The challenge of ending malnutrition globally is in the spotlight like never before. Currently, at least 12 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals contain indicators “highly relevant” to nutrition, and the United Nations proclaimed years 2016-2025 the U.N. Decade of Action on Nutrition. Nutrition is also sold as a sector with one of the highest returns on investment — where every $1 invested gives $16 in return, according to the “2017 Global Nutrition Report.”
Despite promising enthusiasm and advocacy to address undernutrition and undernourishment, progress is slow and the impact of malnutrition on populations high. As of 2018, over 150 million children under 5 years old are stunted and over 50 million are wasted. Scaling up financing is one of the key aspects consistently cited as part of the solution.
The United States is by far the single largest donor in nutrition, having disbursed over $2.9 billion in 2015. All of its nutrition-related efforts are channeled through the U.S. Agency for International Development, whose projects reached more than 22.6 million children in 2017 alone.