4.15 MB - Food Security Clusters

South Sudan: How a new country can feed its peopleAn undernourished population4 AN UNDERNOURISHED POPULATIONSouth Sudan needs to improve theavailability of food and household accessto food, but also needs to concentrate onensuring that households are consuming theright food and that people are able to utilize thefood they are consuming. A diverse diet isrequired providing all essential macro andmicro-nutrients. Health care needs to be readilyaccessible and hygiene practices adequate.Care-givers need to be educated about feeding,nutrition and caring practices to ensure they aregiving their children the best start in life.Figure 4.1 – Undernutrition by age40.035.030.025.020.015.010.05.0UnderweightStuntingWastingFigure 4.1 provides an indication of childundernutrition by age group, however thesefigures should be considered with caution (asdiscussed below). The critical period is the firstthousand days of a child’s life. During this periodstunting rates more than triples. When deprivedof nutritious food in the first 1000 days, a child’sphysical development is impaired. And he or shematures into an adult who is less likely to reachhis or her potential and is more prone todisease. This adult will be less productive with afar greater likelihood and therefore greaterchance of being stuck in poverty, therebyperpetuating the cycle of food insecurity andmalnutrition..00-5 6-11 12-23 24-35 36-47 48-59AgeSource: SHHS, 2010The fact that a quarter of the children in SouthSudan are stunted in their growth exemplifies26