52% of children below the age of 5 suffer from chronic malnutrition which results in stunted growth. It is one of the most striking findings of the Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis and Nutrition Survey.

WFP country director Abdoulaye Baldé proposed to adopt improved seeds and fertilizers to reduce malnutrition. (photo Timothy Kisambira)

The survey report, which was presented last week, also shows that 4% of households have poor food consumption whereas 17% have borderline food consumption. This is however an improvement compared to the 2006 CSFVA/NS, when it was 7% and 28% respectively.

There is, however, reason for concern about chronic malnutrition among children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years, where 52% is stunting, 15.8% underweight and 4.6% wasting.

The survey also found that, despite ongoing nutrition programs, 7% of women still have a poor nutritional status.

The report also highlights six food insecure areas - which include Bugesera, Nyanza, Gisagara and Huye districts - which, although they represent only 36% of the population, account for 65% of all food-insecure people. It was also found that the Crete of the Nile, which runs from Northern to Southern province, is especially vulnerable given its unfertile soil. Districts affected include Nyabihu, Ngororero and Nyamagabe.

According to Kayo Takenoshita, program officer at the World Food Program (WFP), poverty is the main cause of malnutrition, since most of low-income earners can not afford a balanced diet and regular meals on a daily bases.

She added that 22% of the households have a chronically ill person, who sometimes is not able to eat certain types of food even though they are healthy. Moreover, this situation also results in the available income to be reduced due to medical expenses.

Another reason put forward in the report is the unavailability of arable land, with many farmers cultivating plots smaller than 0.1 hectares. In addition, farmers often plant crops of which they have little knowledge or which are not suited for the climate or soil of the region.

It was also mentioned that, even though food prices were seldom mentioned during the survey, they do prevent people from buying all the food necessary for a healthy diet.

Diane Karusisi, the senior advisor to NISR director, said that the report would guide policy makers in designing policies aimed at reducing malnutrition in the country. It will also help various stakeholders to indentify people who face food insecurity and the kind of assistance to be issued.

It is in this regard that the report calls for strengthening of community-based nutritional programs so as to facilitate early detection of children who are facing nutritional problems. It also suggests that capacity building and vocational trainings would help most of the unskilled laborers to improve their livelihoods by setting up their own business to earn an income.

The report also suggests that people living in food-insecure areas should be provided with farming materials and skills to improve agricultural yields in the affected region. "The risk of food insecurity would be reduced if this is done before the next planting season," WFP program officer Takenoshita remarked.

She also pointed out that there is a need for the integration of nutritional and disaster management programs, which would increase food security by encouraging investment in infrastructure and activities that promote agriculture in famine regions.

Another solution, as proposed by WFP country director Abdoulaye Baldé, is to adopt improved seeds and fertilizers. "The benefits have been shown in certain parts of the country where farmers using them are harvesting higher yields than what they used to get before," Baldé explained.