Malnutrition and small-scale gardening

By Willem VAN COTTHEM

University of Ghent, Belgium

ABSTRACT

Malnutrition in developing countries is generally alleviated by food aid provided

by international organizations like the World Food Programme (WFP). This kind of
intervention at regular intervals leaves the recipient people mostly dependent on
external aid. However, small-scale gardening is an excellent tool to provide food
security and to improve nutrition and health conditions, in particular for children.

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One can read on my blog

http://desertification.wordpress.com

the posting:

COTE D’IVOIRE: Malnutrition “critical” in north and west

published by IRIN, humanitarian news and analysis, a project of the UN Office for
the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

I found it quite painful to learn about the chronic malnutrition of 40 to 45 % of

the children, according to preliminary results of a 2009 nutrition study by the
Ministry of Health of Ivory Coast, in collaboration with UNICEF, WFP and OCHA.

Lack of education, poor diets and feeding practices, reduced access to land due
to conflict, inconsistent rains and poor access to health care are mentioned as
the main causes for this dramatic situation.

In the western part of the country only “9 percent of households regularly feed
their children meals representing the four necessary food groups“. ……………..
“Children here may eat three times a day but there is nothing nutritious in the
food.”

The study warns that chronic malnutrition could even worsen if food insecurity,
due to farmers being displaced, vulnerability to 2008 food price hikes and
inconsistent rains, continues.

It was concluded that responding to this terrible chronic malnutrition requires

reducing poverty, improving health services and food security, as well as
changing behaviour.

It sounds nice that FAO is addressing food security in the region of the city of
Man by working with a local NGO Idée Afrique. To me it sounds like a Christmas
Carol when I read : “FAO gave Chabel a gardening kit so she could grow
vegetables to eat or sell. FAO runs 36 such centres in northern and western
regions in collaboration with the National Nutrition Programme (PNN), UNICEF,
WFP and NGO Action Contre la Faim“.
Isn’t it wonderful news to learn that FAO, in collaboration with PNN, UNICEF,
WFP and a NGO, runs 36 feeding and nutrition-awareness centers in that part of
Ivory Coast?

Let us now suppose that these international and national organizations join their
forces to offer a gardening kit to every young mother in these northern and
western regions so they could grow vegetables to eat or sell.

Three questions come to my mind:

“What would be the percentage of chronic malnutrition 2-3 years after laying out
small family gardens with these gardening kits”?;

“Would the vegetables grown in these small gardens make the daily food of the
children nutritious enough”?

and

“What would be the level of poverty reduction if the young mothers could sell a
part of their vegetables“?

Do I hear a new Christmas Carol? Or is it just one of my dreams?