Hivos, an international organisation that seek new solutions to persistent global issues has urged President Edgar Lungu’s administration to promote the production of diverse food production.
Hivos Southern Africa Regional Sustainable Food Officer William Chilufya said the current focus on maize is essentially disadvantageous to nutrition improvement and the need to promote and support a diversified diet for Zambians.
In his congratulatory message to President Lungu, Mr Chilufya said Zambia faces many challenges, one of which is high rates of malnourishment.
“As Hivos, we are concerned at the state of the country’s food system which has a strong focus on growing a single crop, a practise called mono-cropping of maize. This mono-cropping is eroding ecosystems, crop diversity and regrettably reducing the diversity of foods on our plates, Mr Chilufya said.
He noted that that the Zambian government has on average spent 80% of the agricultural budget supporting the production and procurement of maize through the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) and output price support through the Food Reserve Agency (FRA).
“We believe that in addressing nutrition challenges in Zambia, it is important to realize that emphasis has to be placed on the food diversity. The “agriculture policy” in relation to maize production and consumption in Zambia has to be pursued with due consideration to nutrition and development,” he said.
“Today, in Zambia thousands of children and women suffer from one or more forms of malnutrition, including low birth weight, wasting, stunting, underweight, overweight and multiple micronutrient deficiencies such as vitamin A, iron, zinc, and iodine deficiencies. But this should not be the case. Zambia’s agricultural landscape provides an opportunity of growing a variety of food species.”
“However, some foods are disregarded and pushed into oblivion and extinction by the prevailing food production system. President Lungu’s government can turn things around by paying attention to the importance of agricultural biodiversity. The government can implement policies that are urgently required to move away from the direction of agricultural practises of monocropping instead of diverse food production,” he said.
Mr Chilufya stated that households in Zambia also have a key role to play by adopting positive behaviours that support diverse food production and consumption.
“To foster these behaviours leadership around awareness raising and sensitization is needed. We therefore expect our new government to prioritise developing policies that promote the production of a diversity of foods and shift from mono cropping production and consumption,” he said.
The management in food organisaitons and food industries in Zambia should therefore STOP stealing money given to them by donors agencies otherwise hunger and poverty will be the order of the day.
This is a useless suggestion. Why should these kaponyas who own tuntemba for salaula underwear or bars want to do something so silly as to grow more food? Such dirty ideas should be left to desperate bakachema.
Food and underwear don’t mix. Where in the text is that mentioned as a mechanism?
It is important that Government adopts a strategy for diversifying the food supply in the country especially agriculture and forests. On forests, government need to set up industries that promote processing of forest food products.
Edgar Lungu will deliver he is focussed. come next year millet on your plates
Not until we stop thinking Nshima always!!!
Diversity of foods……p…l…e..a…s….e! Nshima is just a habit we can break. It breaks down into a porridge in the mouth after chewing it! Yuck!