Nutrition levels: The greener the fields, the healthier the children
More research, better policies needed to prevent stunting among children.
Researchers and civil society members agree that to bring up nutrition levels in children, there is a need for effective planning in the agriculture sector. PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI:
Agriculture is the main livelihood for nearly half the population in the country, yet we have yet to realise its potential in giving nutrition to children.
Researchers and civil society activists urged the government to invest in proper research and implement the necessary policies to improve nutrition levels among children at a workshop, titled 'Agriculture and Nutrition'. The seminar was organised by the Collectives for Social Science Research (CSSR) in collaboration with Leveraging Agriculture for Nutrition in South Asia (Lansa) held at Avari Towers on Tuesday.
Over 40 per cent of children aged less than five years are stunted in Pakistan and the proportion is increasing due to a lack of proper nutrition. To discuss this issue, the representatives of all provincial governments and international and national NGOs attended the workshop and shared their experiences and suggestions on how to reduce malnutrition in the country.
The discussion focused on how agriculture and food-related policies and interventions can be better designed to improve nutrition outcomes, particularly for young women and children.
CSSR director Haris Gazdar, who is also Lansa's lead researcher in Pakistan, emphasised that undernourishment was caused by the interaction of various factors beyond those just related to agriculture. He stated that nutrition policy across the country was beginning to address these various factors through the provincial inter-sectoral nutrition strategy.
While introducing Lansa, Julia Powell from the Institute of Development Studies in Sussex, UK, said that agricultural activity has a big impact on income and nutrition. Two Pakistan-Lansa research studies were presented before the participants. Their findings highlighted that the policy landscape with respect to nutrition was beginning to advance while the role of agriculture in improving nutrition outcomes still needs to be cemented.
"About 45 per cent of all employees are in the agricultural sector," pointed out CSSR research associate Mysbah Balagamwala, while sharing her presentation on the nutrition of women working in agriculture. She was of the view that the empowerment of women in agriculture increases their participation in decision-making but these women are also directly exposed to pesticides.
Male employment in the agriculture sector has reduced by 10 per cent in the last 10 years while the ratio of women workers is increasing, said Balagamwala. "It is possibly because of job availability and lower wages of male members," she explained.
"There is confusion after the 18th Amendment and the lack of coordination among the provincial and district governments," said Iqbal Detho of Save the Children. "All departments are equally responsible."
Detho told The Express Tribune that only short-term policies are being adopted in Tharparkar. "There is no policy for the remote areas of Thar and it is all because of the failure of social and public policy." Other participants pointed out that policies were made but the situation has yet to improve. "Political will is very important," said Samar Zuberi, another research associate at the CSSR, while sharing her presentation. "The agricultural policies have remained the same for a long time but failed to achieve the results due to powerful lobbies."
Dr Nihaluddin Marri, the deputy director Agricultural Research Institute, Tando Jam, spoke about agriculture research in Sindh. Its main objective is to increase farm incomes to improve people's quality of life which included their consumption of nutritious food, he said.
Other speakers included the additional secretaries from the agriculture departments in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, Humayun Khan and Imran Khan.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 16th, 2014.
Agriculture is the main livelihood for nearly half the population in the country, yet we have yet to realise its potential in giving nutrition to children.
Researchers and civil society activists urged the government to invest in proper research and implement the necessary policies to improve nutrition levels among children at a workshop, titled 'Agriculture and Nutrition'. The seminar was organised by the Collectives for Social Science Research (CSSR) in collaboration with Leveraging Agriculture for Nutrition in South Asia (Lansa) held at Avari Towers on Tuesday.
Over 40 per cent of children aged less than five years are stunted in Pakistan and the proportion is increasing due to a lack of proper nutrition. To discuss this issue, the representatives of all provincial governments and international and national NGOs attended the workshop and shared their experiences and suggestions on how to reduce malnutrition in the country.
The discussion focused on how agriculture and food-related policies and interventions can be better designed to improve nutrition outcomes, particularly for young women and children.
CSSR director Haris Gazdar, who is also Lansa's lead researcher in Pakistan, emphasised that undernourishment was caused by the interaction of various factors beyond those just related to agriculture. He stated that nutrition policy across the country was beginning to address these various factors through the provincial inter-sectoral nutrition strategy.
While introducing Lansa, Julia Powell from the Institute of Development Studies in Sussex, UK, said that agricultural activity has a big impact on income and nutrition. Two Pakistan-Lansa research studies were presented before the participants. Their findings highlighted that the policy landscape with respect to nutrition was beginning to advance while the role of agriculture in improving nutrition outcomes still needs to be cemented.
"About 45 per cent of all employees are in the agricultural sector," pointed out CSSR research associate Mysbah Balagamwala, while sharing her presentation on the nutrition of women working in agriculture. She was of the view that the empowerment of women in agriculture increases their participation in decision-making but these women are also directly exposed to pesticides.
Male employment in the agriculture sector has reduced by 10 per cent in the last 10 years while the ratio of women workers is increasing, said Balagamwala. "It is possibly because of job availability and lower wages of male members," she explained.
"There is confusion after the 18th Amendment and the lack of coordination among the provincial and district governments," said Iqbal Detho of Save the Children. "All departments are equally responsible."
Detho told The Express Tribune that only short-term policies are being adopted in Tharparkar. "There is no policy for the remote areas of Thar and it is all because of the failure of social and public policy." Other participants pointed out that policies were made but the situation has yet to improve. "Political will is very important," said Samar Zuberi, another research associate at the CSSR, while sharing her presentation. "The agricultural policies have remained the same for a long time but failed to achieve the results due to powerful lobbies."
Dr Nihaluddin Marri, the deputy director Agricultural Research Institute, Tando Jam, spoke about agriculture research in Sindh. Its main objective is to increase farm incomes to improve people's quality of life which included their consumption of nutritious food, he said.
Other speakers included the additional secretaries from the agriculture departments in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, Humayun Khan and Imran Khan.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 16th, 2014.