Ruel

But Ruel says scientific consensus alone will not solve the problem.

Ruel says countries may take different approaches to reducing child under nutrition.

Ruel says in the 1980s Thailand was able to reduce child undernourishment by recruiting a large number of volunteers to travel the countryside teaching about health and nutrition.

Ruel says that means the productivity of a nation's future generations depends in a large part on the first 1, 000 days of life.

Ruel says there are encouraging signs that politicians and implementers are beginning to get on board.

Says IFPri's Marie Ruel, "They will be more likely to perform well in school."