Though there is a potential for surplus yields the country’s agriculture proves sluggish remaining still subsistence. Traditionally it plays a crucial role towards supplying food to the market and inputs to food industries.
The growth of agricultural technology from time to time gives way to growing productivity. The utilization of inputs such as fertilizers, selected seeds, herbs and insecticide as well as the application of new farming techniques enable farmers to raise their productivity.
The increasing of food production both qualitatively and quantitatively paves the way to ensuring not only food security but also nutritional security.
Tewodrose Yilma is an expert in the Ministry of Agriculture, Nutrition Sensitive Department.
He said scientists advice that food consumption should comply with its nutritive values. Unless consumption aligns with the nutritional aspect of the food, suffering from diseases and becoming stunted become common place.
Currently, nutrition insecurity inflicts on countries heavy loss when it comes to their growth domestic production.
He further said that agricultural policies in many African countries have focused on productivity. Such efforts enable the country to increase its food surplus. Nevertheless attaining nutritional security is not enough.
Nutritionists categorize foods in 6 groups. Carbohydrate is derived from root foods. Vitamins and minerals could be obtained from fruits and vegetables, animal products such as meat and milk, grains such as beans and chickpea, pulses including nigger etc could be mentioned.
Diversifying agricultural products helps to ensuring nutritious foods. Towards that end utilizing better inputs and better storage facilities and supply chains are essential.
According to studies, in Ethiopia, 20 percent of agricultural products are wasted during post-harvest time due to the absence of proper warehouse and transportation. This again hampers the effort towards the attainment of food security.
In the past the availability of food was assumed as a guarantee to ensure nutritional security but in the late 1970s such assumption had been nullified and emphasis have been given to the value of nutrition.
The other thing that must be considered is that increasing food production should not be taken as an end by itself. It must be affordable and accessible to the poor and because of various reasons such as lack of income and other constraints food may not be accessible to all households.
These situations force governments to think differently and start to focus on rising citizens’ income so that they could afford it. Nevertheless, it is proved that rising income could not bring immediate change in consumption habit. It is an enduring practices which takes time because attitudes and cultures matter in this regard.
Shifting diets towards the consumption of more nutritious food with high caloric, protein or micro nutrient contents goes in line with the society’s level of literacy and way of life.
Currently, in Ethiopia food production is annually increasing by 1 percent, while the population growth is more than 3 percent. This shows that hard work is needed to close the gap in meeting both food and nutrition need.
At the macro level when gap is evident in food, attaining nutritional security might be hard. Because, both have correlation, which means the absence of one has a a similar impact on the other.
Many farmers used to engage in food production. However, due to the subsistence nature of their farming practices, the absence of modern techniques and vulnerability to drought they are forced to be nutritionally insecure.
Studies indicates that, due to stunting, farmers productivity has tumbled down by 17 percent and at national level 60 percent of the population is stunted which deter them not to unleash their physical and mental potential. This results in negative repercussion on the nation’s economic growth.
Ensuring nutrition security makes exigent to transform the agriculture system from feeding to nourishing.
To that end, surplus producing areas must look into diversifying their products even on their small plots based on the public need, which could be consume everywhere and every time.
Production, purchasing, accumulating and supplying plays a vital role in this regard. In such manner maintaining and improving the family health can be realized.
Nourishing should also go in line with preserving private and the residential areas’ sanitation. Moreover, availing health service is essential.
Surplus food production must be value chained with strong market and consumers so that Farmers gain profit with a reasonable price. If products does not have sufficient demand, their role in meeting the target might be futile.
Experience indicates that in some areas with surplus products due to the none availability of transportation facilities and the absence of value chain, produced fruits and vegetables rot and this in turn impoverishes farmers and negatively affect their production capacity.
For example, in the vicinity of Arbaminch town mango, which is rich in vitamin content, is excessively produced and due to inadequate market and lack of consumption habit it becomes subject to perishing. The same is true in Benishangule Gumuz state. Hence, all these indicate that the vitality of integrated efforts through expanding development endeavors.
Food consumption also takes into account gender, age and type of working activities. The absence of these put the health, agricultural productivity, knowledge acquisition in the teaching learning process and social and economic situation in crises.
Unless children get sufficient nutrition-rich food in the first 1000 days beginning from birth they will be malnourished.
Malnourishment also results in low birth weight and according to report 22.2 In Amhara, Tigray & Oromya regional states 22.2, 7.6&13.1 percent are registered respectively.
The Ethiopian Herald Sunday Edition 10 November 2019
ABEBE WOLDE GIORGIS
