Country
Challenges and
Achievements for
Food Security &
Nutrition
Prepared for
Scaling Up Nutrition
Meeting
August 2011
Cambodia Delegation
Trends in U-5 Child Malnutrition from 2000-2010
Cambodia Millennium Development Goal
Percentage of U-5 children underweight (weight-for-age < - 2 SD)
2000-2010
CMDG 2010 Target=24.5%
CMDG 2015 Target=19%
Past and Current Achievements in Coordination
• National Council for Nutrition established; National Plan of
Action on Nutrition (1996-2000) and Cambodia Nutrition
Investment Plan developed (2003-2007)
• Interministerial National Sub-Committee on Food Fortification,
Provincial Nutrition Coordination Committees, Ministry of Health
National Nutrition Program, and private sector Salt Producers
Community (focusing on iodization) established
• Food Security and Nutrition Technical Working Group chaired by
CARD (Council for Agricultural and Rural development) is one of
18 current official coordination bodies of the government
• Strategic Framework for Food Security and Nutrition, National
Nutrition Strategy, and Social Protection Strategy (including
nutrition) currently in-place
Achievements in the Health Sector
Early initiation of breastfeeding and
exclusive breastfeeding show great
progress (CDHS 2010)
Anaemia among children 6-59
months reduced from 62% in 2005
to 55% in 2010 and from 47% to
44% among women of
reproductive age
Coverage of IFA supplementation
for pregnant women is over 85%
Coverage of deworming and
vitamin A supplementation for
postpartum women and children
climbing to above 50% (CDHS 2010)
Agricultural & Multisectoral Achievements
Increases in productivity and
cultivated area has led to a
surplus paddy of over 3.5
million tones
Eight out of ten households
consume iodized salt (CDHS
2010)
Household dietary diversity is
improving with a higher
percentage of calories from
animal sources, especially in
urban areas. Protein
consumption increased from
54.5 g/person/day in 2004 to
62.8 g/person/day in 2009
(CSES 2009)
The poorest households are
consuming 13% more calories
(CSES 2009) and spending a
lower percent of overall
expenditure on food
Rice Paddy Production and Surplus, 2000-2009
Challenges for Current Priorities
• Integrate nutrition in national development strategy;
provide more operational guidance for policy and
strategy documents
• Sub-national coordination structures for nutrition are
not currently active
• Some current programmes have not been adequately
evaluated; improve national monitoring systems
• Increased agricultural productivity and economic
growth is not sufficient for changing the diet of
young children; improved feeding practices is needed
Emerging and Long-Term Challenges
• Comprehensive policy and legislation is lacking for
food fortification
• Fluctuating food prices require different
strategies, including nutrition-sensitive social
safety nets, targeted to most vulnerable (net food
buyers, urban poor)
• Unclear future financial support to scale up
interventions; link investment now with economic
cost of malnutrition on development
• Postgraduate degrees in agriculture are available
in-country, but still lacking for nutrition