This paper explores the impact of mobile phones on gender equality and nutrition in Uganda. Using panel data from rural Ugandan smallholder farmers, the researchers analysed the social welfare effects of mobile phones. A positive connection is found between increasing female mobile phone use and improvement in nutrition, relating to SDG 2 and SDG 5 and where women have access to and use a mobile phone the impact was greater.
Contributing to SDG 1 and SDG 2, this paper shows that despite progress in reducing extreme poverty, little progress has been made in reducing the number of people living on between $1.25 and $2 a day and it provides updated estimates of rural and urban poverty for regions throughout the developing world. Social protection programmes are a key way for governments to support the poor. Secondly, agricultural input subsidies are a key government tool for boosting agricultural production, especially that of smallholder farmers. This paper is one of the first to examine both social protection and agricultural input subsidies in alleviating poverty.
Nearly 30 years on from its launch by a group of UK West Country dairy farmers, the charity Send a Cow is making a big difference to people’s lives in seven countries in Africa. With its new campaign under way, Farmers Weekly finds out what the charity hopes to achieve and how farmers abroad are benefiting with the help of their UK counterparts. Endeavours such as this support SDG 1 No Poverty, and SDG 2 Zero Hunger and are a great example of SDG 17 Partnerships for the goals in action.
Addressing hunger and malnutrition (goal 2) is key to advancing goal 3. This review and meta-analysis provides national, regional, and global estimates of lactose malabsorption, which can guide identification of likely causes of gastrointestinal symptoms and their optimal management, and also guide policy—eg, when choosing food for provision during famine outbreaks.
This paper examines the trends in famine over the last 150 years, with particular attention to the fusion of famine with forcible mass starvation. It identifies four main historic periods of famines, namely: the zenith of European colonialism; the extended World War; post-colonial totalitarianism; and post-Cold War humanitarian emergencies; and asks whether we may be entering a fifth period in which famines return in new guises. The paper explores structural causes of famine vulnerability, the overlapping but distinct causes of food crises and excess mortality in those crises, and the proximate triggers of famine. While noting that almost all famines have multiple causes, with no individual factor either necessary or sufficient, the paper focuses on the growing significance of political decision and military tactics in creating famine. It is an important review of the causes related to hunger and therefore to help advance SDG 2.
Bangladesh is one of the world's most vulnerable countries to climate change. This study combines environmental and human elements to assess socio-environmental outcomes. It examines the implications of climate change on poor communities dependent on fishing for their livelihoods, exploring the interconnectedness of SDG's 1,2, 14 and how they will be impacted by SDG 13.
This study makes important links between SDG 2, SDG 5 and SDG 13 through its examination of how husbands and wives within the same household perceive climate risks and use group-based approaches as coping strategies. The findings indicate that options for adapting to climate change closely interplay with husbands' and wives' roles and responsibilities, social norms, risk perceptions and access to resources. A higher percentage of wives were found to adopt crop-related strategies, whereas husbands employ livestock- and agroforestry-related strategies.
Proagrica has produced a White Paper report which sets out how its technology supports evidence-based production and the impact that will have on the world’s ability to feed the world sustainably. Driven by the power of big data to drive insights at farm level, solutions such as Proagrica will significantly advance SDG 2.4 to ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production.
This comprehensive study examines the links between SDG 2 zero hunger and SDG 4 quality education by examining the impacts of parental education on child nutrition. It covers more than 350,000 preschool children from 56 developing countries and shows that impacts are larger for mothers and for secondary education than primary. It speculates that education might have more impact on the nutritional status of the next generation if school curricula focused on directly improving health and nutritional knowledge of future parents.
India has the world's highest burden of child undernutrition and that despite increased economic growth and child welfare it is continuing to rise. This paper examines the links between gender inequality and a child’s nutritional status, highlighting the interconnections between SDGs 2 and 5.
