221.611.01 FOOD/NUTRITION AND LIVELIHOOD IN HUMANITARIAN EMERGENCIES

Examines food aid, food insecurity, and nutritional deficiencies as they appear in different types of humanitarian emergencies. Discusses profiles of major international relief organizations involved in nutrition and food delivery and common programmatic interventions used in response to food crises. Presents data and issues related to current global food-shortages with an emphasis on development of practical skills and knowledge that can be applied in field settings. Students learn to appraise and compare nutrition content, cost, and logistical considerations associated with large-scale feeding programs, assess nutrition status, and consider factors contributing to food security at both the household and regional levels.

In this course students will be exposed to the problems of food insecurity and malnutrition in humanitarian emergencies. After completing this course students will have the capacity to: 1) define common nutritional deficiencies in emergencies, and specify how these should be corrected; 2) assess the nutrition status of a population and food security at the household level; 3) determine how a food should be distributed, monitored, and targeted; 4) understand the dynamics of food aid in the emergency context, including policy factors, key organizations involved in provision of food assistance, determinants of receipt of aid, and the location and basis for current food shortages.