Nearly one in three households in Cape Verde do not have financial access to food

Nearly a third of Cape Verdean families have no financial access to food, 10% of the population suffers from chronic malnutrition, and about 7.4% of children under 5 are obese, an official said on Wednesday.

The data was provided in the city of Praia by Agriculture and Environment Minister Gilberto Silva on the sidelines of the 11th meeting of the National Council for Food and Nutrition Security, saying that since 2018 the country has been conducting a national study. on Food Vulnerability and Family Nutrition in order to have the elements to allow policy adjustments related to security in this sector.

“These data show that, for example, 32% of our families still do not have sufficient financial access, 10% of our population suffers from chronic malnutrition. % of obesity, which is not good and therefore is an indicator that shows that it is necessary to solve the problem of obesity,” the minister said.

The official considered that if there is both chronic malnutrition and obesity, they must be fought.

“But it also shows, for example, that four out of 10 women are already obese and overweight in Cape Verde. And this is an indicator that shows that we will have to improve or direct our public policies to address these problems. questions,” he added.

The minister said the biggest challenges to food and nutrition security in the country are related to improving production and family incomes so they can have financial access to food, as well as education to “significantly” improve their diets.

“There are aspects here that are related to nutrition and rely heavily on knowledge and best practices. It is also necessary to formulate public policies at various levels, improve chains and organize food production and distribution chains, production and food sectors, I’m talking mainly about agriculture and fisheries, which make a huge contribution to food security,” he said.

Gilberto Silva also drew attention to the problem of preserving and transforming food, as it provides employment. And in order to reduce waste, he proposed a political strategy, which the Government should approve by the end of the year.

“If we don’t agree on our intervention, we won’t get it either,” the official warned, stressing the importance of these meetings to jointly discuss improvements in the sector.

“Because we are talking about a topic that is multi-level and at the same time transversal, and that in order to achieve complex results, we all have to do our own work, each in his own place, but in such a way that he is in harmony with what the other is doing,” he concluded.

Ana Tousa, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Representative in Cape Verde, expressed her support for the institution and the country’s commitment to achieving food security, improving nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture.

“We are working with the government to implement programs and projects that directly or indirectly ensure the food security of the people of Cape Verde, and it is worth noting programs, legislation, bodies and instruments such as the law on the human right to adequate food for the National Food Security and Nutrition Strategy “, – he said.