Food Insecurity and Children's Health in Africa
Malnutrition impacts an individual’s educational and wage-earning potential and can even affect the next generation of children. Most research of childhood malnutrition focuses on the determinants and correlates of malnutrition. This research examines the interplay of local food production and climate vulnerabilities as factors relating to infant and children's health. In this talk, I will discuss results from recent related studies of health, food and climate in sub-Saharan Africa. Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data, very high remotely sensed imagery, and other remotely sensed data relating to geophysical characteristics is used to examine the impact of local cultivation on children’s health. The environmental, community, household, and individual characteristics of the children who report healthy anthropometrics despite the presence of specific malnutrition risk factors will also be explored. This talk will explore how diverse data sources and an interdisciplinary approach can be used to provide insight into how small-scale agricultural production and climate can impacts children's health.
