As she was briefing journalists yesterday, the Minister of agriculture Dr Geraldine Mukeshimana said that knowledge plays a big role in the reduction of malnutrition and famine among people. For food security goes closely with knowledge for parents who feed children.
It has been observed that children from less educated families are the ones who suffer from malnutrition more than the ones from relatively highly educated families.
The Yesterday’ press conference aimed at informing the general public about the forthcoming international conference on the fight against the malnutrition and famine and what governments are doing to reduce or to eradicate such deadly malnutrition among young generations.
Min Mukeshimana announced that Rwanda is not among the 32 African countries that benefit from the food aid.
For her, the fight against malnutrition should be based on the use of modern technology in agriculture as to increase the harvest and therefore play a role in the decrease of famine and malnutrition victims.
She called upon parents to keep children clean. However, poorly educated parents are the ones whose children suffer from malnutrition more than the rest as they behold 48%.
Dr Mukeshimana added that due to ignorance, some parents are unable to prepare healthy and nutritious foods for their house members and children become the first victims of this deplorable situation.
Rwanda has improved in this sector compared to some of African nations but the little that remains should be removed, she said.
Children who are identified as being victims of the malnutrition are at 38% while they were numbered at 52% in 2005.
Regarding the food shortage reported from the Eastern Province, she said that this resulted from the drought caused by the climate change that is negatively impacting on agriculture, animal husbandry etc.
However, the Rwandan government has taken adequate measures to cope with this new threat.
One of the measures is to set up special fund to cater for the ones who are in need of immediate food supply.
The tomorrow international conference called Compact 2025 will be chaired by the IFPRI (International Food Policy Research Institute) and the aim will be to assess what strategies to put on place for the famine and malnutrition to be eradicated in 2025.
IFPRI is a research based umbrella bringing together countries of Rwanda, Ethiopia, Malawi and Bangladesh.
UM– USEKE.RW
