Within our grasp: Childhood malnutrition worldwide and the revolution taking place to end it

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Sharman Apt Russell has recently published a book¹ that examines the urgent problem of childhood malnutrition worldwide and explains why this is an environmental concern as well as a humanitarian one. Intertwined with stories of scientists and nutrition experts, Russell writes of her travels to Malawi, one of the poorest and least-developed countries in the world and also the site of cutting-edge research into childhood malnutrition. She visits Malawian farmers coping with erratic weather patterns due to global warming and highlights an agroecology that relies on more drought-tolerant and nutrient-rich crops.

As she explores new friendships and insights in a country known as ‘the warm heart of Africa,’ Russell describes the programmes that are working best to reduce childhood malnutrition. She explains why the empowerment of women may be the single most effective factor in eliminating childhood malnutrition, which vitamins and minerals are the most essential to a child’s development and how much ending malnutrition and stunting will cost. The book is now available from booksellers worldwide.