In The Gambia, malnutrition is a serious well being problem. In 4 of the seven areas of the nation (Basse, Janjangbure, Kuntaur and Mansa Konko), eight % of the inhabitants are meals insecure or extremely weak to meals insecurity, with essentially the most weak teams being girls and kids. Statistics point out that meals insecurity elevated from 8 % in 2016 to 13.4 % in 2021. It disproportionately impacts rural households (23.9 %) greater than city ones (10.8 %).
Meals insecurity was highest in Central River Area (CRR) ranging between 24.1 and 29.8 %, adopted by Decrease River Area (LRR) and West Coast Area (WCR) at 15.8 % every. Regionally produced meals in these areas doesn’t final greater than six months. Furthermore, since The Gambia is basically depending on rainfall with solely 5 % of land beneath cultivation geared up with irrigation, most rural poor households should face a two-to-four-month lean interval through the wet season, when provides have to be obtained on a money foundation or by barter.
“The malnutrition fee remains to be unacceptably excessive within the Gambia and we have to make investments extra to ensure we meet the World Well being Organisation and the SDGs targets,” stated Dr Amat BAH, Government Director on the Nationwide Vitamin Company (NaNA) in The Gambia.” There have been some ranges of investments and over time, we’ve got seen that among the dietary challenges subsided. From our knowledge, we recorded an encouraging discount in stunting and losing, in addition to a lower in kids and girls anaemia.”
Dr Bah is optimistic that with the fitting funding on the proper time and with using the fitting instruments, the nation ought to be capable to obtain some progress on the diet entrance. “This funding is essential, and for the European Union and different companions to proceed supporting the Gambia to ensure there are acceptable dietary interventions,” he stated.
The info was not too long ago printed by FAO beneath the Gambia Meals System profile, which summarises the outcomes of a worldwide meals system evaluation carried out in 2021 in shut partnership with the Authorities of The Gambia by way of the Ministry of Agriculture, the European Union Delegation in The Gambia and the French Agricultural Analysis Centre for Worldwide Growth (CIRAD).
The findings of the evaluation concluded that Gambia’s agri-food techniques require extra nutrition-sensitive interventions to enhance meals safety. Particularly, it highlighted a have to mainstream meals and diet into sectoral insurance policies and plans in addition to create nutrition-sensitive interventions. Different measures reminiscent of nutrition-based processing in worth addition techniques had been additionally inspired. Equally, scaling up nutrition-focused homegrown college feeding programmes in addition to diet campaigns to advertise behavioural adjustments had been advised.
The Gambia has already made progress by way of coverage measures to enhance diet. Particularly, the EU-funded Meals Fortification Challenge has helped make important beneficial properties in that space.
“The launch of the Meals Fortification Regulation on 7 July 2021, making it obligatory to fortify wheat flour, edible fat, oils, and salt is a big step in guaranteeing the nutritious stage of meals” stated Moshibudi Rampedi, FAO Nation Consultant within the Gambia.
Equally, by way of the coordination of The Gambia Requirements Bureau, new requirements had been carried out for fortified wheat flour, fortified edible oils and fat and iodized salt. Moreover, biofortified maize, orange-fleshed candy potato, cassava and iron-rich cowpea had been efficiently piloted in chosen communities the place over 10 000 beneficiaries together with girls of reproductive age, kids beneath 5 years and adolescent women and boys benefitted from these bio fortified crops.
FAO, the European Union and different companions have to work collectively in strengthening the nexus between meals techniques and diet. To that finish, FAO and companions proceed to assist nationwide meals techniques within the coordination of dialogues amongst all stakeholders (state actors and non-stake actors together with Civil Society Organisations, academia and others) find native and sensible options to bettering nationwide meals techniques.