Mozambique has made impressive gains
in restoring food production since 1992. The production of basic
staples, notably maize, has increased with concomitant reductions
in the levels of food aid needed to meet the country's food requirements.
At an aggregate, national level, the country is currently virtually
self-sufficient in terms of food grain production, with the exceptions
of wheat and rice. This growth, however, has been uneven regionally
and does not provide any indication of the widening disparities
between urban and rural areas in terms of levels of poverty and
food insecurity. Moreover, this growth has often failed to go
hand in hand with nutritional improvements at the household level.
Although the recorded rates of
malnutrition have fallen over the last decade, the food security
situation for large sections of the population remains precarious.
Although recent data appear to indicate a substantial reduction
in the overall poverty levels sine 1997, it is estimated that
more than half of the Mozambican population are still living below
the poverty line. There is a higher incidence of poverty in the
rural areas (70%) where 80% of the population lives, than in the
urban areas, where the poverty rate is about 60%. While farmers
constitute two thirds of the population, they produce only one
third of the country's economic output. With limited access to
off-farm income opportunities in rural areas, per capita rural
incomes are nearer to US $100 than to the economy-wide US $210
per person. Low incomes are a primary cause of both chronic and
transitory food insecurity for many families. All but 5% of Mozambique's
farm families live on landholdings of less than three hectares,
which is the upper limit of land area that can be efficiently
cultivated with manual labour, using simple hand tools.
Staple food production, the mainstay
of the subsistence family sector, is subject to wide variations
due to climatic uncertainty; this factor leads to seasonal fluctuations
in availability and price with a subsequent impact on marketing
opportunities and income generation. Livestock production is low,
partly due to Tsetse fly infestation and partly to poor animal
husbandry. Labour constraints at the household level are always
affected by a seasonal upsurge in malaria, diarrhea, and other
parasitic diseases, and by underlying long-term problems caused
by deficiencies in micro nutrients; these constraints are now
being compounded by the increasing impact of HIV/AIDS on households.
Nutritional data indicate that
protein-energy malnutrition, iron-deficiency anaemia, goitre and
other iodine deficiency disorders, vitamin A deficiency, and cassava
intoxication constitute serious public health problems. An estimated
41% of children under 5 years of age suffer from chronic malnutrition/stunting
(IDS 2003). There is a high dependence on a few staple foods that
cover a large proportion of the energy needs of the population
and the lack of diversity in the diet is a major problem. Knowledge
and awareness of nutrition and healthy feeding practices among
service providers and caregivers are severely lacking. Adequate
market infrastructure continues to limit accessibility to diversified
food items even for those with the means to purchase. These problems
are further aggravated by natural disasters such as drought and
floods that constitute another important cause of transitory food
insecurity.
Current support interventions
• Assistance to the
implementation of the National Programme on Food Security in Maputo
, Sofala, Manica and Zambezia Provinces
• Promotion of Household
Food Security in HIV/AIDS affected areas in Manica and Sofala
Provinces
• Support to the Food
Security Information System activities of SETSAN.
• Support to Food Security
and Nutrition Policy and Planning at National and Provincial Levels
• Technical support
for the Implementation of Right to Food in Mozambique.
Potential support interventions
Potential areas that may be considered
for future assistance to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness
of food security and nutrition related interventions include the
following:
• Establish MozSTAT
- a project to improve data related to agriculture and food security
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