Assessing the Impact of Nutritional Education on Gender Roles and Child Care in Northern Malawi

Malnutrition among children below the age of five remains a major public health concern in Malawi. To address the problem of childhood malnutrition, several programs have been initiated to promote optimal early feeding, control vitamin A deficiency and minimize the prevalence of childhood anemia. Although some progress has been made, close to 47 percent of children remain malnourished. In Malawi, the majority of child care and feeding is done by women who have high workloads and little control over household economic resources. Scholars are striving to find strategies that can motivate and empower fathers to be involved in housework and childcare activities, which can mitigate the underlying causes of child malnutrition. This study draws on a feminist geography, gender theories, transformational educational approaches and the concept of care to assess whether participatory community-based nutrition education can promote a more equal household gender division of labour and sharing of childcare practices in northern Malawi. In-depth interviews and participant observation data were collected from 30 couples before and after a participatory nutrition education program over a 4 month period in 2012. The results show that there are highly unequal gender roles in household work, which are justified by various socio-cultural explanations. Nonetheless, the participatory nutrition educational approach utilized shows potential for involving husbands in some childcare and household domestic work

No. 27: Food Security in Africa\u27s Secondary Cities: No. 1 Mzuzu, Malawi

This report marks the first stage of AFSUN’s goal of expanding knowledge about urban food systems and experiences of household food insecurity in secondary African cities. It contributes to an understanding of poverty and sustainability in Mzuzu, Malawi, through the lens of household food security. The focus on food as an urban issue not only speaks to the development challenges presented by urbanization, but it also brings a fresh perspective to debates about food security in Malawi. The urban setting highlights the changing food system in Malawi where people in rural and urban areas are increasingly reliant on cash income to buy food. The report’s key findings include that the most vulnerable households are those without a formal wage income, households headed by older people, especially older women, and households that are not able to produce food in the rural areas. The research also shows that the food system is dynamic and diverse, with households accessing food from a variety of formal and informal food sources and relying on rural-urban linkages for urban survival. Urban and rural agriculture are important features of the food system, but there is little evidence that these are the “self-help” responses to poverty that advocates for urban agriculture in Africa sometimes imply

No. 25: Food Insecurity in Informal Settlements in Lilongwe, Malawi

Although there is widespread food availability in urban areas across the Global South, it is not correlated with universal access to adequate amounts of nutritious foods. This report is based on a household survey conducted in 2015 in six low-income informal areas in Malawi’s capital city, where three-quarters of the population live in informal settlements. Understanding the dimensions of household food insecurity in these neighbourhoods is critical to sustainable and inclusive growth in Lilongwe. The survey findings provide a complementary perspective to the 2008 AFSUN survey conducted in Blantyre, which suggested a level of food security in urban Malawi that was probably more typical of peri-urban areas where many people farm. Given that informal settlements house most of Malawi’s urban residents, the Lilongwe research presents a serious public policy challenge for the country’s leaders. Poverty is a profound problem in Malawi’s rapidly expanding cities. Of particular concern is the poor quality of diets among residents of informal settlements. Precarity of income, reflected in the survey findings of frequent purchasing of staple foods and the need for food sellers to extend credit, appears to be a key driver of food insecurity in these communities. Economically inclusive growth, with better prospects for stable employment and protection for informal-sector workers, appears to be the surest route to improved urban food security in Malawi

No. 27: Food Security in Africa\u27s Secondary Cities: No. 1 Mzuzu, Malawi

This report marks the first stage of AFSUN’s goal of expanding knowledge about urban food systems and experiences of household food insecurity in secondary African cities. It contributes to an understanding of poverty and sustainability in Mzuzu, Malawi, through the lens of household food security. The focus on food as an urban issue not only speaks to the development challenges presented by urbanization, but it also brings a fresh perspective to debates about food security in Malawi. The urban setting highlights the changing food system in Malawi where people in rural and urban areas are increasingly reliant on cash income to buy food. The report’s key findings include that the most vulnerable households are those without a formal wage income, households headed by older people, especially older women, and households that are not able to produce food in the rural areas. The research also shows that the food system is dynamic and diverse, with households accessing food from a variety of formal and informal food sources and relying on rural-urban linkages for urban survival. Urban and rural agriculture are important features of the food system, but there is little evidence that these are the “self-help” responses to poverty that advocates for urban agriculture in Africa sometimes imply

Predisposing and reinforcing factors of undernutrition among 0- to 59-months-old children in rural communities of central Malawi

Background: Child undernutrition is a public health problem in Malawi. In 2015, about 23% of child mortality was linked to the phenomenon. Child undernutrition is more prevalent in rural areas and there is limited data to inform rural-specific programs. The aims of this study are to examine the prevalence and predisposing factors of undernutrition among 0–59 months-old children in rural central Malawi. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used. A total of 538 child/mother dyads were systematically selected from postnatal clinics. Anthropometric assessment techniques and socio-demographic questionnaire was used to collect data. Child Z-scores for anthropometric data were calculated using Anthro v3.2.2. Logistic regressions were used to determine correlates of undernutrition. Results: The rates of stunting, underweight, and wasting were 42%, 11%, and 3%, respectively. In multivariable logistic regression models, limited access to safe water, and maternal exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) were risk factors of child stunting (OR = 1.72, CI: 1.13–2.61) and (OR = 1.505, CI: 1.001–2.261) respectively. Child deworming, born at a low weight, and food insecurity were some of risk factors of child underweight (OR = 2.14, CI: 1.18–3.89), (OR = 2.41, CI: 1.23–4.71), and (OR = 1.89, CI: 1.01–3.51) respectively. Households that were near domestic water supply had low risk of registering wasted children (OR = 0.18, CI: 0.41–0.79). Conclusions: Only the prevalence of child stunting is greater in central Malawi compared to national level. This study suggests that child nutrition planners in Dowa district should pay attention to water access, food security, child deworming, childbirth weight, and IPV

Food Security in Africa's Secondary cities : no. 1. Mzuzu, Malawi

This report marks the first stage of AFSUNs goal of expanding knowledge about urban food systems and experiences of household food insecurity in secondary African cities. It contributes to an understanding of poverty and sustainability in Mzuzu, Malawi, through the lens of household food security. The focus on food as an urban issue not only speaks to the development challenges presented by urbanization, but it also brings a fresh perspective to debates about food security in Malawi. The urban setting highlights the changing food system in Malawi where people in rural and urban areas are increasingly reliant on cash income to buy food. The reports key findings include that the most vulnerable households are those without a formal wage income, households headed by older people, especially older women, and households that are not able to produce food in the rural areas. The research also shows that the food system is dynamic and diverse, with households accessing food from a variety of formal and informal food sources and relying on rural-urban linkages for urban survival. Urban and rural agriculture are important features of the food system, but there is little evidence that these are the self-help responses to poverty that advocates for urban agriculture in Africa sometimes imply

Food Insecurity in Informal Settlements in Lilongwe Malawi

Although there is widespread food availability in urban areas across the Global South, it is not correlated with universal access to adequate amounts of nutritious foods. This report is based on a household survey conducted in 2015 in six low-income informal areas in Malawi's capital city, where three-quarters of the population live in informal settlements. Understanding the dimensions of household food insecurity in these neighbourhoods is critical to sustainable and inclusive growth in Lilongwe. The survey findings provide a complementary perspective to the 2008 AFSUN survey conducted in Blantyre, which suggested a level of food security in urban Malawi that was probably more typical of peri-urban areas where many people farm. Given that informal settlements house most of Malawi's urban residents, the Lilongwe research presents a serious public policy challenge for the country's leaders. Poverty is a profound problem in Malawi's rapidly expanding cities. Of particular concern is the poor quality of diets among residents of informal settlements. Precarity of income, reflected in the survey findings of frequent purchasing of staple foods and the need for food sellers to extend credit, appears to be a key driver of food insecurity in these communities. Economically inclusive growth, with better prospects for stable employment and protection for informal-sector workers, appears to be the surest route to improved urban food security in Malawi

1-9 Food in African Secondary Cities: Governance & Policy

Chair : Ines Raimundo, Eduardo Mondlane University ([email protected]) Emmanuel Chilanga, McGill University ([email protected]) Determinants of hygienic practices among food sellers in Mzuzu city, Malawi: Implication for food safety and urban planning policies Andrea Brown, Wilfred Laurier University ([email protected]) Co-productive Urban Planning: Protecting Informal Food Markets Liam Riley, Wilfred Laurier University and Balsillie School of International Affairs ([email protected]) Household Food Provisioning in Africa’s Secondary Cities: Gender Dynamics in Three Urban Centres Anil Dhakal, University of Waterloo ([email protected]) Dynamics of the use of remittances and household food security in Mzuzu Malaw

No. 25: Food Insecurity in Informal Settlements in Lilongwe, Malawi

Although there is widespread food availability in urban areas across the Global South, it is not correlated with universal access to adequate amounts of nutritious foods. This report is based on a household survey conducted in 2015 in six low-income informal areas in Malawi’s capital city, where three-quarters of the population live in informal settlements. Understanding the dimensions of household food insecurity in these neighbourhoods is critical to sustainable and inclusive growth in Lilongwe. The survey findings provide a complementary perspective to the 2008 AFSUN survey conducted in Blantyre, which suggested a level of food security in urban Malawi that was probably more typical of peri-urban areas where many people farm. Given that informal settlements house most of Malawi’s urban residents, the Lilongwe research presents a serious public policy challenge for the country’s leaders. Poverty is a profound problem in Malawi’s rapidly expanding cities. Of particular concern is the poor quality of diets among residents of informal settlements. Precarity of income, reflected in the survey findings of frequent purchasing of staple foods and the need for food sellers to extend credit, appears to be a key driver of food insecurity in these communities. Economically inclusive growth, with better prospects for stable employment and protection for informal-sector workers, appears to be the surest route to improved urban food security in Malawi