FAO, MoFA take steps to reduce malnutrition in Ghana

The Food and Agriculture Organisation(FAO) and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture(MoFA) are scaling up measures to eliminate malnutrition as well as ensure sustainable food and nutrition security in Ghana.

As part of the measures, the two institutions organised a two-day National workshop last week for technical directorates under the MoFA and some key stakeholders to enhance their knowledge on how agriculture could contribute to better nutrition so that they could plan and implement nutrition sensitive policies and programmes.

The workshop, held on the theme,'Strengthening Nutrition- Agriculture Linkages in the Medium Term Agriculture Investment Plan (METASIP) for Ghana,' discussed, among other things, best practices and approaches for improving nutrition within the METASIP and the work of technical directorates.

In a speech read for him at the opening of the workshop in Accra, the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Hon Fiifi Fiavi Kwetey, observed that Ghana had made modest gains over the years in her efforts at meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which seeks to reduce hunger, malnutrition and ensure food security.

Hon. Kwetey noted that the gains notwithstanding, many children and women of productive age have been plagued with stunted growth levels and anaemic conditions.

He said the workshop was to ensure that the gains made over the years were consolidated through collaborative effort that could chart a new path for improved performance in the fight against malnutrition.

According to him, MoFA had mainstreamed nutrition in agriculture, and together with its departments and agencies, the Ministry was leading the way to coordinate the formulation and development of national nutrition policy which would eventually improve nutrition in the Country.

“It is sad that we still have high prevalence of anaemia with all the abundance of foods we have. Let us look inward and harness the rich diversity we have been endowed with. I will also implore you as agriculturalist, to grow vegetables and fruits at home to enjoy fresh and safe foods for the family,” Hon. Kwetey said.

In his remarks, the representative of FAO to Ghana, Dr Lamourdia Thiombiano, pointed out that while agriculture alone could not defeat under nutrition, FAO believed agriculture offered the greatest potential for achieving sustained improvements in the diets and nutrition status of the rural population.

Dr Thiombiano said not only could agriculture improve the health of smallholder farmers through better nutrition, but also made smallholder farmers more productive, giving them the opportunity to grow more food, earn more income and contribute to further economic growth.

He said it was important to note that combating under nutrition required strong intra- sectoral collaboration among technical directorates and collaboration among relevant sectors of agriculture, health, water and sanitation, education and social protection.

He assured of FAO's commitment to combating under nutrition in the country. “Let me assure you that the commitment of FAO and all development partners to combating under nutrition is here to stay. We will continue to support improved nutrition governance and greater multi-sectoral coordination.”