"We need more Impact of agriculture on nutrition"
In a universe of about 24 thousand inhabitants, 43% suffer from malnutrition in Mozambique, of which the most affected are children 0-5 years old.
The strategy of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in nutrition is to contribute to guidelines on food nutrition and to implement policies that support agricultural programmes with an impact on agriculture.
In response to the high levels of malnutrition in the country, the FAO recently conducted a training in Multisectoral Planning in Food and Nutrition Security for technicians from the Technical Secretariat for Food and Nutrition Security (SETSAN) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MASA) and other government sectors.
The main objectives of the training were:
- Increase knowledge and understanding of issues related to food security and nutrition related to Mozambique;
- Increase knowledge and understanding of sustainable food systems, agriculture, social protection and nutritional links and relevance to the work of SETSAN;
- Raise awareness of relevant food and nutrition security legislation and policies in the country;
- And finally to discuss and agree on mechanisms to strengthen multi-sectoral coordination and accountability in food and nutrition security at national, decentralized and community levels.
The coordinator of FAO's MDG1c sub-programme, Walter de Oliveira, warns that increased production is visible in the country but at the same time there is an increase in chronic malnutrition.
"The areas with the highest index of chronic malnutrition are those with the highest level of agricultural production, this is a contradiction that we are trying to solve," he said.
The provinces of Niassa, Cabo Delgado and Nampula are regions of northern Mozambique where the chronic malnutrition rate reaches 50%, but in contrast, they contrast with production levels that are high.
To minimize this contrast, De Oliveira argues that "the link between agriculture and nutrition at the policy and coordination levels is very important."
"The potential of agriculture can improve nutrition but we still do not have clear evidence on the impact of agriculture on nutrition. We need more evidence and more impact of agriculture on nutrition because only then can we improve our actions, "he concluded.
In turn, SETSAN's Government Representative, Edgar Cossa, said that one of the major causes of malnutrition in Mozambique, which is one of the government's main concerns is premature marriages.
Among several aspects, this training helped to analyse how practitioners from different sectors and institutions can contribute to achieving nutritional outcomes, familiarizing participants with existing food and nutrition security policies and programmes at global and national levels, and also at identifying the main causes of malnutrition, possible solutions and their relationship with the communities' livelihoods.
This training is part of the FAO sub-programme "Accelerating progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals in Mozambique (MDG1c)".