutrition results from excessive consumption of calories, macronutrients, or specific micronutrients, leading to overweight, obesity, or nutrient imbalances.

  • Overweight and Obesity
    • Definition: Excessive fat accumulation that poses health risks.
    • Key Indicators: High body mass index (BMI ≥ 25 for overweight; BMI ≥ 30 for obesity).
    • Impact: Increases risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and some cancers.

  • Micronutrient excess
    • Definition: Overconsumption of specific nutrients.
    • Examples:
      • Vitamin A toxicity: Causes liver damage, dizziness, and birth defects.
      • Iron overload (hemochromatosis): Leads to organ damage.

Importance of Nutrition

Nutrition is at the heart of global development, critical in improving public health, enhancing economic productivity, and achieving long-term food security.

According to the World Bank:

• "Both undernutrition and obesity are obstacles to human capital, economic productivity, and an equitable, prosperous world. The economic benefits of nutrition interventions far outweigh the costs of inaction."
• "For every $1 invested in addressing undernutrition, $23 are returned, and an estimated $2.4 trillion is generated in economic benefits. The economic benefits associated with these investments far outweigh the costs of inaction, which run around $41 trillion over 10 years, including $21 trillion in economic productivity losses due to undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies and $20 trillion in economic and social costs from overweight and obesity."

Read more in the Investment Framework for Nutrition 2024

The SOFI 2024 report (The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World) highlights that malnutrition remains a global challenge, affecting billions and impeding economic and social progress. The report underscores that effective nutrition interventions are essential in international cooperation to address both immediate food insecurity and the underlying causes of malnutrition, such as poverty, inequality, and climate vulnerabilities. Improving nutrition globally requires coordinated efforts to build resilient, sustainable food systems that provide equitable access to safe, nutritious, and affordable food, particularly for the most vulnerable populations.

In the context of international cooperation, nutrition is central to achieving global goals for food security, poverty reduction, health, and sustainable development. The focus on nutrition is particularly relevant for achieving several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including those related to health, poverty reduction, and zero hunger.

Find more info on SDG here: Relevant SDGs

SDC's Approach

The fight against hunger is a specific objective in the Swiss International Cooperation Strategy 2025-28. SDC recognises the importance of addressing malnutrition in all its forms.

SDC places nutrition as a central component of its interventions, linking it closely to agriculture and food systems, health, water, migration and forced displacement, climate, disaster risk reduction and environment, peace, governance and equality, economy and education.

SDC adresses nutrition via:

• country programmes, e.g. Rwanda, DRC
• the thematic section Health and Food
• multilateral partners, such as IFAD, WFP, WHO, FAO
• various stakeholders, such as GAIN and SUN movement
• research and innovation institutions, such as CGIAR

Nutrition is relevant because it directly impacts human health, economic development, and social stability. By investing in nutrition, Switzerland supports not only immediate humanitarian needs but also builds a foundation for long-term development and resilience in partner countries. The following topics are relevant aspects of nutrition at SDC:

• Combatting malnutrition and food insecurity
• Sustainable food systems
• Focus on vulnerable populations
• Building resilience through integrated approaches
• Advocacy and partnerships
• Research and innovation in nutrition

• More information about these topics

  • Combatting malnutrition and food insecurity: Switzerland prioritises efforts to combat malnutrition, which affects millions of people, especially in regions experiencing poverty, conflict, or climate-induced food shortages. Addressing malnutrition can provide lasting impacts on communities, therefore Swiss programmes support initiatives like nutrition education, maternal and child health, and targeted food assistance.
  • Sustainable food systems: Swiss international cooperation promotes sustainable agriculture and food systems to create a long-term impact on food security. By supporting sustainable farming practices, biodiversity, and resilience to climate change, Switzerland helps communities build food systems that can consistently provide nutritious foods. This approach reduces dependency on emergency food aid and supports resilience to future challenges.
  • Focus on vulnerable populations: Swiss initiatives often focus on the most vulnerable populations, including women, children, and marginalized communities. For instance, Switzerland supports maternal and child nutrition programmes that are crucial for reducing stunting and child mortality rates in low-income regions. Targeting these populations helps break the intergenerational cycle of poverty and poor health outcomes related to malnutrition.
  • Building resilience through integrated approaches: Switzerland emphasizes a multisectoral approach, integrating nutrition with health, water, sanitation, and education programmes. By coordinating across sectors, Swiss-funded initiatives can address the root causes of malnutrition, such as lack of clean water and poor hygiene, which often compound food-related challenges.
  • Advocacy and partnerships: Switzerland plays a strong advocacy role in global platforms, such as the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement and the World Health Assembly, to promote international awareness and policy change for improved nutrition. The country’s partnerships with NGOs, local governments, and other international agencies allow it to amplify the impact of its initiatives.
  • Research and innovation in nutrition: Switzerland supports research in innovative solutions for global nutrition challenges, such as biofortification of crops or new methods for efficient food production. Research partnerships with Swiss universities and research institutions across the world contribute to evidence-based policies and solutions that are shared globally.

Interlinkages

Nutrition interacts closely with several key topics in international cooperation, creating a network of interdependencies that affect human development and resilience. Here’s how nutrition connects with SDC priority themes such as health, agriculture and food systems, climate change, migration, education and gender equality:

Health and Food

• Health

  • Connection: Nutrition is a key determinant of health; adequate nutrition reduces the risk of diseases, improves immune function, and supports overall physical and mental well-being.
  • Impact: Malnutrition is linked to increased morbidity and mortality. International cooperation efforts focus on integrating nutrition into public health programmes to reduce stunting, wasting, and non-communicable diseases, which are increasingly prevalent globally.
  • For concrete examples, check this section: Link to Examples SDC’s projects

• Agriculture

  • Connection: Nutrition and agriculture are deeply intertwined in Swiss International Cooperation (SDC). By making agriculture nutrition-sensitive, SDC ensures that farming practices not only increase food production but also contribute to improving the nutritional quality of food. This connection emphasises growing diverse, nutrient-rich crops that enhance dietary diversity and meet the specific nutritional needs of vulnerable populations, especially women and children.
  • Impact:
    • Improved nutritional quality of food: SDC’s support for diversified farming practices ensures that communities can access a range of nutrient-dense foods, such as vegetables, fruits, legumes, and biofortified crops.
    • Reduction in malnutrition: By promoting the cultivation of iron-rich beans, vitamin A-rich crops, and other micronutrient-rich foods, these interventions directly help combat micronutrient deficiencies, such as iron deficiency anaemia and vitamin A deficiency.
    • Enhanced agricultural sustainability: Promoting sustainable agricultural practices not only boosts food production but also ensures that farming is resilient to climate change, thus providing a consistent supply of nutritious food.
  • For concrete examples, check this section: Link to Examples SDC’s projects

• Food Systems

  • Connection: Nutrition and food systems are connected through the way food is produced, processed, distributed, and consumed. Swiss International Cooperation focuses on creating food systems that prioritise nutrition, ensuring that people not only have access to food but that the food is nutritious, diverse, and sustainably sourced. This involves addressing issues of food security, food quality, and nutrition education, while also considering the socioeconomic and environmental factors that affect food systems.
  • Impact:
    • Increased access to nutritious food: Through the strengthening of local food systems, SDC helps ensure that communities have consistent access to nutritious foods that are both affordable and culturally appropriate.
    • Improved dietary patterns: By integrating nutrition education and promoting the availability of nutrient-rich foods, SDC’s food system interventions help shift dietary habits towards healthier, more balanced diets.
    • Sustainable food security: SDC promotes sustainable food production practices that ensure long-term food security while considering climate change, market access, and local resource management.
  • For concrete examples, check this section: Link to Examples SDC’s projects

Water

• Water

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• Wash

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Migration and Forced Displacement

• Migration

  • Connection: Food insecurity and poor nutrition are both causes and consequences of migration, particularly in regions affected by conflict, economic instability, or climate change.
  • Impact: Migration can disrupt access to consistent, nutritious food, leading to higher malnutrition rates among displaced populations. Malnourished individuals are more vulnerable to the stresses of migration, which can further impact health and productivity.
  • For concrete examples, check this section: Link to Examples SDC’s projects

Climate, Disaster Risk Reduction and Environment

• Climate Change

  • Connection: Climate change directly affects food systems, reducing food security by impacting crop yields, water availability, and food prices.
  • Impact: Shifts in climate contribute to food shortages, pushing people towards lower-quality diets or reliance on processed foods, increasing malnutrition rates. In turn, poor nutrition reduces resilience to climate-induced health stressors.
  • For concrete examples, check this section: Link to Examples SDC’s projects

Economy and Education

• Economic Development

  Connection: Nutrition significantly affects economic productivity; malnutrition is estimated to cause global economic losses due to reduced labour productivity, increased healthcare costs, and lower educational outcomes.

  Impact: Investment in nutrition enhances workforce productivity, reduces healthcare expenditures, and promotes economic stability, particularly in low-income countries.

  For concrete examples, check this section: Link to Examples SDC’s projects

• Education

  • Connection: Nutrition and education are tightly linked, as malnutrition, especially in early childhood, affects cognitive development, school attendance, and learning outcomes.
  • Impact: Children with access to adequate nutrition are better able to focus, learn, and retain information, which supports long-term economic and social development. Nutrition interventions, like school feeding programmes, have been shown to improve both educational outcomes and food security for families.
  • For concrete examples, check this section: Link to Examples SDC’s projects

Peace, Governance and Equality

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• Gender Equality

  • Connection: Women and girls are often disproportionately affected by malnutrition due to social, economic, and cultural factors, yet they are key in food preparation and caregiving.
  • Impact: Malnourished women face higher risks during pregnancy, which can lead to intergenerational cycles of malnutrition. Programmes targeting women’s nutrition and empowerment support community health and improve children’s nutrition and education outcomes.
  • For concrete examples, check this section: Link to Examples SDC’s projects

Humanitarian Aid

• Nutrition in Humanitarian Interventions

  • Connection: Nutrition is a critical component of humanitarian interventions, as crises - whether caused by conflict, natural disasters, or economic shocks - often lead to food insecurity, malnutrition, and increased vulnerability, particularly among children, pregnant women, and the individuals of advanced age.
  • Key objectives of nutrition in humanitarian contexts
    • Save lives: Address acute malnutrition to prevent mortality and morbidity.
    • Reduce malnutrition: Prevent and manage both acute and chronic malnutrition, especially among vulnerable groups.
    • Strengthen resilience: Support communities to rebuild and sustain nutrition security in the long term.
  • Key principles for effective nutrition interventions in humanitarian contexts
    • Timeliness: Rapid deployment of nutritional support to prevent the worsening of malnutrition.
    • Context-specific: Tailor interventions to the local cultural, dietary, and logistical context.
    • Integration: Coordinate with other sectors, such as health, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), and livelihoods to address the underlying causes of malnutrition.
    • Sustainability: Where possible, link humanitarian efforts to long-term development programmes.
  • Impact
    • When properly implemented, nutrition programmes in humanitarian settings can significantly reduce mortality, improve recovery rates, and build resilience among affected populations, ensuring better outcomes both during and after crises.
  • Challenges: (especially regarding the implementation)
    • Limited access to affected populations due to conflict or logistical issues.
    • Cultural barriers to adopting recommended feeding practices.
    • Insufficient funding for comprehensive nutrition programs.
    • Weak healthcare infrastructure in crisis-affected areas.
  • Possible nutrition-interventions within the humanitarian context:
    • Assessment and analysis
    • Targeted supplementary feeding
    • Treatment of severe acute malnutrition (SAM)
    • General food assistance
    • Infant and young child feeding (IYCF)
    • Micronutrient interventions
    • Prevention programmes
  • Global Initiatives and Frameworks
    • Sphere standards: Provide guidelines for nutrition responses in humanitarian contexts.
    • UNICEF, WFP, and WHO: Key actors in delivering nutrition-specific interventions in emergencies
  • For concrete examples, check this section: Link to Examples SDC’s projects