FOOD INSECURITY IN PAKISTAN

Pakistan is the seventh most populous country in the world PAKISTAN – A PREVIEW Total Population – million Male : Female Proportion – 52 : 48 Urban : Rural Proportion – 37 : 63 Population Density / Sq. Km – 187 person

PAKISTAN- HEALTH INDICATORS The level of socioeconomic development is low in Pakistan; human development index is 142nd in the world. 24% of the population lives below poverty line with 17% earning less than a dollar a day. Total expenditure on health is 63$ per capita, while total expenditure on health as 2.6% of GDP (WHO,2009).

PAKISTAN- HEALTH INDICATORS The health profile of Pakistan is characterized by high population growth rate(1.9), high infant mortality and U 5 mortality rates of 78 and 97 respectively, a high maternal mortality ratio of 276 per 100,000 live births and a high burden of communicable diseases.

Under-nutrition is a recognized health problem in Pakistan and plays a substantial role in the country’s elevated child morbidity and mortality. Back in 2008, the UN estimated that 77 million Pakistanis were hungry and 45 million malnourished. Although the problem of malnutrition has been never good throughout the history but the current situation is alarming. UNDERNUTRITION IN PAKISTAN

PAKISTAN NATIONAL NUTRITION SURVEY 2011 Pakistan National Nutrition Survey 2011 revealed an alarming situation in Pakistan regarding malnutrition. The survey took a sample of 30,000 households nationwide covering all the provinces and found that around 58% of the households were facing food insecurity. In these households, 50% of the women and children were found to be malnourished.

PAKISTAN NATIONAL NUTRITION SURVEY 2011 In Pakistan, 43.7 % children under 5yrs were stunted, 15 % were wasted, while 31.5 % of the children were underweight. “This confirms that the maternal and child malnutrition remains a major issue for Pakistan”. The indicators of malnutrition appeared to be higher in rural areas than in urban areas.

FOOD INSECURITY Food insecurity has become one of the major national problems in Pakistan. The report produced by United Nations in 2008 revealed that high food prices have significantly worsened food security in Pakistan. In 2008, 72 million people (51 percent of the population) were food insecure and consumed less than 2,100 kcal per day.

FOOD INSECURITY Since the food insecure population has increased by 12 million. Two thirds of these new severely food insecure people live in rural areas. The poorest of the poor have been is proportionately affected by the crisis.

WHAT IS?

FOOD INSECURITY The World Food Summit of 1996 defined food security as existing “when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life”.

PILLARS OF FOOD SECURITY Food security is built on three pillars: 1. Food Availability: sufficient quantities of food available on a consistent basis. 2. Food Access: having sufficient resources to obtain appropriate foods for a nutritious diet. 3. Food Use: appropriate use based on knowledge of basic nutrition and care, as well as adequate water and sanitation.

FOOD INSECURITY National Nutrition Survey revealed that at National level about 58% of the households are food insecure. The NNS 2011 also reports Sindh as the province with the highest proportion (72%) of food insecure people, 63.5% in Balochistan, 59.5% in Punjab, 28.2 % in KPK, 39.8% in Giligit Baltistan, and 58.4 % in FATA. There is a division between the urban and rural areas, in urban areas about 52% houses are food insecure compared with rural areas where 60.6% are food insecure.

FOOD INSECURITY Throughout 2010, Pakistan’s two chief food staples, rice and wheat, have cost 30 to 50 percent times more than they did before the global food crisis. In Pakistan, large family size forced to expense 46% of the family income on food while food expenditures in India are 35 % and the US 7 %. Natural disasters(floods), rampant water shortages, drought and conflict have intensified food insecurity in Pakistan in recent months.

MDG 1 AND PAKISTAN

MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS In September 2000, the United Nations Millennium Declaration was endorsed by 190 countries and was translated into eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to be achieved by The eight Millennium Development Goals have been articulated into over 20 targets and over 60 indicators. Pakistan is not on track to achieve MDG 1 i.e. halving the 1990 level of malnutrition by 2015.

MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOAL 1 Health TargetsHealth Indicators Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger Target 1: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who live below poverty line Proportion of people below calorie based food plus non food poverty line Target 2: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger Prevalence of underweight children under five years of age Proportion of population below minimum level of dietary energy consumption

PAKISTAN AND MDG 1

PREVELANCE OF UNDERWEIGHT CHILDREN UNDER 5 IN PAKISTAN

Pakistan is not on Track to Achieve MDG on Reduction in Malnutrition (weight for age)(1990=100%, Target reduction to 50% of 1990 level by 2015) Source: UNDP

INTERVENTIONS Food Security is access to adequate, safe, affordable food

CONCLUSION

National Nutrition Survey Nutrition Wing, Cabinet Division, Government of Pakistan. National Nutrition Survey Food Security. World Health Organization. Available at; Pakistan Millennium Development Goals Report 2010.Govt. of Pakistan. Planning Commission: Centre for Poverty reduction and social policy development. Islamabad; Sept REFERENCES

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