These babies are 20 times more likely to die in infancy, and those who survive are more likely to remain malnourished throughout childhood. It is also likely they will face health and learning difficulties all their lives.
This means that hunger and its effects are passed from generation to generation.
Women may be victims of hunger but they are also the most effective solution to combating and preventing hunger.
And when hunger and under nutrition affect women, they also affect children. More than 19 million children are born annually with low birth weight, often the result of their mothers receiving inadequate nutrition before and during pregnancy.