FOOD AVAILABILITY AND QUALITY OF DIET IN MOZAMBIQUE: LINKING AGRICULTURE TO NUTRITION

In Mozambique, 43% of children under 5 years had signs of chronic malnutrition in 2011 (MOH 2011), and the linkage between poverty and malnutrition is clear (MPD 2010). Given the importance of agriculture in Mozambique as a source of income and of food, in national and international discussions, agriculture had begun to occupy a central role in the debates about food security and nutrition. The causes of malnutrition are multisectoral, especially between agriculture, health and education, and only a combination of actions may be the solution. In this paper, the emphasis will be given to the evidence of linkages and solutions based on agriculture and nutrition.