22 Household food security and nutrition in the Luapula Valley, Zambia K. Callens and E.C. Phiri Karel Callens is Chief Technical Adviser and Elizabeth C. Phiri is National Project Coordinator for the Improving Household Food Security and Nutrition Project. he Luapula Valley of northern Zambia has significant Improvements in the production of other important food crops T natural resources, and the main road cutting through the were neglected. valley has attracted many people to the area. Of the In the Luapula Valley, rates of chronic malnutrition and population of 207 000, the majority of people live along the micronutrient deficiencies are unacceptably high. Preliminary lake, the lagoon and the river (Figure 1). Fishing is the results from two nutrition surveys carried out in the area in principal economic activity, and agriculture is practised September 1997 and May 1998 indicated that about 65 percent further inland. The diet of most households is based on two of children under five years of age were stunted because of main staples: cassava and maize. As relish people consume fish chronic protein-energy malnutrition, while 3.7 percent were in those areas with access to water resources and a limited wasted during the rainy season and 2.5 percent during the dry number of less abundant and seasonally available food crops season as a result of acute malnutrition. According to a such as sweet potatoes, groundnuts, bambara nuts, cowpeas participatory rural appraisal carried out by the Zambian and beans as well as indigenous and other vegetables. Palm oil Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, the Ministry of is also consumed in a few villages where oil-palm trees are Health, the Ministry of Community Development and Social found. When in season, indigenous and cultivated fruits such Services and FAO in 1996, the underlying causes of nutritional as wild loquat, mobola plum, papaya, orange and mango are vulnerability in the valley are related to the combined and also consumed. Until recently, national agricultural policies synergistic effects of: emphasized maize production to attain food security. •chronic household food insecurity; 1 Location and main physical features of the Luapula Valley, Lake LAKE MWERU Munsa Zambia Mweru Lake Tanganyika Nchelenge Lagoon Kasama Mbereshi and Kawambwa swamps KAZEMBE Kitwe MU ZAMBIA CHIN Lusaka AE GA Lake Kariba SCA Mwense RPM Bulawayo BOTSWANA EN T Luapula River Mansa FNA/ANA 22, 1998 23 •poor access to adequate health, water and sanitation •strengthening the knowledge of communities, extension facilities; and other support services; •inadequate provision of care for the most vulnerable in •establishing a system of sustainable participatory the society; monitoring and evaluation. •lack of essential knowledge and basic skills because of poor education and communication. COMMUNITY ACTION PLANNING A number of critical factors affect household food The project follows a strategy of community action planning insecurity, including: which is rooted in and sustained by the community itself •pressure on agricultural land; (Figure 2). The community members fully participate in the •low soil fertility; planning process and take the lead in determining needs, •restricted access to wetlands; identifying solutions, initiating actions and monitoring •poor diversity of food crop production; progress. The project facilitates this open-ended process and •poor postharvest practices; provides essential technical and other support services. •poor access to fertile farmland and fishing areas. Individuals from the community who work in agricultural Community support services such as agricultural extension, extension, health, community development and education have credit and marketing infrastructure were found to be a direct responsibility in planning, implementation and inadequate. Households lacked sufficient sources of income. monitoring along with other community members. They form The population experienced serious labour and time Community Food and Nutrition (FAN) Teams which initiate, constraints, which created difficulties especially for small direct and monitor the community action planning exercise. households, households headed by a single adult and families The entire process is centred on three interrelated key issues: with very ill or disabled members. Division of labour by •Nutrition. For a positive impact on nutrition, everyone gender was also a major problem, as women were responsible needs to be aware of the underlying causes of for almost all food production activities, apart from land malnutrition in the community so that activities can be clearing, in addition to their other household chores such as developed to address the problems and monitor their food processing and preparation and child care. These impact. problems affected the households’ ability to increase food •Participation. For improvements in nutrition to be production and to care adequately for the nutritionally sustainable, the community itself needs to take charge of vulnerable. problem identification, action planning, project implementation and monitoring of progress. HOUSEHOLD FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION •Gender. For interventions to have a positive impact on the PROJECT nutritionally vulnerable groups (mainly women and In April 1997, FAO in collaboration with the Government of children), traditional gender roles and divisions need to Zambia began implementation of an integrated five-year be examined, especially in terms of labour, access to and project focusing on household food security and nutrition, control over resources and benefits, and responsibilities with funding by the Belgian Survival Fund. The project aims for care. to improve year-round access to a balanced diet that is The action planning process was initiated through an adequate in energy, vitamin A, iron and other macro- and analysis of the food chain. First, the community identified micronutrients. Within the Luapula Valley, the project’s target major food crops and assessed their importance in the diet area includes the Kawambwa, Mwense, Nchelenge and based on the people’s local knowledge of food and nutrition. Chienge (formerly part of Nchelenge) districts. The group selected one or more food crops of major The project’s main objectives include: nutritional importance and looked at who did the various •increasing year-round production of a wider variety of tasks involved in producing the food, who had access to and foods, including oil crops, staple crops, food legumes, control over resources and how benefits were distributed vegetables and fruits; among men and women. This exercise provided a good •improving food availability and reducing seasonal opportunity to discuss major food and nutrition problems and shortfalls in food supplies through better food storage, their causes from the perspectives of both the local people and processing, preservation and utilization; the technical support services staff, including constraints •empowering communities and individuals to identify, related to the social, cultural and economic organization of the plan and implement activities and microprojects aimed at community. This naturally led to a discussion of what can be improving household food security; done to address the problems that have been identified, FNA/ANA 22, 1998 24 2 The project strategy Participatory rural Training on appraisal Participatory technical planning issues Feedback Community Core Gender action planning training analysis Nutrition programme and participatory Training monitoring and techniques evaluation Household Participatory Ability food monitoring security and Capacity for project evaluation development Ability to transfer knowledge School Feedback Monitoring gardening and evaluation Monitoring and evaluation Community level Provision Farmer microprojects of potable field schools water focused on Seed various technical Ability to multiplication Oil-palm issues implement development COMMUNITY ACTION PLANNING AT WORK Prior to any community meeting, the District Coordinator makes an chain, including issues related to health, water, sanitation, care, appointment with the community leader and the community support knowledge, attitudes, practices and community organization, staff to discuss the purpose of the gathering. The community leader as most of these issues are interrelated. Through their own is asked to mobilize the community, including men and women, old analysis and starting from their own perspective, participants and young, poor and better off, and to organize the meeting at a time realize that achieving good nutrition goes far beyond having and location that will ensure that women may be able to participate. enough food. As a result, a number of priority problems are After this first meeting initiated by the project staff, the community identified and possible solutions formulated. At this stage, the may initiate consecutive meetings. first meeting ends and the group agrees on a follow-up meeting At the meeting, all participants introduce themselves (facili- and agenda. tator, community support staff and community members). The Further action planning focuses on the development of facilitator introduces the project and explains the purpose of microprojects to address one or more of the key problems the gathering. To stimulate participation, the facilitator asks identified by the community. The planning involves further in- community members what they know about the project, what depth analysis of the specific problems and