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The province comprises Catanduanes Island (also called Virac Island), Panay Island, Lete Island, the Palumbanes group of islands(Porongpong, Tignob, and Calabagio), and a few other small, surrounding islets and rocks. The province is also home to various mollusk fossil sites, notably the second-oldest ammonite site in the Philippines. These sites have certain species of ammonites that are found nowhere else in Southeast Asia. Because of the province's importance and rich geologic history, various scholars have suggested that, if the province would take the initiative to put its name forward in nomination, it would stand a good chance of being declared a UNESCO Geopark Reserve.

Catanduanes was made a sub-province of Ambos. Camarines with Don Felipe Usero as its first Lieutenant Governor. It was during his term that the island was annexed to the province of Albay. The American occupation ended in 1934, followed by the birth of the Philippine Commonwealth.

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According to the 2015 Census, the age group with the highest population in Catanduanes is 10 to 14, with 31,721 individuals. Conversely, the age group with the lowest population is 80 and over, with 3,240 individuals.

The population of Catanduanes grew from 39,410 in 1903 to 271,879 in 2020, an increase of 232,469 people over the course of 117 years. The latest census figures in 2020 denote a positive growth rate of 0.87%, or an increase of 10,915 people, from the previous population of 260,964 in 2015.

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The province is geographically situated at the easternmost part of the Bicol Peninsula, separated from the mainland Bicol by the Maqueda Channel and the Lagonoy Gulf. It is the first landmass of the Philippine archipelago to kiss the Pacific Ocean, making it directly open to the path of tropical cyclones, thus the moniker, “The Land of the Howling Winds”.

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The best time of the year to visit Catanduanes is from the month of March to June when the weather turns dry. It is coolest and rainiest from October to early part of January, hottest from March to May.

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The annual regular revenue of Catanduanes for the fiscal year of 2016 was ₱758,614,248.24.

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Sustainable Development Goal 1 is talking about how to end poverty because in Catanduanes abaca and coconut cultivation are the main sources of income followed by fishing, rice, and vegetable growing, all of which were harmed by the typhoon. The food security, nutrition, and livelihoods of abaca and coconut producers are threatened because the crops' next harvest is many years away. If assistance is not provided to restore these farmers' productive potential, they may become reliant on relief for an extended time. Poverty is prevalent in Catanduanes, with a rate of 19.4 percent and a high rate of malnutrition.

To cover their necessities, the average household, a family of five, requires USD 152.5 per month.

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Poverty incidence among Catandunganon Families in the first semester of 2018 was estimated at 19.4 percent. This is defined as the proportion of families whose income is below the poverty threshold to the total number of families. This was estimated at 37.3 percent in the same period in 2015.
The poverty incidence of families from Catanduanes at 19.4 percent is slightly lower than the poverty incidence of families from the whole Bicol Region at 21.45 but higher than the national average at 16.1%.
Family of Five needed PHP 7,377 to meet basic needs.
In the first semester of 2018, a family of five needed no less than PHP 7,377 on average to meet the family's basic needs for food needs in a month. This amount is the food threshold. On the other hand, no less than PHP 10,481 on average was needed to meet basic food and non-food needs of a family of five in a month. This amount is the poverty threshold. These are 10.9 higher than the food and poverty thresholds from the first semester of 2015.
Food threshold is the minimum income required to meet the basic food needs, satisfying the nutritional requirements set by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) to ensure that one remains economically and socially productive. On the other hand, poverty threshold is the minimum income required to meet the basic food and non-food needs such as clothing, fuel, light, water, housing, rental of occupied dwelling units, transportation and communication, health and education expenses, non-durable furnishing, household operations and personal care and effects.
Poverty Incidence of Filipino Individuals is at 21%
The poverty incidence among Filipino Individuals in the first semester of 2018 was estimated at 21%. This is referred to as the proportion of the population living below the poverty threshold to the total population. During the same period in 2015, poverty incidence among Filipinos was recorded at 27.6%.

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POVERTY INCIDENCE AMONG CATANDUNGANON FAMILIES AT 19.4%

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Poverty incidence among Catandunganon Families in the first semester of 2018 was estimated at 19.4 percent. This is defined as the proportion of families whose income is below the poverty threshold to the total number of families. This was estimated at 37.3 percent in the same period in 2015.

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Poverty is expensive. So is war, corruption and tribalism. The Philippines is richly endowed with all four.

Studies have shown that a high child poverty rate means higher healthcare spending, drop-out rates and crime.

Manila's thousands of informal settlers - "squatters" - are the most striking faces of poverty in the Philippines.

Poverty in the regions

Yet, away from the media glare is the grind of humiliating want in far-flung provinces faced by millions more. The Philippines has the most persistent poverty in South-East Asia.

Two regions consistently posted the highest poverty levels: the Muslim-majority Bangsamoro in the south, and Bicol region, in the east, Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) figures show.

Bicol, for its part, remains torn by Maoist rebellion, as are other regions in the country. These regions hold much natural beauty, unspoilt by mass tourism.

Urban squalor

Despite Manila's widely-reported urban blight of "squatters", the Philippine capital (also known as the National Capital Region) posted the lowest poverty rate, at 3.9 per cent, PSA data show.

This is in sharp contrast to the poverty incidence in Bangsamoro at 52.7 per cent, currently the highest in the archipelago - nearly 14 times more than Manila's.

The Philippines posted a per-capita income of $10,030 (compared to Thailand's $17,090 and Malaysia's $28,650), according to a 2017 World Bank data.

Restive lands

Bicol, in the country's east, is where the most number of poor Filipinos reside - 2.172 million residents live off $1.25 (Dh4.7) or less a day, according to PSA.

In terms of actual number of poor people, Bangsamoro came in second, with 1.99 million residents living off $1.25 or less a day.

Bicol has 6 provinces (Albay, Cam Norte, Cam Sur, Catanduanes, Masbate and Sorsogon), with average poverty incidence of 44.2% in 2006

The 5 provinces under the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM - Basilan, Lanao Del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi) - saw poverty incidence at 52.7 per cent in 2015 (up from 47.1 per cent in 2006).

4 out of 10 children in ARMM received no vaccinations.

All Philippine laws, including land rights and economic legislation are crafted in Manila.

Most Philippines Senators are from Luzon, the main island where Manila is.

The Bicol province of Camarines Sur (5,497 km2) is bIgger than Dubai (4,114 km2).

The island of Basilan in Mindanao is 2 times bigger than Singapore.

Cursed by the Constitution?

Is this a curse? More to it, is this a constitutional curse? Since the 1980s, the Moro and Bicol regions have consistently rated poorly on most indicators, such as income and child mortality.

This vicious cycle has many roots. Among them is the rigidity of the country's Constitution, ratified in 1987.

The Charter, a pushback against the two decades of bloody and kleptocratic Marcos dictatorship, was crafted by an unelected body handpicked by the former president Cory Aquino government in 1986, after Marcos and his thieving minions fled the country.

Today, 33 years later, the Constitution has become an unforgiving spoiler: It centralises all decision-making, including those that are economic in nature, in Manila.

For example, up to 20 out of the 24 present senators in the Philippines (elected in a national ballot), are from Manila, or neighbouring regions in Luzon. The Senate and House of Representatives hold the key to any constitutional amendments.

Given this emotional attachment to Manila's centrality in governing this huge archipelago (with a 36,289km coastline, compared to 2,389 km in Germany, a federalised nation), generations of Filipino legislators are unable - or reluctant - to craft long-overdue amendments to redistribute decision making.

For example, up to 20 out of the 24 present senators in the Philippines (elected in a national ballot), are from Manila, or neighbouring regions in Luzon.

Where Filipinos are 14 times poorer

What the PSA figures show is hidden poverty: The poorest in the Philippines live not in its blighted city dwellings but in rural areas. They work in the agriculture sector, mainly in farming and fishing.

That these regions are forever poor is no scandal. What's shocking, however, is how they're richly endowed.

A case in point: In Maguindanao, part of the Bangsamoro, the earth beneath the Liguasan Marsh (220,000 hectares) straddling two provinces, holds an estimated $1 trillion worth of recoverable natural gas deposits.

Bicol, for its part, has rich volcanic and agricultural land. Its mountains laden with gold. Most of Bicol's land today, however, had been parceled out by Manila-based miners, operating under laws crafted in the capital.

Here's another: A huge chunk of the power that lights up Manila and Luzon comes from two big power stations in Bicol - Tiwi and Bacman geothermal power plants have a combined rated output of 450MW.

Bicol (total land area: 1,763,252 hectares) is a romping ground for mining outfits. Masbate (4,151 km2) alone, which boasts of several gold mines, is five times bigger than Singapore's total land area, but with just 1/6th of the population.

But here's one headscratcher: Up to 70 per cent of the region's land, declared by the Manila government as "alienable and disposable", had been parceled out to miners - most of whom are bankrolled by Manila money, usually with foreign partners.

For a land so blessed with natural riches, it makes one wonder why it's the poorest.

Bicol minerals

Albay: Gold, copper, coal, lime, clay, gypsum, perlite, and coral rocks.

Camarines Sur: Chromite, nickel, copper, iron, gypsum and pumice.

Camarines Norte: Gold, silver, iron ore, lead, zinc, limestone, sand, clay and marble.

Masbate: Gold, manganese, limestone, silver, iron, chromite, lead, zinc and coal.

Catanduanes: Gold, silver, coal, manganese, marble, kaolin and phosphate rocks.

Sorsogon has sulphur, coal, limestone, iron ore, and manganese.

There's big money in mining.

In 2012, metallic minerals (copper, gold, silver and zinc) in Bicol generated nearly Php10 billion ($224 million) in revenues, based on data from the Department of Environment and National Resources (DENR) and the Mines and Geoscience Bureau ( MGB, Region 5). Of that, 86 percent came from gold mines.

Most of it went to the miners and, through taxes, the public coffers. These coffers are emptied each budget year through deficit spending passed by Congress.

Some 983,300 hectares (more than 12 times bigger than the land area of Singapore) are under approval for FTAAs - or financial and technical assistance agreements - in the region. Moreover, 332,469 hectares are being targeted for MPSAs - or mineral production and sharing agreements.

Bicol Miners

Camarines Sur

UP-Mines Incorporated (7,938 hectares); Bicol Chromite & Manganese Corp. (2,243.10 + 2,741.05 hectares); Tambuli Mining Co. Inc. (5,397.3800has); Magnetite Offshore Mining /Bogo Mining Resources Corp. (6,089.2532 has.)

Camarines Norte

Indophil Resources Phil. Inc. /Jericho Mining Corp (995.38 hectares); San Christo Mineral Exploration Corp. (1,878.18 hectares); Gou Long Mining Corp (595.65 hectares); Yinlu Bikol Mining Corp. (663.07 hectares); Bulawan Mineral Resources Corp. (164.95.90 + 4,974.87 hectares)

Ibalong Resources Development Corp (1,061.91 hectares); Alcorn Gold Resources Corp. (5,998.3200 hectares) Palanog, Camalig, Albay: Goodfound Cement Corporation; Sorsogon: Tomas G. Ranola (1,620.0043 hectares) and Global Summit Mines Dev't. Corp. (1,000 hectares)

Vicar Mining Corp (783.78 hectares), Masbate 10 Philippines Inc. (15,007.4345 hectares); Masbate13 Philippines Inc. (16,129.13 hectares); Alfonso Mineral Resources (6,444.4526 hectares), Magellan Consolidated Mines & Dev't. Corp. (2,799.9862 hectares.); Masbate 2145 Phils. (15,909.3279has.); and Geograce Mining Corp. (4,675 hectares). Golden River Mining Corp./VTN-Agno River Gold Mining Corp. (555.48h as., gold, copper, silver, etc.)

Catanduanes

Monte Oro Resource Energy Inc. (15 hectares)

Tomas G. Ranola (1,620.0043 hectares) and Global Summit Mines Dev't. Corp. (1,000 hectares)

Morever, there are at least 14 more mining corporations that have approved exploration permits in Bicol.

Mindanao minerals

Besides confirned gas reserves on Liguasan Marsh, Bangsamoro areas are also richly endowed.

Until 2016, the Philippines was the world's biggest nickel supplier, producing 347,000 metric tonnes of nickel ore in 2016. Most of the country's nickel come from mines in Mindanao.

Tawi-Tawi, an island province in the southwest, is a key source of nickel, iron and chromite.

Cargo ships loading tonnes of nickel bound for China, are a common sight off Languyan town's Tumabagaan Island.

In 2017, Indonesia overtook the Philippines in nickel exports, when President Rodrigo Duterte briefly implemented a mining ban - now lifted, after Duterte's first activist environment secretary, Gina Lopez, was thrown out by the Commission on Appointments, a powerful Constitutional body that confirms presidential appointments.

Statista, a data portal, projects global demand for primary nickel, a key component of batteries used in electric vehicles (EVs), to grow from 1.8 million metron tons in 2015 to 2.19 million metric tons in 2020. Glencore, a US-based mining firm, projects nickel demand to spike from 2025, as EV penetration grows.

Top mining companies in Tawi-Tawi Province:

Dasussalam Mining Co.

Al Tawi-Tawi Nickel Group (with S.R. Languyan Mining Corp.)

Singcara Mining and Development Corp.

Pax Libera Mining Inc.

Chan C. Mining

Hikanjay Mining Inc.

Another mineral-rich region is Caraga's five provinces - Dinagat Province, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Agusan del Norteand Agusan del Sur - in the northeastern part of Mindanao.

Caraga Region now hosts several mining projects producing various commodities such as gold, copper, chrome, nickel, iron and limestone. It is also one of the poorest (see table).

'Resource curse?'

Despite widespread for a more equitable distribution of its natural abundance, the set-up in the Philippines has been the same: Keep economic power and decision making in Manila. If rebel provinces rise up, use the army.

Meanwhile, locals must sometimes bear the brunt, being at the receiving end of irresponsible mining.

On the Rapu-Rapu island in Bicol's Albay province, trees and wide swathes of fishing ground were decimated following two toxic spills from open-pit mines in 2005. This disaster involved two foreign mining firms.

How other countries manage their mineral resources

There are two good examples of how mineral wealth is harnessed to benefit the people: Norway and the Gulf countries.

The Philippines, despite its mineral wealth, has no SWF - until now.

Proposals are afoot in the House of Representatives and Senate, but are they now stalled. The May election fever is on. The next crop of lawmakers must buckle down to harmonise conflicting provisions.

The result: A vicious cycle of poverty, resentment, Manila's control mania, and the deadly cocktail of separatism and rebellion.

Amids the violence that threatens the state, the Philippine military becomes the final arbiter.

The result is a lingering low-intensity conflict. It perpatuates Manila's overwhelming control over the national economy. Corruption at the Bureau of Customs, the gatekeepers of trade, only improve the lives of the inspectors and their families.

Meanwhile, a great number of Filipinos endure daily horrors of severe want and, sometimes, mass murders that border on ethnic cleansing.

On September 24, 1974, two years after the dictator Ferdinand Marcos proclaimed Martial Law, 1,500 male Moros aged 11-70 were massacred inside the Tacbil mosque in Malisbong village of Palimbang town, in province of Sultan Kudarat.

It was the biggest single-day mass murder in the Philippines.

Corruption, and communist rebellion are inscrutable challenges that perpetuate this vicious cycle.

But there's also the undercurrent of tribalism at work.

Every encounter between two Filipinos aboard, this question would invariably pop up: "Saan ka sa atin? (Tagalog for: "Where are you from, in our land (country)?".

It's a guaging encounter. Those who are raised in the Tagalog region, where Manila is, consider themselves vastly superior to those who hail from others, especially the South, denigrated as the rednecks of the Philippines.

Under Ferdinand Marcos, Ilocanos dominated the military. It's not always solid: Infighting among Ilocanos in military establishment led to Marcos' ouster in 1986. Today, many of the Cabinet men of Duterte, who is from the South, are Ilocanos from the North. Many of them are former military generals.

In the Philippines, tribal loyalties define the outcome of national elections. Tribalism is more powerful than truth itself.

- Jay Hilotin, Web Editor

In the Philippines, tribal loyalties define the outcome of national elections. It is more powerful than truth itself.

Marcos plundered the nation's coffers and hid them in Swiss accounts, some of that loot was returned by the Swiss. His family is now firmly back in politics, thanks to the vote-rich Ilocos region, the "Solid North" tribe to which his family belongs.

In November 2018, a Philippine court ordered the arrest of Imelda Marcos, 89, on seven counts of graft. The evidence: she made seven bank transfers totalling $200 million to Swiss foundations during her term as Manila governor.

The court ordered her to serve six to 11 years in jail for each of the seven counts, or at least 42 years altogether. Her lawyer is contesting the ruling before the Supreme Court.

The Marcos family was toppled in an army-backed popular uprising in 1986, but after a few years in exile in Singapore and the US, they all came back.

Imelda already served three terms as Congresswoman, and her daughter Imee (María Imelda Josefa Romualdez Marcos), 62, is a front-runner in the May 2019 Senatorial elections. Ferdinand Marcos Jr, nearly won the vice-presidential race in 2016. It's almost become a given today: In a national contest, anyone with a Marcos family name would be the candidate to beat.

The military, with its record of coups against the state and victories against rebels, keeps the republic intact. After a tactical gain, the soldies go back to the barracks. The same toxic situation remains.

Then next military campaign - or coup - is planned, executed.

No hope for a federal Philippines?

What's the solution? There's no magic bullet.

But there's a ray of hope. The January 21 plebiscite on the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) shows promises an economic upside for the Moros. In 2017, congressmen from six northern provinces (Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga and Mountain Province) of the Cordilleras, a mineral-rich but landlocked region in the northern Luzon, had also called for autonomy.

Both would theoretically become semi-states, within the Philippines. It's a rare chance to right the centuries of wrongs done by Manila-centric rule.

For other regions, however, the overwhelming "yes" vote for BOL, bears an underlying message: If you want economic freedom, first launch an armed independence bid. Get some of your people massacred, and maybe the oppressors in Manila will take notice.

President Rodrigo Duterte, considered an outsider among the Manila-based power elite, revived the federalism campaign. The Manila oligarchs, and the church condemn him. His first choice of environment minister, who shut down mines, was blithely thrown out.

Federalism is now dead in the Philippine Congress, especially the Senate.

The 1987 Constitution prescribes no regional legislative chambers. Senators are elected in a nationwide popular vote. In the last 30 years, out of more than 100 Senators elected, only two came from Bangsamoro areas.

Anti-federal campaigners fear a possible "disintegration" of the Philippines. In reality, the Philippines is so widely scattered geographically, and a central administration over acomomic activity to ensure inclusiveness has never worked.

Doing the same, expecting different result

To expect a differen result, by repeatedly doing the same thing, is folly.

To be sure, the Bangsamoro self-rule is a welcome change, though much needs to be done to make it work.

Given the institutionalised dispossession of the great majority of Filipino, only their collective action and enlightened give-and-take can address roots of poverty, make growth inclusive and achieve lasting peace.

This requires new thinking, and ways of doing things.

It requires thinking outside the box; certainly outside the traffic-clogged streets and smog-filled air of Metro Manila.

Meanwhile, to console the poor, Christian preachers of every stripe often repeat this refrain from the Bible: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal."

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Pinoy: Where Filipinos endure extreme poverty, amidst a rich land

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Poverty is expensive. So is war, corruption and tribalism. The Philippines is richly endowed with all four. Studies have shown that a high child poverty rate means higher healthcare spending, drop-out rates and crime. Manila's thousands of informal settlers - "squatters" - are the most striking faces of poverty in the Philippines.

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Technologies:

Improve farming techniques
Most of the 1.4 billion people who live on less than $1.25 per day rely on agriculture for their livelihoods, according to the United Nations. Technological advances in agriculture, from better plowing techniques to rice adapted from saltier water, can reduce hunger for millions.

Increase access to education
Many children, especially disadvantaged girls, in rural areas have limited access to education. And many of the schools that rural children can attend struggle with poor-quality teachers and limited resources. But new technology like solar-powered computers and projectors allow students to participate in real-time, interactive lessons with quality teachers.

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Sustainable Development Goal 2 is all about how to achieve zero hunger, food security, and improve malnutrition in our country. Catanduanes province had the largest number of underweight and seriously underweight preschool children among the six provinces in the region, with 5,906 (an an18.91 percent prevalence rate) out of 31,240total preschool children.
I decided to focus on these goals because one of the highest percentages of malnutrition in our country is the Island of Catanduanes.

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#EmergencyResponse Archives - Action Against Hunger

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Maria and her husband used to live along the shore of Barangay Guinsaanan. Together, they managed to get by through their sari-sari store which was then frequented by tourist who were visiting Binurong Point, a popular tourist in the area.

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LEGAZPI CITY: An increasing incidence of malnutrition among schoolchildren is stalking the provinces of Albay, Camarines Sur and Catanduanes, all current growth areas of the region, according to the data of the National Nutrition Council (NNC) in Bicol.

In Albay alone, the towns of Santo Domingo under Mayor Herbie Aguas and Manito led by Mayor Caesar Daep, are among the top ten municipalities in Bicol with high cases of malnutrition, the study said.

In Catanduanes, the study counts the municipalities of Viga, Pandan and Caramoran and in Camarines Sur, the towns Lagonoy, Presentacion, Siruma, Cabusao and Cala-banga made it to the list.

The prevalence of underweight, stunting, wasting among school- aged children continue to be serious nutritional concerns of the region based on the 2012 region-wide Operation Timbang result conducted by the NNC regional office here.

The province of Catanduanes had the highest number of underweight and severely underweight preschool children among the six provinces of the region with 5,906 a prevalence rate of 18.91 percent out of 31,240 preschool children totally weighed followed by Camarines Sur with 38, 877 or 18.16 percent out of 214,074 weighed, Masbate, 18, 625 or 16.43 percent out of 119,914 weighed, Albay, 17,513 or 14.91 percent out of 117,443 weighed, Sorsogon, 11,415 or 14.52 percent out of 78,650 weighed while Camarines Norte has the lowest number of malnourished children with 10,470 or 13.58 percent out of 77,121 totally weighed.

Of the region's seven cities, Naga had the lowest percentage of malnutrition or underweight preschool children with 1,316, or 4.83 percent out of 27,265 totally weighed, followed by Iriga City with 947, or 6.19 percent and Tabaco City with 1,336, or 7.37 percent.

Masbate City ranked first with highest prevalence of malnourished preschool children with 2,238, or 15.03 percent followed by Ligao City (Albay) with 1,817, or 13.19 percent out of 13,777 preschool children totally weighed, Sorsogon City 1,901, or 8.65 percent and Legazpi City improved its malnutrition standing from ranked first in the past few years to ranked fourth with 1,951, or 7.67 percent out of 25,443 totally weighed preschool children.

Using the World Health Organization's weight standards, the prevalence of malnutrition for children below five declined from 16 percent in 2010 to 14.9 percent in 2012 but the prevalence of poor nutrition hounding the region will hamper the government's target of reducing malnutrition before 2015.

The Philippine government is one among 189 UN member nations that reaffirmed their commitment to the millennium development goals, including the eradication of malnutrition, extreme poverty and hunger in 2015.

Despite this commitment, the local government units in Bicol failed to fully address the malnutrition problems in the region.

NNC Regional Director Arlene Reario said poor nutritional status continues to be a serious concern particularly underweight, stunting, wasting.

The problem of malnutrition among school children is directly linked with the high incidence of poverty in the region.

Reario explained that under nutrition in the early years of life results to poor resistance to infections, frequent illness and worst death.

While undernourished preschool children tend to be poor learners in school. Poor learning in school results to adults who are unskilled and have low functional literacy, which limit their opportunities for gainful employment.

Unemployment and underemployment then result to low productivity that breeds poverty which in turn repeats the cycle of undernutrition.

"Since individuals make up a community and a country, then malnourished individuals also compromise the potentials for socio economic development of a country," the NNC official said.

Children afflicted with malnutrition are physically stunted and with poor mental development, high risk to infections, lower school performance, lower levels of productivity and in extreme cases, death.

The region, in collaboration with NNC, is rapidly pushing breastfeeding and supplemental feeding programs to lessen the malnutrition cases in the region.

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High cases of malnutrition stalk Albay, Cam Sur and Catanduanes

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LEGAZPI CITY: An increasing incidence of malnutrition among schoolchildren is stalking the provinces of Albay, Camarines Sur and Catanduanes, all current growth areas of the region, according to the data of the National Nutrition Council (NNC) in Bicol.

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There are two major approaches in addressing malnutrition.

Nutritional planning

Direct nutrition and health development

Nutritional planning

This involves political commitment by the government. A well planned and well executed long term project can accelerate the developmental process and the benefits can be rewarding and permanent.

Nutritional planning involves formulation of a nutrition policy and overall long term planning to improve production and supplies of food, ensure its equitable distribution and programs to increase the purchasing power of people. This may include, land reforms,proper guidance in agriculture to help farmers to get better yields from their lands, help in proper marketing of farm produce. To help increasing the capacity of people to buy nutritious food in adequate quantity, income generating activities for the weaker sections of the community, making available good quality food in affordable prices through proper public distribution system, etc are some of the plans for the government to implement.

Direct nutrition and health interventions
Improved health care system
Infections like malaria, measles and diarrhea are prevalent in our society and they precipitate acute malnutrition among children and infants. A good health care system that provides immunization, oral rehydration, periodic deworming, early diagnosis and proper treatment of common illnesses can go a long way in preventing malnutrition in the society.
Nutrition education
People can be educated on

The nutritional quality of common foods

Importance and nutritional quality of various locally available and culturally accepted low cost foods

Importance of exclusive breastfeeding for six months and continuing to breast feed up to two years or beyond.

Damage caused by irrational beliefs and cultural practices of feeding

Recipes for preparing proper weaning foods and good supplementary food from locally available low cost foods.

mportance of including milk, eggs, meat or pulses in sufficient quantities in the diet to enhance the net dietary protein value.

Importance of feeding children and adults during illness

Importance and advantages of growing a kitchen garden

Importance of immunizing their children and following proper sanitation in their day to day life.

Early detection of malnutrition and intervention

The longer the developmental delays remain uncorrected, the greater the chance of permanent effects and hence intervention must occur during pregnancy and first three years of life.

A well recorded growth chart can detect malnutrition very early. Velocity of growth is more important than the actual weight at a given time

If growth of the child is slowed or is arrested as shown by flat curve on the growth card, physician should be alerted and any hidden infection or any reason for nutritional deficiency must be evaluated and taken care of.

If growth chart is not maintained, anthropometric indices like, weight, height mid arm circumference, and chest circumference etc. can be measured and used for evaluation of nutrition.

Nutrition supplementation
Usually, biologically vulnerable groups like pregnant women, infants, preschool going and school going children are targeted by various welfare measures conducted by the government. Calories, proteins and micronutrients like iron, vitamin A and zinc can be supplemented.
Objective of nutrition supplementation of infants and children includes

To treat and rehabilitate severely malnourished subjects .

Improve the general health and wellbeing of children, increase the resistance to infectious illnesses and thereby decrease morbidity,

Accelerate the physical growth and mental development of children

Improve the academic performance and learning abilities of children.

Objective of supplementing pregnant and lactating women include

Preventing anemia in the mother thus improving her health and the pregnancy outcome.

Improving calorie intake and prevent low birth weight baby, thus breaking the vicious cycle of intergenerational cycle of growth failure.

Supplementing calcium to prevent osteoporosis.

Source: Portal Content Development Team

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There are two major approaches in addressing malnutrition. Nutritional planning Direct nutrition and health development This involves political commitment by the government. A well planned and well executed long term project can accelerate the developmental process and the benefits can be rewarding and permanent.

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• https://catanduanes.gov.ph/catanduanes-history/
• https://gocatanduanes.com/about-catanduanes/
• https://www.philatlas.com/luzon/r05/catanduanes.html
• https://www.fao.org/emergencies/fao-in-action/stories/stories-detail/en/c/1335026/
• https://borgenproject.org/10-technological-solutions-poverty/
• https://blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com/en/technology-helps-countries-win-the-battle-against-hunger/

Note: The pictures are not mine. Credits to the owners.

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TECHNOLOGIES:

A blockchain-powered solution for money transfers
Delivering assistance to refugees is a challenging task, even when aid organizations have enough food and money. Transporting supplies to certain regions can be expensive and skews “the prices of the food already on the market”.

Making it possible to grow food in arid regions
Apart from knowledge-sharing platforms, farmers in developing countries are also getting access to sophisticated agricultural technologies.