Recently, I visited Bangladesh to find out how you feed a
country that has half the population of the United States
squeezed into an area the size of the state of Iowa. One thing
is for certain: no one can do it alone. During my trip, I
witnessed how partnerships among a broad range of stakeholders —
the Rome-based UN agencies, the Government of Bangladesh, donor
countries, civil society and the private sector — are coming
together to change the way we address chronic hunger. The U.S.
government is supporting partnerships that deliver food,
including fortified vegetable oil, in conjunction with health
and other interventions that help ensure our programs translate
into better nutrition outcomes. Good nutrition is crucial during
the first 1,000 days — from the mother’s pregnancy through the
child’s second birthday — because it affects lifelong mental and
physical development, IQ, school achievement, and, ultimately,
work capacity and income generation. Thus, nourishing children
not only enables individuals to