Good day every one, today I want to talk about how to reduce hunger and poor nutrition in this present economic condition. In today’s economy we see that many people have been suffering from poor nutrition and ignorance on how to manage themselves in this economy.
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There are many reasons for hunger and poor nutrition. One main reason is poverty. In many parts of the world a few people own most of the wealth and the land. They grow crops like coffee or tobacco, which they sell to make money, but which have no food value.
Or the poor may farm small plots of borrowed land, while the owners take a big share of the harvest. The problem of hunger and poor nutrition will never be completely solved until people learn to share with each other fairly.
But there are many things people can do to eat better at low cost-and by eating well gain strength to stand up for their rights. If the whole village or a group of families work together cooperatively a lot can be done to improve nutrition.
Better farming methods: using irrigation, contour ditches, alley cropping, rotation of crops, breeding fish, beekeeping and family gardens beside the home. If you have local agriculture advisers, ask them to tell you about these.
Better storage of harvested crops: especially of maize, cassava or other sources of main food. If cassava is dried as ‘sticks’, they should be in the sun at least for 14 days. If cassava is powdered, great care should be taken to see that the drying process in the frying is very well done, and not rushed.
Poorly made cassava flour will not even keep three months without going moldy. Stored maize is very liable to develop mold unless well dried, and kept dry till needed. Protection against rats is equally necessary.
Beans and groundnut are easily dried and stored for long periods of time, and after storage, hand-sorting can remove any that are obviously moldy before preparing food for children.Better balance between size of family, and amount of land available: so much land can feed so many people. Small family lives better. Family planning can help. But this takes time. Children, even of 10-12 years of age, can produce more than they cost, so poor families often seek to have more children. Only when poverty is overcome, fair wages paid, and the land redistributed more fairly, can some communities afford small families.
Better care of money: when money is limited, it important to use it wisely. This means cooperation and looking ahead. Too often the father of a poor family will spend the little bit of money he has on alcohol or tobacco rather than on buying nutritious food, a hen lay eggs, or something to improve the family’s health. Men who drink together would do well to get together sometime when they are sober, to discuss these problems and look for a healthy solution.
Also, some mothers buy sweets or soft drinks for their children when they could spend the same money buying eggs, milk, nuts or other nutritious foods. This way children could become healthy for the same amount of money.
Please mothers take note, if you have a little amount of money do not spend it on buying soft drinks and sweets for them but instead buy eggs and handful of nuts for them and that is if you want them to grow strong and healthy.
Thanks for reading this post, Goodbye.