Mzuzu Agriculture Development Division (Mzadd) principal agriculture officer Stellia Mangochi has asked organisations implementing nutrition interventions in Mzimba to include men in their activities.
Speaking on Monday in the district during a training for various stakeholders under the Ulimi ndi Chilengedwe (Uchi) Project, she stressed that while most interventions rightly focus on women and children, men are overlooked despite also facing nutrition-related challenges.
I Joel Phiri
“While it is crucial to prioritise women and children because of their vulnerability to malnutrition, we must not forget that men also suffer from malnutrition. Ignoring them creates gaps in our fight against the problem,” said Mangochi.
M’Mbelwa District Council nutrition officer Gift Simkonda said the training sought to equip Mzimba District Nutrition Coordinating Committee and District Agriculture Extension Coordinating Committee members with knowledge and strategies to promote nutrition-sensitive agriculture (NSA).
He said: “Through NSA, the project integrates crop diversification, livestock production and nutrition education.
“Again, men are key decision-makers in many families. If they are excluded from nutrition programmes, they may not understand the importance of balanced diets.”
Mzimba district fisheries officer Andrew Saukani observed that many men perceive nutrition as a women’s issue.
“This perception needs to change. If men are given the right information and included in training, they will take responsibility for providing nutritious food for their families,” he said.
Mzimba continues to register malnutrition cases, particularly stunting and undernourishment among children.
In his remarks, Mzimba South chief health preventive officer Bestido Nkhoma asked the participants to take the training seriously.
“This project aims to address gaps in nutrition and it’s a training that will offer participants new knowledge on how to approach various issues in both agriculture and nutrition,” he said
