Food security and nutrition linkages
by Jehangir Khan Khalil, Pakistan
Household food security is judged by the nutritional security of the household. Food security affects nutritional security at both the macronutrient and micronutrient levels and contributes to higher maternal and child mortality. Nutritional status data is therefore used as an indicator of the food security or insecurity. From the four national nutritional surveys conducted in Pakistan during 1960s, 1977-78, 1987-1988 and 2000-2001, it is evident that the nutritional status of the population has not improved and the number of malnourished people, mainly children and their mothers, have increased due to an increase in the population from around 35 million in 1947 to 259 million in 2004. The NWFP Agricultural University for the nutritional assessment of pregnant women conducted two studies and children aged 6-60 months. These studies showed that 56% pregnant women were anemic (mean hemoglobin, Hb, level = 9.75 g/dl) on the basis of <11g/dl as the cut off point. The results of 3074 children revealed that 69% were iron-deficient, 2% were iron-anemic (Hb<11g/dl), 32% were moderately vitamin-A deficient, and 3% were severely deficient, 54% were Zinc-deficient, 33% were underweight (WAZ < -2.0), 31% were stunted (HAZ < -2.0) and 11% were wasted. The vitamin-A deficient children had abnormal values for a 1-antichymotrypsin and a 1-acid glycoprotein. The nutritional data reveals that Pakistan has not and will not be able to reduce the number of malnourished people by half by the year 2015 as committed during the Word Food Summit of 1996 and may not achieve the targets set by the Millennium Development Goals of 2000. The widespread incident of malnutrition suggesting a poor state of food security requires courageous steps to address nutrition and food security through an holistic approach and concerted efforts from government, international agencies and civic society. In recent times, food composition databases have become so much important that hardly any nutrition conference goes without emphasizing the importance of accurate and reliable food composition data for settling food and nutrition issues. The FAO regional office for Pacific and South Asia in Bangkok held an Asia-Pacific Network for Food and Nutrition (ANFN) consultation on how to improve the state of food composition in the region. The current food composition table of Pakistan has some ambiguities that require updating the table using the guidelines of the International Network of Food Data Systems (INFOODS). The Nutrition Cell of the Planning and Development Division needs to be strengthened and should establish a technical wing in the form a Food and Nutrition Board to formulate, guide and supervise nutritional activities because nutrition security is the ultimate aim of food security.
The issue of food security in the drylands of Pakistan
byTanveer Arif, Pakistan
Pakistan is predominantly a dryland country, where about 70% of land comes under the hyper- arid, arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid categories. Prolonged and persistent droughts and the resultant desertification process are further aggravating the already prevalent poverty in the drylands. Food security of the poor pastoral communities of Tharparkar and the nomadic pastoral communities in Baluchistan are at stake due to frequent incidents of drought and desertification in the area. These poor communities are already suffering from malnutrition and poor health, especially among women and children. The droughts further intensify this situation as depletion in fodder resources reduces milk production and livestock need to be shifted to the nearest place where water is available. Disease and long travel also affect the livestock.
Policy makers and planners commonly consider mega projects such as dams or highways readymade remedies of poverty in the drylands. However, experience shows that such macro-scale development does not benefit the poor of the poorest, but in some cases plunges them into further poverty. There is need for a holistic approach of development that focuses on the poor pastoral and subsistent farming communities, which will pay off to the national developmental process.
The whole situation of drought, desertification and food security requires a drought policy by the government at federal, provincial and district levels. These policies need to be preparatory and mitigative in nature. The framework of United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) provides an excellent opportunity to fight poverty and hunger in the neglected drylands of Pakistan.
