Short answers, pulled from the story.
Malnutrition is a complex category of diseases that includes undernutrition, overnutrition, and imbalances of energy, protein, and other nutrients. The World Health Organization and The Lancet Commission identify the double burden of malnutrition where overnutrition in the form of obesity coexists with undernutrition in the same communities.
In 2021, 148.1 million children under five years old were stunted and 45 million were wasted. The same year, 37 million children were overweight or obese, and an estimated 45% of deaths in children were linked to undernutrition.
Undernutrition weakens the immune system, making individuals more susceptible to infections like tuberculosis and increasing the risk of HIV transmission. It can also cause vitamin-deficiency-related diseases like scurvy and rickets, as well as acute problems such as hypoglycemia and dehydration.
Corn production in Malawi leaped to 3.4 million in 2007 compared to 1.2 million in 2005 after the government implemented subsidies for fertilizer and seed. This change made Malawi a major food exporter and lowered food prices while raising wages for farmworkers.
According to UNICEF's projections, almost 600 million people will be chronically undernourished in 2030. Global warming and extreme weather events like drought are expected to have major impacts on agricultural production and food security in the tropics and subtropics.