In an effort to address the concerning health and nutrition challenges faced by Zimbabweans due to a shift in diets and farming systems, Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) Zimbabwe, under the banner of the My Food is African campaign, in collaboration with the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), has launched a comprehensive effort to promote traditional foods and agroecological practices.
Speaking to journalists in Harare, Gertrude Pswarayi-Jabson, PELUM Zimbabwe country coordinator, highlighted the critical connection of diets and farming systems in the battle against climate change and non-communicable diseases.
“The shift in diets has taken a toll on the health and nutrition of Zimbabweans on both ends of the malnutrition spectrum: 26.6% of children under 5 years of age suffer from stunting linked to poor dietary diversity while 35% of adult women and 12 percent of men are overweight or obese.
“The intersection of diets and farming systems is unquestionable as Zimbabwe battles to cope with the effects of climate change. soil degradation, biodiversity loss. non-communicable diseases (cancer, hypertension, sugar diabetes type 2, among others) food and nutrition security (food sovereignty, effects of colonisation on Zimbabwe’s local food systems, escalating prices of external inputs and more. Consequently, this is leading to the violation of socio-cultural, economic and ecological rights as guaranteed in international and regional human rights instruments, statutes. and conventions which Zimbabwe is signatory to,” said Jabson
She stressed that the shift in diets and farming systems is not only an issue of health and nutrition but also a violation of socio-cultural, economic, and ecological rights.
“For instance, a shift in diets and farming systems directly impacts on farmers’ rights to save. use. exchange and sell farm-saved seed and propagation materials. It also impacts on the right to food and the right to health which can only be fully realised upon the provision of underlying determinants of health such as safe and portable water, adequate sanitation, safe food, adequate nutrition and housing, healthy working and environmental conditions, health related education and information; and gender equality. All these underlying determinants are negatively impacted by a shift in diets and industrial agriculture,” she said
In light of the challenges, Jabson called on stakeholders to implement measures aimed at promoting traditional foods.
“PELUM Zimbabwe and the Core group of Organisations in Zimbabwe and AFSA are calling for reviewing of Procurement Regulations that are implemented by the Procurement Authority Regulations of Zimbabwe (PRAZ) so that government institutions such as hospitals and boarding schools can be able to buy traditional food directly from (both small-scale and large-scale) farmers, thereby making the food affordable and accessible.
“Colleges, boarding schools and hospitals review their diets/menus to include traditional foods s. that they make them more diverse and nutritious. That schools; form clubs for cooking and demonstration of traditional foods. Encourage certain days of the week where children bring tradition, food in their lunch boxes and homemade juices in their juice bottles. Have cooking competitions at each school,” she said
