Anna Vila-Martí is a professor and researcher at the Universitat de Vic – Universitat Central de Catalunya (UVic-UCC), where she has been teaching since 2008. She currently serves as the coordinator of the Bachelor’s Degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics and is part of the research group in Food, Health, and Wellbeing. Her work focuses on both teaching and research in nutrition, as well as overseeing student internships and academic projects. As an associated partner of MAHINE, she brings valuable academic and practical expertise to the project.
1. From your experience, what are the biggest challenges when it comes to improving nutrition in places like Angola? If you were starting a nutrition program from scratch, what would you focus on first?
One of the biggest challenges is tied to the broader socioeconomic context of Angola. Women and children are often the most vulnerable groups, facing higher levels of food insecurity and limited access to healthcare, which directly impacts their health and development. Geography and climate also play an important role, especially in rural areas where growing a diverse range of foods can be difficult.
If I were starting a nutrition program from scratch, I would focus first on reducing nutritional illiteracy. Providing education and practical strategies—especially to women—can have a strong impact on improving family nutrition and overall health outcomes.
2. How do you think nutrition and agriculture can work better together to address food insecurity?
Nutrition and agriculture need to be closely connected to ensure that people have access not just to enough food, but to healthy and sustainable diets. It’s not only about producing more food—it’s about producing the right kinds of food.
This means prioritizing crop diversity and encouraging the production of nutrient-rich foods. Nutrition helps identify what is needed based on the local context, while agriculture adapts production to factors like climate, soil, and available resources. Approaches such as nutrition-sensitive agriculture, support for family farming, and reducing post-harvest losses can all improve access to fresh and diverse foods.
At the same time, public policies should integrate nutritional goals into social programs. When both sectors work together, they also help communities become more resilient to challenges like climate change.
3. When people talk about “nutrition-sensitive” approaches, what does that actually look like in practice? How can we make sure people are not just getting more food, but better nutrition?
In practice, nutrition-sensitive approaches mean designing programs—whether agricultural, social, or educational—with clear nutritional goals in mind. The focus shifts from simply increasing food production to improving the quality of diets.
This includes promoting a wider variety of foods such as fruits, vegetables, and legumes, rather than relying only on staple crops. It also involves improving how food is stored and handled to preserve its nutritional value.
Another key aspect is ensuring people have access to and control over food, especially through family farming and women’s empowerment. Education is also essential, helping communities understand how to use available foods in a healthy and culturally appropriate way.
4. How does MAHINE aim to respond to Angola’s current health and nutrition challenges?
MAHINE is designed to directly address Angola’s challenges related to food insecurity, malnutrition, and the shortage of trained nutrition professionals. The project focuses on strengthening university education in nutrition, an area that currently has very limited formal training opportunities in the country.
One of MAHINE’s key contributions is improving both academic curricula and practical training. It introduces innovative tools such as virtual patients, clinical simulations, and real-life case studies tailored to the Angolan context. These methods help students gain hands-on experience in a safe and practical learning environment.
Ultimately, the goal is not only to train future professionals but also to create a long-term, sustainable impact on public health and nutrition in Angola.
5. How important do you think education (community programs, schools, etc.) is for improving nutrition in the long term?
Education is absolutely essential for long-term improvements in nutrition. Without it, even increased access to food or healthcare may not lead to lasting change.
Nutritional education helps people develop practical knowledge—like understanding balanced diets, preparing healthy meals with available resources, and meeting the needs of different groups such as children or pregnant women. Schools and community programs are especially powerful because they create a ripple effect: what is learned is often shared within families and carried into the future.
Education also allows programs to be adapted to local cultures and realities, making them more effective. Most importantly, it builds autonomy. When people have the knowledge and skills to make informed decisions, they are better equipped to maintain healthy habits even in difficult circumstances.
