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World Food Day: Promoting sustainable food systems for food security and nutrition in Zimbabwe

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According to the Zimbabwe Demographic Household Survey of 2010-11 56% of children between the ages of 6 to 59 months are anemic. The National Nutrition Survey which was done in 2010 shows that less than 10% of Zimbabwean children under the age of 2 receive the recommended minimum acceptable diet of eggs, meat, milk products, and legumes are rarely included in the diets of young children. About 35% of child mortality recorded globally are a result of malnutrition. In the past years Zimbabwe has been faced with food insecurity and which has been mainly attributed to the prolonged drought the country has been facing, unsustainable farming practices and also economic challenges.

The World Food Programme recently announced that 2.2 million people are food insecure and are in need of food assistance. Due to high food prices many families can longer afford to have three meals per day, not to mention a balanced diet. Production of small grains and other local varieties, which are huge sources of nutrients, has significantly dropped as farmers now pursue high value crops like tobacco. This has negatively impacted on the nutrition status of the nation, as more people in Zimbabwe are becoming anaemic and obese due to poor diet. Food insecurity is increasing in Zimbabwe especially in dry areas, as more people in these areas are increasingly relying on food assistance from humanitarian organizations to avert malnutrition. The government of Zimbabwe and various development agencies like USAID, Food and Agriculture Orgnization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Progamme of the United Nations (WFP) have been working on ways to promote sustainable diversified agriculture production in the country. Since 2000 through its Humanitarian Assistance Office, USAID has been involved in the funding of food security projects in Zimbabwe which includes the promotion of positive nutrition behaviors aimed at reducing malnutrition among children less than five years of age.

The promotion of new crop varieties, conservation farming and post harvest technologies are some of the methods which can used to improve food security.  FAO representative Mr. David Mfote highlighted that conservation farming can contribute to crop production in Zimbabwe and also there is need for value addition for small grain products in order to increase uptake by people. At a public sensitization meeting for this year’s theme of the 2013 World Food Day commemorations hosted by the US Embassy Public Affairs section representatives from government, FAO, USAID and WFP shared views on Zimbabwe’s Food System.

This year’s World Food Day celebrations will be held in Lupane on the 16th of October under the theme “Sustainable Food Systems for Food Security and Nutrition in Zimbabwe. Supporting messages for the 2013 commemorations include “Good nutrition depends on healthy diets, Healthy diets require healthy food systems – along with education, health, sanitation and other factors and Healthy Food Systems are made possible by appropriate policies, incentives and governance”.

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