Household food security and nutritional status in Zambia - policy challenges
Kapungwe, A.
Africa Insight 35(1): 36-43
2005
ISSN/ISBN: 0256-2804 Document Number: 256946
This study investigates household food security and nutritional status in Zambia in the 1990s drawing largely, though not exclusively, on secondary data. The major finding is that household food insecurity in Zambia was unacceptably high during the period under review. Trend analysis has demonstrated that, although the proportion of extremely food insecure households seems to have declined during the period under review, the level of household food insecurity remained relatively high and widespread, to the extent that almost every household was vulnerable to it at one time or another. Household food insecurity in Zambia was predominantly rural with conspicuous inter- as well intra-provincial variations. In relative terms, female-headed households had a much higher chance of being food insecure as were large-sized households and those headed by the elderly. The study also confirmed the long-established relationship between household food security and nutritional status. Based on the findings, the paper emphasizes the need for policies to mainstream gender and HIV/AIDS concerns, strengthen the family support system, and establish dialogue with community-based organizations.