Bishkek, October 3. Despite the significant progress made by the Kyrgyz Republic in reducing prevalence of undernourishment, malnutrition, including low dietary diversity, remains a topical issue for the country. According to the World Bank and UNICEF, Kyrgyzstan loses up to 2 million Kyrgyz soms annually due to undernutrition of the population.

Children and women of childbearing age from the poorest segments of the population living in rural areas remain the most vulnerable in terms of malnutrition. These include recipients of the Monthly Benefit for Low-Income Families with Children (MBLIF), whose income does not exceed 900 soms per family member per month. They are the ones who most often face the “triple burden” of  malnutrition: undernutrition among children, obesity among adult men and women, as well as micronutrient deficiencies. Not only does this category of the population hasinsufficient financial resources to provide themselves and their families with sufficient food, but also lacksknowledge and skills to improve and diversify their diets through accessiblefoods.

The joint pilot project of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Ministry of Labor and Social Development of the Kyrgyz Republic “Productive Social Contract / Cash Plus”, implemented in the Suzak district of the Jalal-Abad region, tests an integrated approach to  addressing poverty and  malnutrition among MBLIF recipients. Besides promoting cultivation of both cash and nutritious crops, the pilot initiative provides project beneficiaries with nutrition education. Nutrition education is essential forimprovingtheir knowledge, attitudes and practices related to nutrition, as well as changingtheir eating and food behaviors and habits.

“For FAO, it is very important to teach people not only sustainable food production, including cultivation of vegetables and fruits, but also their proper consumption. A diversified diet that combines foods from different food groups in a balanced way will make it possible to significantly correct existing eating disorders among various categories of the population. If we teach people to make a choice in favor of a healthy diet, then together we will be able to achieve Zero Hunger by 2030,” said DorjeeKinlay , FAO Representative in the Kyrgyz Republic.

Nutrition education sessionstook place from August to October 2018 and coincided with the first harvestwithin the framework of the pilot project, which allowed the beneficiaries to use fresh vegetables and fruits, including new ones for them, such as spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, chickpeas and lentils. Above all, this made it possible to make healthy food preparations for the winter time, which was also included in the training program.

Nutrition education was implemented by FAO together with the  Alliance of Civil Society for Nutrition and Food Security, who piloted a sustainable model of cascade training and multilateral work with vulnerable populations.

The sessions were interactive and combined group discussions and experience sharing, as well as practical exercises and even the joint cooking of healthy and diversified dishes. The training participants showed creativityand independently introduced food-based modifications of the recipes of well-known traditional dishes, such as pilaf or lagman, making them more healthy and diversified. During the nutrition education session, the beneficiaries learned what diversified nutrition is and why it is important, especially for children and women; how it is possible to diversify theirdiets with available food products, including fruits and vegetables; made practical use of the food pyramid, the fruit and vegetable rainbow wheel and the rule of a healthy plate, and also developed mechanisms to support each other in changing food behavior and eating habits.

The pilot project “Productive Social Contract / Cash Plus” is being implemented with the financial support of the Russian Federation.