The Federal Government in collaboration with International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) has intensified efforts to promote improved nutrition and healthy food consumption among rural farming households in Anambra.
Speaking during a training for farmers in Awka, Dr Deborah Onyefulu, State Programme Coordinator, Anambra VCDP, said the initiative was aimed at addressing malnutrition in rural communities.
Onyefulu, represented by the Rural Institutions, Gender and Youth Mainstreaming Officer, Mr. Ikechukwu Anyasie, explained that the training targeted women and youths.
She said the focus was on how to prepare nutritious meals using locally available crops such as cassava, rice and cowpea.
According to her, the goal is to encourage households to adopt balanced diets.
“The nutrition component of the programme is vital to ensuring that increased agricultural production translated into better health outcomes and improved well-being for farming families.
“Participants are also trained on food processing, hygienic food preparation and the use of nutrient-rich agricultural products in preparing healthy meals,”she said.
Onyefulu added that the programme also supports women’s groups and cooperatives with modern agro-processing equipment and capacity-building to enhance value addition and improve income generation.
Also speaking, the VCDP State Nutrition Officer, Mrs Chinwe Ekwelie, said integrating nutrition education into rural communities in Anambra remained vital to improving household nutrition outcomes.
Ekwelie noted that sustained awareness and practical training would help families make better food choices and improve their overall quality of life.
