Scaling up nutrition : What will it cost

This report deals with the resources needed to eradicate malnutrition. More specifically, it evaluates the cost of taking a package of 13 interventions that are recognised as effective for nutrition and scaling it up to all target groups in the 36 countries most affected by malnutrition. The actions cover a part of the interventions listed in The Lancet series in 2008 (see [ROSA Watch N°2), and fall into three groups:

1. actions aiming at changing behaviour.,
2. actions using micronutrients and anthelmintic drugs (for children under five, pregnant women and the whole population)., and
3. actions providing food supplements and therapeutic additives (children aged 6 to 23 months with moderate malnutrition and children under 5 with severe malnutrition

The report evaluates the cost of the first two types of interventions, to which would be added the cost of reinforcing capacities, monitoring and evaluation, research and technical assistance for implementing the programme. The total cost would be US $5.5 billion per year. For the second stage, implementing the third type of interventions, including monitoring and evaluation, research and technical assistance, the total cost would be US $6.3 billion per year. So the total annual investment needed is US $11.8 billions. These estimates include not only the cost of the action, but also how it should be done. The interventions could be carried out mainly through the local health system, but new sources of funding must be found. However, the positive impact would be very high.

 World Bank - October 2009