Forth National Seminar on Food Security and
Nutrition Under the Theme: “Child and
Maternal Nutrition”
Enhancement of dietary diversification – linking agriculture
and nutrition: opportunities for optimizing young
children’s diets
Ngin Chhay
Director of the Department of Rice Crop/GDA
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Phnom Penh, 21 – 22 May 2012
Content
1. Overview of Agricultural Development
2. Problems and Challenges
3. Roles of Agriculture in Nutrition
4. Diversification of Small Holder Farming
5. Nutrition Education and Awareness Raising
6. Way Forward
1.1 Overview of Agricultural Development (2011)
• Agricultural share in GDP is 28.4%
• Composition by agriculture sector: (crops: 54%, fisheries: 25%,
livestock:15% and forestry: 6%)
• Total fisheries production is 608.000 tons (Inland: 445.000 t;
Marine: 91.000 t and Aquaculture: 72.000 t)
• Total production of cattle is 4.096.801 heads
• Total pig production is 2.099.332 heads
• Total poultry production is 22.036.755 heads
• Subsidiary crop production was 9,273,923 t and industrial
crop production was 652,820 t.
1.2 Achievements against NSDP Indicators
NSDP Indicator: Agriculture growth (%)
Real growth in 2008 & 2009 and projection for 2010-2013
6
Agriculture growth…
5
4
3
5.7
5.4
2
4
1
3.2
3.4
3.2
2011
2012
2013
0
2008
2009
2010
NSDP Target for Rice Production (million Tons)
7.95
8
7.5
7.17
7.28
7.42
7.5
7.6
•
Total rice production in 2011:
8.78 million tones
•
7
Surplus:
- Paddy rice: 4.34 million tones
6.5
2008
2009
2010
2011
Rice Production (million Tons)
2012
2013
- Milled rice: 2.78 million tones
2. Key Problems and challenges
1. Insufficient quantity, quality and diversity of foods
2. Some households can not afford to have better diets
due to poverty and food insecurity;
3. Lack of knowledge and understanding of proper diets
4. Limited educational and awareness raising activities
on nutrition;
5. Lack of training on food and dietary diversification,
nutrition and health education and dietary counseling
skills;
3. Roles of Agriculture for Improving Nutrition
1. Three purposes of Agriculture:
a) Produce food for consumption
b) Generate employment, income and support rural livelihoods
c) Safeguard the environment.
2. Nutritional value chain:
a) Production:
- increased quantity - availability, stability
- improved nutritional quality – variety, diversity and safety
b) Preservation, storage, and processing – reduce losses in value
and in nutritional quality along the chain
c) Transportation and marketing
d) Consumption – education.
4. Diversification of small holder farming
for better nutrition
4. 1 Diversify production of vegetable and fruits with micronutrient rich
varieties
• Selecting crops based on nutritional content in addition to yields
• Community, home and school vegetable and fruit gardens
• Nutrition messages through agriculture extension services and farmers
field schools
• Rice based Integrated farming systems.
• Irrigation management and water supply for agriculture
4. 2 Fisheries and aquaculture for promoting animal sourced foods to
improve diets and nutrition
• Cage or open culture; pond culture and rice fish culture
• Training on skill developments in aquaculture techniques, fish seed
production for aquaculture and harvest handling and processing.
4. 3 Small/household animal production for animal protein
• Production of pigs, poultry, and other small animals
• Improvement of animal breeds, feed and forages
• Development of community livestock.
4. 4 Small-scale/home based food processing/ preservation techniques
• Setting up woman village association and other village groups
• Training in food processing and preservation techniques such as
fermentation, soaking, pickling , drying to enhance nutritional quality
• Training in food handling, hygiene and sanitation
• Nutrition education strategies that increase consumption of
adequate and diverse diets
• Promoting small-scale agro-enterprises linking to markets for income
generation
5. Nutrition Education
5.1 Practical cooking demonstration
• New food preparation skills to develop the confidence
to prepare new dishes with different varieties of foods
• Selection of improved recipes with variety of foods
• Performing practical cooking demonstration with
participation of caregivers
• Home visit to provide opportunity to learn how effective
the message given to mothers and encourage mothers to
continue with improved complementary feeding.
5.2 Diversified and nutritious complementary foods for young
children using locally available and or affordable foods
• Focusing on giving food to children from 6-24 months
• Food must be diversified and appropriately prepared for
different ages of children
• Amount of food must be appropriate (eg. at 6 months, 7-8
months, 9-11 months, 12-24 months)
• Frequency of food to be given to different age categories
• Consistency of food (eg. thickness, attractiveness, smell)
• Giving nutritious snack (banana, ripe mango, jackfruit, sweet
potato etc)
• Food hygiene and sanitation is also the focus on
complementary feeding
5.3 Use of locally available, seasonally relevant foods
• Seasonal food calendar assessment to evaluate food availability
• Provide visual and easy message to understand the impression of
food available in different times of the year
• Identification of period of year that households have difficult in
making balance meals
5.4 Use of diverse production as basis for change
• Participatory food cooking demonstration practice
• Home visit and counselling and peer education
• Using BCC materials (nutrition posters, counselling cards, leaflets,
etc)
• Posters, manual and booklet on improved food recipes for wider
dissemination.
6. Way Forward
1. Promote smallholder food production through integrated rice
based farming system, community/household vegetable and
fruit gardens combined with nutrition education;
2. Strengthen livestock development through improved animal
breeds, feeds, and rearing technology, including
management and bio-security to increase productivity;
3. Enhance knowledge and skills in aquaculture development,
including fish seed production ,cage and pond culture, and
rice fish culture, harvest handling and processing.
4. Promote nutrition learning and healthy eating in schools
through school vegetable and fruits gardens;
5. Promote the use of locally available and affordable foods for
improved maternal and young child nutrition
6. Promote nutritional approach through local food practices
and appropriate food preparation for cultural, social and
environmental context
7. Enhance local knowledge on the value of local food selection
and eating patterns
8. Strengthen collaboration among relevant institutions,
especially health and agriculture sectors to provide integrated
support to communities and share experiences and best
practices to improve “Child and Maternal Nutrition”.