Malnutrition and Spirulina 

There are around 1 billion hungry people in the world and in 2006, more than 36 million people died of hunger or diseases due to deficiencies in micronutrients.

Director of Middle East office for the Intergovernmental Institution for the use of Micro-algae Spirulina against Malnutrition (IIMSAM), said “Some billion peoples in the world suffer from chronic hunger and such large-scale hunger is not only unprecedented but also should be intolerable in our world of plenty.  In a world in which enough food exists to feed every man, woman and child, we need to do far better with sincere and honest efforts be it politically, economically, scientifically or logistically”.

The World Health Organization (WHO) cites malnutrition as the gravest single threat to the world's public health and growing the nutrient rich Spirulina is seen by many as a way of halting this problem. 

A spokeperson for WHO said that "Spirulina represents an interesting food for multiple reasons, rich in iron and protein, and is able to be administered to children without any risk. We at WHO consider it a very suitable food” -

United Nations World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva, Switzerland June 8Th, 1993.

Spirulina- was also declared by the United Nations World Food Conference of 1974as the best food for the future.

Terra Endeavors supports the use of Spirulina, and collaborates with rural communities in developing regions of the world to overcome severe economic & environmental challenges.
 

In the UN-Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Report on Spirulina in 2008, it advises that "There is a need for both national governments and inter-governmental organizations to re-evaluate the potential of Spirulina to fulfill both their own food security needs as well as a tool for their overseas development emergency response efforts."

IIMSAM is one organisation taking this seriously and works to promote the use of Spirulina to counter and eradicate malnutrition worldwide. It strives to make Spirulina a key-driver to eradicate malnutrition, achieve global food security, and bridge the health divide with a special priority for the Developing and the Least Developed Countries.

How can spirulina eradicate extreme poverty and hunger?

• Spirulina is affordable: to feed a child in India costs between one and two Rupees a day (US$ 6 to 12 per year). Many other feeding solutions are more costly and less Sustainable.

• Spirulina is effective: one gram per day is sufficient enough to correct severe malnutrition in a child in a few weeks. New studies suggest that Spirulina not only improves the physical development of the child but also cognitive performance. Moreover, spirulina helps people affected by HIV/AIDS to gain weight and feel better in their daily life.

• It is a relatively simple process and requires a low investment of only US$500 per tank (18 m2) to produce 150 grams per day.

• It empowers women: spirulina cultivation is labour-intensive, hence an ideal job for rural women and others.

• It is a local business: spirulina production can be organized as a decentralized rural industry and can involve local people. Individuals can generate an income through producing, processing and selling spirulina as a business. It is thus a sustainable long-term solution.

You can learn more about Friends of IIMSAM and how you can support this worthy cause here.