admin | July 20, 2015
Like this week’s stories, the Script of the week also focuses on nutrition and food security.
“Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.” This quote comes from the 1996 World Food Summit’s Rome Declaration on World Food Security.
In your radio programs, you can help farmers become more aware of their important role in safeguarding food security for themselves and their communities. When growing for local markets, farmers may profit if they consider local dietary needs and food preferences. In some cases, farmers might choose to grow traditional or indigenous crops which are often nutritious, acceptable to the community, and important for cultural reasons.
Although food security is necessary for adequate dietary intake, food security does not always mean that people are well nourished. Parents and other caregivers need to know the nutritional needs of different family members. This knowledge helps the parent or caretaker decide what foods and how much of these foods to prepare and serve their families. For example, exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life is the best form of food security for infants. Also, undernutrition—especially in children—is the result of poor food intake coupled with infection. So it is essential to protect children from illnesses such as diarrhea through the provision of safe water and good hygiene.
Find out more in What is Food Security?