The Observatory of Rural Environment (OMR), a Mozambican non-governmental organization, has warned that the country continues to experience critical levels of chronic malnutrition and food insecurity, highlighting potential long-term consequences.
“Currently, Mozambique faces a paradox: despite having better overall food availability than at any other time in its history, it still registers critical levels of chronic malnutrition and food insecurity,” states a report released by the OMR.
According to the OMR, about one-third of the population is undernourished, and 37% of children suffer from chronic malnutrition.
“Acute malnutrition affects around 3 to 5% of children, suggesting that under normal circumstances, few suffer from severe hunger, but these rates rise during emergency periods.”
The organization stresses that chronic malnutrition “brings long-term consequences for the country; it is estimated that up to 10% of GDP is lost annually due to reduced productivity, school performance, and healthcare costs associated with child undernutrition.”
Regarding sanitation, despite some progress, the OMR highlights persistent gaps that affect nutrition:
“Only 11% of rural areas had adequate sanitation in 2020, and access to clean drinking water covered about 50% of rural communities.”
Endemic diseases such as malaria, periodic outbreaks of cholera and intestinal infections mainly affect communities without access to treated water in Mozambique.
As a result, the country sees:
- Increased numbers of children with physical and cognitive development issues
- Less productive adults who are more prone to illness
- Communities pushed into survival strategies that perpetuate poverty
“Mozambique is at a point where it must avoid deaths from hunger, ensure diverse and adequate diets, and provide dignified living conditions so all children grow up free from malnutrition — that is, fully guarantee the human right to adequate food, not just survival,” the OMR concluded.
In June, the government launched a new food security strategy to combat chronic child malnutrition, worsened by climate change. Titled “Policy and Strategy for Food and Nutritional Security (PESAN)”, the initiative focuses on investing in healthy and nutritious agriculture to address food issues.
At the time, Roberto Albino, Minister of Agriculture, Environment, and Fisheries, stated that while food insecurity has declined, chronic malnutrition, particularly in children under 5, remains high, affecting 37% of this age group.
“To tackle the problem, PESAN 2024–2030 was developed to integrate multi-sectoral efforts and ensure food and nutritional security across the country. The strategy aims to provide high-quality technical assistance and create mechanisms to empower trained professionals to **share knowledge with surrounding producers,” said the minister.
Source: Diário Económico
