Special Evaluation Study of Selected ADB Interventions on Nutrition and Food Fortification

Abstract

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) views nutrition in the broad sense as important to national development in its developing member countries (DMCs). From 1985 to mid-2004, ADB financed 31 regional technical assistance (RETA) projects in the related fields of health, nutrition, population, and early child development. Nutrition is integral to the first Millennium Development Goal (MDG) on hunger and poverty. It is also instrumental in the efforts to achieve other MDGs, particularly those related to improvements in primary education enrollment and attainment, gender equity, child mortality, maternal health, and the ability to combat disease. Malnutrition is a multigenerational issue, as fetal development during gestation is influenced by maternal nutrition status. Women who were malnourished as infants are more likely to give birth to malnourished babies, and malnourished children have lower resistance to infection, thus making them more likely to die from childhood ailments. Those who survive are prone to frequent illnesses that worsen their nutrition status, trapping them in recurring sickness and faltering growth. Hence, infant malnutrition, especially for girls, plays an important role in perpetuating poverty and malnutrition across generations.