Mozambique faces alarming challenges when it comes to food and nutrition security, with a high rate of child malnutrition that compromises children's physical and cognitive development.

Data from the Demographic and Health Survey (IDS) show that 36.7% of children suffer from chronic malnutrition and 3.8% face acute malnutrition. The situation is even more worrying in regions affected by armed conflicts, extreme climatic events and poverty, factors that aggravate food insecurity in the country.

According to the report "Hunger Hotspots: Early Warnings 2024", published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), Mozambique was recently included in the list of countries with hunger hotspots, with violence and armed conflicts being identified as the main causes of the food crisis. Food insecurity is also exacerbated by factors such as extreme weather events, population displacement and poverty, which compromise the country's health and economic development.

Yesterday, March 31st, was World Nutrition Day, a day that aims to raise global awareness about the importance of a healthy and balanced diet. In Mozambique, this data highlights the urgency of combating child malnutrition and promoting effective policies to guarantee access to nutritious food for all.

The celebration of this date in 2025 coincides with the launch in Mozambique of a global campaign called Enough is Enough, in response to the current challenges in the fight against malnutrition, as climate shocks increase, irregular rain falls that jeopardize crops, prolonged droughts that result in pockets of hunger, conflicts and high living costs, as well as reduced investment in social causes.

According to World Vision Country Director Maria Carolina da Silva, Mozambique's nutritional crisis puts millions of children at risk. For the Director, malnutrition compromises children's physical and cognitive development, limiting their potential and perpetuating the cycle of poverty.

"We cannot ignore the fact that millions of Mozambican children face this problem on a daily basis, and we need to act to guarantee a better future for them," she said.he said.

Maria Carolina, warned that malnourished children are more likely to have learning and development difficulties, impacting not only their individual lives, but also the country's socio-economic growth.

"By saying 'Enough is enough', we want to highlight the serious socio-economic consequences of malnutrition, which not only directly affect these children and their families, but also harm the productivity and economic growth of Mozambique as a whole"he concluded.

Former Health Minister Nazira Abdula said that chronic malnutrition is recognized as an indicator of the quality of human capital in the country.

“In Mozambique, the malnutrition rate is a public health problem, currently standing at 37%, according to data from the Demographic and Health Survey. Despite the reduction from 44% to 37%, the figure is still considered very high by the standards of the World Health Organization (WHO), which classifies any rate higher than 30% as high."

The former minister added that malnutrition rates are progressively increasing from the south to the north, with the northern provinces being the worst affected. "Unfortunately, the northern provinces led the statistics, and Nampula, which is the province we represent, has the highest malnutrition rates in the country," he concluded.

World Nutrition Day 2025 offers a vital opportunity to reflect on the challenges faced by Mozambique and other countries that share similar realities. In addition to government initiatives, collaboration between public and private entities and international organizations is essential to promote sustainable solutions and ensure that no child suffers the devastating impacts of hunger and malnutrition.