MEDIA ADVISORY - Can agriculture help improve global nutrition and health? Development economist Rachel Nugent

OTTAWA, Jan. 20, 2012 /CNW/ - In many developing countries, under- and over-nutrition coexist, leading to diet-related chronic diseases. Combined with high rates of infectious diseases, these pose "double-burdens" on health. In a public lecture at Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) January 24, development economist Rachel Nugent will argue that the rise in non-communicable diseases has paralleled changes in the agricultural and food systems.  Agriculture must offer consumers a better mix of locally available, less-processed, and culturally appropriate items that constitute a healthy diet.  Drawing on recent research, Nugent will outline how change in diets and agriculture can improve health.  She will also offer recommendations for international organizations, national governments, agrifood businesses, donors, and consumers to leverage agriculture and food to mitigate non-communicable diseases.

When: Tuesday, January 24, 2012, 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Where: 150 Kent Street, 8th floor, Ottawa, ON

The author of a 2011 report issued by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs for the United Nations High Level Meeting on Non-communicable Diseases, Rachel Nugent is a research scientist and associate professor in the Department of Global Health at University of Washington. She was most recently the deputy director of Global Health at the Center for Global Development where she led the Demographics and Development in the 21st Century Initiative, managed the Drug Resistance & Global Health Initiative, and conducted research on non-communicable diseases in developing countries. She also served as a professor of economics at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, where she was department chair for four years.

Nugent's lecture is part of Science and Innovation for a Better World, a year-long series that presents IDRC-funded researchers whose groundbreaking work in developing countries is shaping our common future.

The event is open to the media, but journalists and the public can also join in the conversation through Twitter #IDRC and Facebook.

For more information visit www.idrc.ca/events-nugent.

About IDRC
A key part of Canada's aid program since 1970, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) supports research in developing countries to promote growth and development. IDRC also encourages sharing this knowledge with policymakers, other researchers, and communities around the world. The result is innovative, lasting local solutions that aim to bring choice and change to those who need it most. 

Isabelle Bourgeault-Tassé
([phone]
[email protected]
@IDRC_CRDI