[pronut-hiv] MALAWI: Diet diversification answer to food insecurity

["ProNut-HIV" <pronut-hiv@healthnet.org>]

LILONGWE, 4 Apr 2006 (IRIN) - Food insecurity in Malawi can be overcome
if people's high dependency on maize is reduced, according to a World
Food Programme (WFP) study.

The aim of the study was to explore alternative sources of food in the
aftermath of one of the country's worst maize shortages in a decade.
"Food in Malawi has always meant maize - we wanted to expose Malawians
to other forms of food," explained Stacia Nordin, a sustainable food and
nutrition security consultant, who contributed to the research.

The survey, conducted over a period of nine months last year, involved
4,000 people in four districts around the country. WFP suggested two
approaches: encouraging communities, schools, health centres and
households to grow alternative crops; educating community members,
students and patients about nutrition and preparing alternative foods to
improve diets.

Schools and other members of the community were also encouraged to
include alternative sources of carbohydrates, such as potatoes instead
of maize, and other food groups like fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts,
oil and fats in their daily diet, said Nordin. Subsistence farmers were
motivated to grow vegetables and other sources of carbohydrates, like
indigenous varieties of potatoes, not only as the source of a
well-balanced meal, but also of income.

Vitamin and mineral deficiencies resulting from unbalanced diets retard
intellectual development, compromise immune systems, cause birth defects
and affect the working capacity of adults. According to a 2004 joint
study by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organisation,
the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), the Development
Bank of Southern Africa and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition,
these deficiencies were costing Malawi more than one percent of its
annual gross domestic product in lost productivity.

According to the joint study, more than half the children aged below six
were living with vitamin A deficiency, which affects the immune system.
"With high levels of HIV/AIDS prevalence in Malawi, access to a
nutritionally balanced diet is critical," Nordin pointed out.

The results of the WFP study were "incredible", she added. Participants
were encouraged to make their own decisions about improving food and
nutrition security, and came up with workable dietary plans. The
findings have been produced in the form of a manual, 'Low-Input Food and
nutrition Security: Growing and Eating More using Less', which has
become part of the UN agency's diet diversification programme and will
be implemented in all Malawi's schools.

Meanwhile, the UK-based development agency, Oxfam GB, has blamed the
World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the shortage of
maize. In a statement the agency claimed that the financial institutions
were forcing the government to commercialise ADMRAC, the state grain
marketer, which impacted on its ability to deliver subsidised maize and
fertiliser.

Many NGOs believed that World Bank and IMF assistance to Malawi was
conditioned upon progress made in restructuring ADMARC. "One of the key
institutions that farmers have looked to for support when buying maize
or fertilizer is ... ADMARC. Even though commercialisation of ADMARC ...
was announced in 2002, the institution's social marketing functions -
and thereby its potential to support the most vulnerable members of
society - have still not been determined," said Oxfam.

ADMARC was in urgent need of "restructuring of its management to bring
about renewed purpose, commitment and accountability to match the
intentions of government to serve the poor", the development agency
suggested. Malpractices and shortage of maize stocks had prevented
ADMARC from supplying farmers, who have been unable to source seeds from
private traders because of high prices.

IMF country resident representative Thomas Baunsgaard denied that the
financial institution had exerted any influence on the government to
commercialise ADMARC.