Detecting hidden hunger from space - and on campus

Hidden hunger, a form of malnutrition that impacts two billion people worldwide.

ITC researcher Mariana Belgiu aims to expose ‘hidden hunger’, a form of malnutrition that impacts two billion people worldwide. Although she uses satellite data to map this global challenge, her research also takes place close to home. Belgiu’s team will start a ten-year-long field test on Campus this autumn.

Unlike ‘regular’ hunger, which you might experience if you don’t consume enough food, hidden hunger is caused by an insufficient uptake of nutrients. In other words, you might eat enough but your body still doesn't receive the essential vitamins and minerals it needs.

‘Hidden hunger is a global problem. It exists in both developed and developing countries,’ explains Mariana Belgiu, Associate Professor in the Department of Earth Observation Science at the ITC faculty. 

 I felt very strongly that I didn’t want any children and mothers to suffer from malnutrition.

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