Improving family nutrition

More than 180 million (33%) of pre-school children are malnourished and malnutrition is a factor in more than half the deaths of children under five in developing countries. Malnourished mothers tend to give birth to low birth-weight babies, who in turn are susceptible to disease. Productivity increases in agriculture are important for gains in child survival but so too are improvements in the nutritional value of available foods.

In recent years, the definition of food security has expanded to include not only sufficient, but also appropriate food to meets the need of growth, activity and the maintenance of good health. Agricultural research can help meet these needs by facilitating more nutritionally-varied diets, contributing not just calories but also micronutrients e.g. Vitamin A, iron and iodine.

Insufficient intake of Vitamin A among children in developing countries is the leading cause of preventable severe visual impairment and blindness (over three million children under five in sub-Saharan Africa alone) and contributes to infections and even death. Pregnant women who are Vitamin A deficient face an increased risk of mortality and mother-to-child HIV transmission. Research in Uganda has led to widespread distribution of new varieties of the key food security crop (orange-fleshed) sweet potato, which not only have enhanced levels of Beta-carotene to help reduce Vitamin A deficiency, but are also disease-resistant and higher yielding than existing local varieties.

Fruit and vegetables supply essential micronutrients which help prevent non-communicable diseases. However, their low consumption is a problem in much of the developing world. While farmers are happy to grow small amounts for home consumption, they are reluctant to grow more. This is because they are highly perishable, and difficulties with storage or access to markets mean farmers are often forced to sell when they can, even for lower prices.

Research in Zimbabwe has identified packaging and processing techniques that extend the shelf-life of over 25 species of African indigenous vegetables. A CD-ROM has been produced to increase awareness about the nutritional benefits of vegetables and identify new markets. As a result, government policy has changed and indigenous vegetables are now a national priority crop for horticultural research. Researchers have also reviewed processes through which nutrients are commonly lost from food during processing and storage and produced policy recommendations on how these losses can be minimised.

Fish is one of the main sources of low-cost protein for the poor and is particularly critical for nursing mothers and babies. Research on tilapia fish farming throughout Asia has shown the use of cheaper plant oil, rather than fish oil and meal in fish feed, is resulting in declining levels of beneficial ‘omega’-3 fatty acid in the fish (essential for brain and eye development in children and a healthy heart in adults). This could have a huge negative impact on the health of millions of people throughout the region.

Greater co-ordination and lesson-learning is needed between the nutrition and agriculture sectors. Policy-makers should also:

• give greater consideration to issues of gender in accessing resources and family decision-making in order to improve family health and nutrition
• give greater attention to post-harvest technologies to minimise nutrient loss and reduce seasonal food fluctuations
• consider using a food chain approach which links producers, processors and consumers so they anticipate potential barriers to impact
• recognise use of trade-off analysis between sectors to counteract positive interventions in one sector having negative impacts in another.

Dr. James Muir
Manager, Aquaculture and Fish Genetics Programme
Institute of Aquaculture
University of Stirling
Stirling FK9 4LA
UK
j.f.muir@stir.ac.uk

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