Talking with Malawian youth about food insecurity: Policy implications

INTRODUCTION

Food insecurity is high in the Malawian population but youth aged 15-24 were 20% less food insecure than older adults in 2013. Food insecure youth were less likely to have secondary education than other youth. In Malawi, urbanization is low, meaning that youth may remain food insecure and living in rural areas. The policy environment reveals important gaps in improving opportunities for youth, thus perpetrating the intergenerational cycle of poverty and household food insecurity and putting population nutritional status at risk.

APPROACH

Nutritionists from the Ministry of Agriculture and FAO carried out a qualitative study on rural and peri-urban adults and youths about different experiences with food insecurity.

RESULTS

Interviewed youths, whether dependents or household heads, demonstrated cognitive awareness of how food insecurity is experienced and how they can assume responsibility themselves for managing food resources. When asked how, strategies to boost household economic activities were mentioned such as augmenting household income from diversifying own agricultural production or switching to cash crop farming and other agricultural strategies. Only a few mentioned pursuit of education to alleviate food security concerns.

DISCUSSION

Policy makers at all administrative levels should talk with youth about how they experience food insecurity and how they view their prospects for the future, with policy implications for better vocational training, particularly in agriculture, and promotion of higher education. Age-specific data on food insecurity will assist in formulating sustainable approaches to address unemployment, food insecurity and poverty among youth who represent future parents and wage earners.