Malnutrition deaths across India drive UN project utilizing Indigenous culture

18 Aug 2022 --- As the High Court in Bombay reveals that the number of children dying of malnutrition among some of India’s indigenous tribes is not declining, a project from UK’s University of East Anglia (UEA) is attempting to address the nutritional shortfall in a novel way; through film.

The project is meant to enable food security by revealing local and indigenous sources and methods of procuring food. It is being carried out in conjunction with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal for nutrition and food security.

“This project emerged from a research initiative on ‘Transforming India’s Green Revolution toward sustainable food systems,’” Dr. Nitya Rao, director at the Norwich Institute for Sustainable Development and professor at the School of International Development, UEA, tells NutritionInsight.

“We worked in two locations – Santhal Parganas and Koraput/Kandhamal districts of Odisha – both locations are home to indigenous populations,” states Rao. “They are rich in biodiversity, yet have high levels of malnutrition.”

Improving indigenous nutritionRecent reporting shows that the amount of childhood deaths from malnutrition in tribal communities has not decreased in 16 years.
Government officials in India recently announced that, among the indigenous tribes in the “tribal belt” of India, the number of child deaths from malnutrition had not decreased in 16 years. Moreover, reports show that 18 children from one village died of malnutrition in the period between 15 July and 15 August.

Additionally, it was found that India’s vitamin A deficiency program, meant to address the most preventable cause of blindness in children, was not reaching the indigenous population or those who lived far outside of the major cities. Rao believes this project can help overcome malnutrition in these areas while allowing the young people living there to share nutritional knowledge. 

“A key impact has been a generational shift in terms of recognition and interest in local foods and their value,” underscores Rao. “Given the social marginalization of Indigenous groups, their foods and cultures are looked down upon, and the younger generation has developed a sense of shame.”

She also notes that “by bringing in ‘modern’, digital technologies, was able to attract the youth and change some of their knowledge, beliefs and also practices.”

Using tech to fight malnutrition
Additionally, Rao holds that by introducing “modern” technologies like digital cameras that the young people could film with, they were able to attract more young people into the project and help to increase their knowledge as well as changing some of their practices and beliefs around indigenous foods.

The project trained ten young people from the Santhal region to make films about indigenous foods and other areas of concern. The films are published via a dedicated YouTube channel and a soon-to-be-published recipe book. 

“As it is in the local language, where we can facilitate perhaps is to help build networks across the Santhal speaking region, bring this work to the attention of local universities and colleges and get other students and young people involved, so it becomes an indigenous, youth-led movement for transforming food systems,” she stresses.

“Agency and the motivation to change is the first step in reducing, not just food insecurity, but leading to co-benefits, such as interest in sustainable agriculture, nurturing communication and social support across generations,” Rao concludes.

By William Bradford Nichols