World Food Day: Malnourished amidst potential plenty

World Food Day is organised to bring awareness to how our changing planet affects food production and distribution as well as examine how agriculture needs to adopt due to climate change, to how migration affects food security. 

 Forty three years down the road, about 70 percent of children in Uganda still study on empty stomachs, 24.4 percent of children under 5 years are stunted, over 3.2 percent are wasted and 9.7percent are underweight. Uganda recognises nutrition as a critical development issue that impacts multiple sectors including health, education and overall human capital development. 

In Uganda, 7 percent of repetitions in school, 15 percent of all child mortality cases are associated with malnutrition. Climate change is even making this situation worse. Stunting among children has lifelong negative consequences on children, including reducing productivity in adulthood. 

Malnutrition is also responsible for more ill health and treatment cost- this increases both out of pocket health expenditure and government expenditure- Pushing more households below the poverty line. Severely malnourished persons are 9 times more likely to fall sick and in worse case scenarios lead to death. 

Stunting leads to cognitive impairment and this has tremendous cost on an individual and his or her contribution to the economy. Cost of impaired cognitive/ mental development on both individual and their contribution to the economy. The nutritional status of the population can significantly affect the economic growth of the nation. Nutrition-related illness can affect productivity in the workplace and decrease government revenue in the form of taxes, goods, services and overall gross domestic product.It is not that government is not aware of importance in investing in ending malnutrition. Government has made a number of commitments globally to reduce malnutrition including nutrition for growth and the Sustainable Development Goals. The World Health Assembly in 2015 committed to the elimination of malnutrition in all its forms by 2030. 

Sustainable Development Goals aims to end hunger, achieve food security and improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. Target 2,2 calls on member states, Uganda inclusive, to end all forms of malnutrition, including achieving, by 2025, the internationally agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under 5 years of age, and address the nutrition needs of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women and older persons.

To respond to the impact of Malnutrition not just to individuals, families and the entire country we need to take deliberate actions to address malnutrition in the country. We need to invest in nutrition to reduce preventable deaths and improve maternal and child health.

 The beginning point should be to address the legal and policy framework that relate to and promote nutrition. This is critical because this informs government action and investment. The government in 2003 established the food security and nutrition policy. Unfortunately, this has since been over taken by events and requires an overhaul through a review process. I am glad to note that the Parliament of Uganda has commenced a process of developing a food and nutrition security law. 

There is also need for strategic enhancement of nutrition financing and strengthening accountability mechanism. The financing must target areas with the highest returns on investment including nutrition commodities, human resources and coordination. Investment in nutrition has the highest dividends when aimed at early years of a child’s life. 

While we have witnessed improvement in nutrition related indicators, we have a lot of work to do to be able to achieve our global targets.

Mr Peter Eceru works with Action Against Hunger