Malawi Still facing Nutrition challenges

Associate Professor on Human Nutrition at Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR), Prof. Alexander Kalimbira disclosed that the country is not doing well in terms of nutrition as indicators are worrisome.

He made the observation on Tuesday at Capital City Hotel in Lilongwe where he presented a paper on Malawi’s Food Systems Transformation in the content of Nutrition and diets during the stakeholders’ consultation meeting on Resilience of the Food Systems Transformation in Malawi.

Kalimbira said as a result the current stunting prevalence stands at above 30 percent which is high regarding World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations.

He added that micronutrient deficiency is prevalent with a lack of key minerals such as zinc, selenium, and vitamins, and growing problems of overweight and obesity.

The Associate Professor said the picture does not look good at the moment and key stakeholders need to focus to understand why the problem is still lingering in the country and what would be the possible solutions to it.

“We have a wide range of stakeholders in the meeting which includes government, civil society organizations, and research institutions which need to bang their heads in identifying the real problems, “Kalimbira said.

He noted that the country has made some strides in the past but nutrition problems are still bouncing back which calls for a thorough interrogation of the situation.

“We demonstrated before that if we put our acts together to reduce different forms of malnutrition, the issue of stunting levels was reduced over the years but we are not accelerating at the recommended rate,” Kalimbira noted.

He recalled that micronutrient deficiency was very high 24 years ago and the reduction rate is worrying.

“We have faced several challenges since 2020/2021 like COVID-19, cholera, cyclones, economic challenges which have put a huge weight on resilience food systems to test,” the Professor said.

He said the country has demonstrated that it is capable of dealing with its own problems.
In 2001, the Vitamin A deficiency prevalence rate was 59 percent for under-five children, while in 2009 it was reduced to 22 percent, and in 2015/2016 it was reduced to 4 percent.

The reduction has been attributed to good working coordination
Kalimbira said depending on goodwill with partners, the country is looking at the problem and coming up with practical solutions.

Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition, Prof. Nafees Meah, said Irish Aid is funding a project on the resilience of food systems transformation in Ethiopia, Sierra Leon, and Malawi

He said the programme is holding meetings and seminars to find out what challenges the three countries are facing in implementing their food systems.