Dr Nisha Arunatilake calls for urban underserved settlements (USS) to be included in the current approach of promoting nutrition security

IPS Director of Research Dr Nisha Arunatilake highlighted that residents of urban underserved settlements (USS) were one of the most nutritionally vulnerable populations in Sri Lanka, and called for a reform in the current approach of promoting nutrition security in the country.

This presentation was based on evidence from a study conducted by IPS between December 2021 and February 2022 in the Orugodawatta, Narahenpita and Vilawila Grama Niladhari divisions in the Colombo district. The objective of this study was to identify how various crises in Sri Lanka influenced the retail food market, food security, and eating patterns of USS populations, and it was revealed that the urban poor face disproportionate barriers to accessing healthy food.

Dr Arunatilake said that more than half of the sampled households in these areas were either poor or close to poverty and, on average, spent around 53% of their income on food. She recommended a more widespread distribution of fresh fruits, vegetables and other foods, so families in these areas can purchase perishable items within their neighborhoods. She also called for promoting the cultivation of healthy food, home gardening and animal husbandry, reducing food wastage, and promoting quality food production such as food fortification.

Dr Arunatilake made these revelations in an oral presentation titled “Influence of Disasters on the Urban Poor’s Food Environments and Security,” on Day 3 of the Delivering for Nutrition in South Asia 2024 conference (D4N 2024), held at the Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo recently.

D4N 2024 was held from December 3-5, and it was the flagship nutrition conference by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), CGIAR and other global and regional co-hosts including IPS Sri Lanka.