Zero Hunger and Child Malnutrition: Breaking the Cycle in Pakistan
By Dr. Asma Fatima Makhdoom
“Hunger is not an issue of charity. It is an issue of justice.” — Jacques Diouf
READERS will be shocked to know that Pakistan is among the nations with the highest rates of child malnutrition globally. The Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) states that nearly 40pc of children aged five and below are stunted due to chronic undernutrition that actually alters both physical development and mental capacity forever. That amounts to millions of children being deprived of their fundamental right to health, education, and opportunity.
The world community, under Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2: Zero Hunger, is committed to end malnutrition and hunger by 2030. However, in Pakistan, the pace of change has been tremendously slow, and climate change has continued to worsen an already devastating situation.
Malnutrition and Stunting: Silent Emergency
Child stunting is not just a health figure; it is a chronic economic and social emergency. Children who are malnourished are less likely to achieve good grades at school and more likely to develop chronic diseases in the long term. The World Bank suggests that Pakistan loses as much as 3pc of its GDP every year from undernutrition.
Poor maternal diets, poor access to varied diets, and poor awareness of infant diet in rural communities exacerbate the issue. Urban poverty has also seen a “hidden hunger” increase, in which calorie supply is sufficient but key micronutrients such as iron and zinc are lacking.
Climate Change and Food Security
Food security and climate change are inextricably linked. Pakistan’s 2022 floods devastated crops in Sindh and Balochistan, rendering millions food-insecure and exacerbating child malnutrition levels. On the other hand, the repeated droughts in Tharparkar and Balochistan diminish farm harvests and make water scarcity a chronic menace.
These shocks directly impact family food availability, creating a vicious cycle: failed crops, rising prices for food, lower dietary consumption, and increasing stunting in children. If left unchecked, climate change will thrust additional families into hunger and malnutrition.
Policy Interventions: A Way Forward
The good news is that solutions are at hand. There are other countries, such as Brazil and Ethiopia, that have shown how integrated policies can dramatically reduce malnutrition. For Pakistan, three priorities stand out:
Scaling up nutrition-specific programs-expand access to fortified foods, promote exclusive breastfeeding, and provide micronutrient supplementation to mothers and children.
Building climate-resilient agriculture Invest in drought-tolerant crops, irrigation, and smallholder agriculture. Help especially smallholder women, the backbone of rural food systems, double their incomes so they can diversify their diets.
Strengthening safety nets Link cash transfer programs such as Ehsaas to better child nutrition outcomes as a way of ensuring vulnerable families can afford a varied and nutritious diet.
Conclusion
Eradicating hunger is a development imperative, as well as a moral one. Pakistan cannot expect to end poverty traps, ill health, and low productivity without cracking down on child malnutrition. As food systems are threatened by climate change, zero hunger has to be made a national priority — involving health, agriculture, and social protection policy.
A well-fed child is not only a survivor but a prospective leader, innovator, and change-maker. Saving children from hunger today is the best guarantee of a healthier, stronger, and more stable Pakistan tomorrow.
