I finally joined the wagon after encouragement from a graduate school buddy to start a blog and sign up for Twitter for its professional opportunities, and have to say that I appreciate the brevity of the World Food Programme and USAID posts. What struck me today, however, was that both of these parties posted about nutrition and its manifold impacts on education, women's empowerment, and economic development.
As a recent graduate student who identifies at least somewhat with postmodernist thought, I tend to avoid using terms like "economic development," at least in the linear, Jeffrey Sachs-esque way, as much as I can (a substantial hurtle when you have the interests I have). First the WFP posted about women's granaries as empowering women and reducing hunger issues concurrently; next, Raj Shah, the head of USAID, posted about the necessity of nutrition as a "protection" for children. First, a small disclaimer. I'm not a huge fan of USAID; their politics and methods can be overly pushy at times, even more so than agencies like UNHCR and WHO. I mainly subscribe to the feed out of bemusement. However, these two posts sparked my interest since I've always had a soft spot for hunger and its impact on, well, every other aspect of life in a given population. Even though I mainly studied educational policy during my graduate years, it quickly became clear that policy changes can do next to nothing on the ground without the people themselves having access to basic necessities like nutritious food, clean water and relatively comfortable (roofed) establishments in which to congregate.
This, along with my lifelong passion for food and cooking, ignited an entirely new direction of interest for me, and led to the establishment of this blog. Some posts will be more policy-driven than others, and sometimes I may go so far as to toss in a recipe or two from favorite cuisines or cooks around the world (No Anthony Bourdain allowed, though--just watch his "No Reservations" show when he goes to Paris, and you'll understand my disdain). Happy reading, and if you have suggestions for different pieces or streams I should pay attention to let me know! I think I'll tackle India's 2011 National Food Security Bill next week.
