Food security is the issue that Rwanda and the whole world prioritize as without food, working becomes rare and almost impossible. The Ministry of Agriculture reported that 83% of Rwandans have access to food, with only 16% of people who have food insecurity.
As the Ministry of Agriculture has started one month of campaign on food security and fight against malnutrition. Pureafricanews.com wanted to know how some Rwandans understands food security and balanced diet and visite Kabuga Market, which is located in Kicukiro district.
Mukamana Donatilla is a fruit seller in kabuga market, she narrates how she understands food security. “Food security for me is having got enough food to eat with my children, if my children can be able to eat and be satisfied, that is it” she said
Even though having a plate full of food is not enough but knowing what the body needs most, some people still believe in that. Nyirabahiga Esperance is a vegetable vendor at kabuga Market, she shares her opinions about balanced diet and food security
“If there is plenty of food in my house like maize flour, potatoes, rice, beans and some vegetable, I call myself rich, I have food security and while cooking I try to take each including vegetables, beans, egg and fruit if I can, and I make sure my kids are satisfied “She stated.
In a press briefing, Dr. Telesphore NDABAMENYE, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI) said that significant progress has been made in achieving food self-sufficiency.
“When we look at the data we have, we see that there has been good progress since 2021. You may recall that we were dealing with the aftermath of COVID-19 and the various conflicts that have broken out in different parts of the world. All of these issues disrupted food supply chains. Back then, our level of food self-sufficiency was at 79.2%, but now we’ve reached at least 83% of the population being food self-sufficient.” He stated.
“That doesn’t mean that 100% of the population has equal access to adequate food. There are two key indicators that we must pay attention to: having enough food in general but also ensuring it is within proper nutritional standards. Even in that regard, we have seen some improvements.” He emphasized.
Mukantwali Christine, the better nutrition team leader at FAO Rwanda said that the mere availability of food is not enough what’s also needed is understanding what the body truly requires.
“Eating a lot is not what matters. We have seen that food is available, but the body needs energy ranging from about 2,000 to 3,200 kilocalories per day, coming from grains, fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs, fish… Generally, Rwandans are meeting this requirement, as we have reached an average of 2,329 kilocalories per person per day. So overall, we are consuming enough energy. However, what’s still missing is the knowledge of what the body specifically needs in order for a person to be strong, grow properly, and think clearly.” She said.
The government of Rwanda advises farmers to join cooperatives for market access, protect agricultural land from erosion and to consider climate smart practice and resilient system to manage food crisis.
Even if there is a decrease in food crisis in Rwanda, FAO reported that in 2024 around 638 to 720 million people faced hunger and 2.3 billion people had food insecurity.
