We must demonstrate 'Olympian leadership' to improve global nutrition

In this post in the Chicago Council on Global Affairs' "Global Food For Thought" blog, Howarth Bouis, director of HarvestPlus, a global research program that develops and disseminates nutrient-rich staple food crops to improve nutrition globally, writes, "David Cameron's decision to tie a hunger summit to the Olympics was imaginative ... because Cameron saw how the Olympics, that celebrate the best of human athleticism and teamwork, could also be used to draw attention to those who will never ever come close to competing in an Olympics event." He continues, "The Global Hunger Event exemplified the approach that we need if we are to race, not inch, towards the finish line of significantly improving nutrition by the next Olympic Games," concluding, "Collectively, we must now assume this mantle of Olympian leadership if we are to bring down the historic and arbitrary barriers between agriculture, nutrition and health" (8/17).