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Barely had the dust settled in the wake of Haiti’s worst earthquake in two centuries when international aid agencies began the rush to help. A priority was to feed the devastated Caribbean country’s population. Yet added to immediate catastrophes such as Haiti’s is the long-term need to secure global food supplies in the face of rising population, climate change and climbing food prices.

Science can help design strategies to tackle malnutrition. The challenge is turning this knowledge into action. Improving nutrition in the developing world has never been more important. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, more than a billion people — one sixth of the global population — have a diet so poor they may be severely underweight, have stunted growth, or lack the vitamins and minerals they need for good health (all are aspects of severe malnutrition, or undernutrition).