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Health, nutrition and agricultural development in Northern Zambia

1988; Elsevier BV; Volume: 27; Issue: 7 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/0277-9536(87)90334-0

1873-5347

Megan Vaughan, Henrietta L. Moore,

Child Nutrition and Water Access

This note describes ongoing research in the northern province of Zambia being conducted collaboratively with the Institute of African Studies University of Zambia. The research examines the current nutritional and health problems of the area in longitudinal perspective. In particular it aims to chart changes in the sexual division of labor and in the agricultural system generally over the last 50 years and to examine the possible effects of these changes on the health and welfare of the people of the area especially women and children. Much of the research focuses on women as food producers in the Mpika district. Development planners were concerned about results of recent surveys which appeared to show that most progressive peasant households are suffering a decline in the nutritional status of their children under 5 years. It is hypothesized that this decline in maize cash-cropping households is accounted for by the increased work burden of women within these households rather than because of the availability of the food staple millet. The data from the Mpika project seem to show that women married to cash-croppers have seen both their agricultural and domestic work increase both in terms of the average working day and the number of days worked over the year. Independent health survey data have indicated that one of the major factors influencing child nutrition in the Northern province is the amount of time available to women to prepare frequent meals of weaning foods for young children. Current research is focussing on time allocated for child care including the provision of suitable food. Factors in traditional sex roles and cultural values and kinship customs may also play a role in child health and mortality apart from the agricultural factors. (authors modified)