A presentation highlighting strategic projects with the potential to transform the nutrition and livelihoods of vulnerable communities in Odisha. 

Date: Monday, 14 December 2020

Time: 16:30-18:00 (UTC+8)

High levels of poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition persist across India, hampering the country’s prospects for robust economic development. Around 22% of the population lives below the national poverty line and inequality and social exclusion remain persistent challenges in India. Despite being  the world’s third largest global producer in fish India is ranked 94 on the Global Hunger Index and 76% of rural Indians cannot afford a nutritious diet.

Development goals are hamstrung by chronic malnutrition. India is home to a quarter of all undernourished people worldwide; in Odisha, only 10% of children under two have a diet that contains all the nutrients needed to promote healthy development. Approximately one third of children under five in Odisha are stunted, a condition resulting from chronically poor diets and exposure to unhygienic conditions. Stunting leads to a wide range of poor health and cognitive outcomes that are extremely difficult to reverse once they occur.

Although absolute poverty has declined in India in recent decades, women’s economic opportunities remain far behind men. With USAID and Government of Odisha support, WorldFish is paving the way for fish to address these significant challenges in malnutrition and poverty alleviation. WorldFish has recently signed an MOU with the Women and Child Development department of Odisha and a range of stakeholders to pave the way for substantial progress to be made in rural aquaculture and promotion of fish among malnourished citizens. 

This event helped connect investors’ goals to WorldFish project activities that aim at promoting inclusion of fish in the diets of women and children for improved nutrition, women and youth entrepreneurship to strengthen the fish supply chain, and the introduction of new fish polyculture technologies in local communities in Odisha. 

Invited speakers:

  • Purnachandra Rao Surapaneni, National President of Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC)
  • Ramona M El Hamzaoui, Acting Mission Director, USAID, India
  • Nehal Sanghavi, Senior Advisor for Innovation and Partnership at USAID
  • Montgomery (Monty) Simus, Executive Director, Business Development and Partnerships, WorldFish
  • Tana Lala-Pritchard, Executive Director of Strategy, Innovation and Communications, WorldFish
  • Chadag Vishnumurthy Mohan, Research Lead, India
  • Shakuntala Thilsted, Research Program Leader for Value Chains and Nutrition, WorldFish
  • Arun Padiyar, Project Manager, WorldFish, India

Follow our virtual dialogue via @WorldFishCenter on Twitter to learn more.