Food security from allotment gardens

Combating malnutrition in Tanzania

Munifu loves to explore the Lindi region in southern Tanzania with her siblings - or she dashes away from them on all fours. Just a normal baby? Not quite! Munifu was born with a relatively normal weight of 3 kilos, but then she simply stopped gaining weight. 3 kilos after 3 months, 3 kilos after half a year. But Munifu was lucky: With medical care and a feeding programme, she was nursed back to health. She gained weight, recovered quickly and is a healthy toddler - for now, but how will she do in 5 years, how in 10? We see her as a happy schoolchild, surrounded by fragrant mangoes, fortifying okra and juicy oranges. These are grown in one of 1,600 family gardens being established in Lindi to provide Munifu and many children like her with vitamin-rich and nutritious food.

Background

Munifu is not an isolated case – in her community she is one of many. Malnutrition among children is one of the biggest social and health problems in Tanzania. Although the situation has improved in the last 20 years, so that the so-called World Hunger Index has dropped from 40.8 (very serious) to 25 (serious) (World Hunger Index, 2021). But this positive development primarily applies to the large cities. In the rural regions, there are still many malnourished and undernourished children. In Lindi, for example, malnutrition among children under 5 is 32%, and 10% are underweight (own survey). Although babies are breastfed from birth, the quantity and quality of breast milk is not sufficient for them to grow and develop normally according to their age. Because if a mother herself is not well nourished, there is not enough left over for her infant either. The result: the children are undersized, underweight and have difficulties with language, motor skills and cognition. The already weakened bodies are then much more susceptible to other diseases. Especially in a country with a high malaria risk such as Tanzania, this can be devastating (Global Nutrition Report, 2020). Short-term, targeted measures, such as medical treatments, usually only bring a short-lived improvement. To ensure long-term success, it is therefore necessary to provide sustainable, high-quality and vitamin-rich food for the children and their families.

The good deed

With this good deed, a family gets the opportunity to grow local fruits and vegetables in a 25 square metre garden outside their hut. In this way, mothers, who are primarily responsible for feeding the families in this region, can prevent malnutrition and the associated health and social problems. This is preceded by educational programmes for the families on nutrition and horticulture, offered by local experts. Irrigation has already been secured and land is available. With the help of the good deed, the necessary supply of seeds (okra, spinach, tomato, aubergine, watermelon), seedlings (mango, orange, lemon, tangerine, guava), as well as gardening tools can now be provided. Plants are selected according to availability, nutritional value, vitamin content and sustainability. By growing offshoots, for example, cultivation over several years is made possible. This gives children like Munifu a little bit of future.