NTT (part 2)
(Baca Versi Bahasa Indonesia)
GENERAL OVERVIEW
Main Findings on Nutrition and Food Security
More than 85% households access their food from their own agriculture production (corn, cassava and leafy vegetables) and from market. Markets are important sources of food, especially during food shortage period. About 48% of household expenditure is dedicated to food consumption. Main types of food purchased in markets are rice, vegetables and fish. However, because of limited incomes, the food purchased is rarely diversified.
Limitation in food production and cash generation put a strain on access to food. For instance, in Alor, the average nutrition intake is estimated to 1,540 kcal, which is lower as compared to the national standard i.e. 2,058 kcal.
The main staple food consumed in the assessed areas is corn and rice. Aside from staple food, few leafy vegetables such as cassava and papaya leafs are also consumed regularly. Other types of food are added occasionally when available, such as vegetables (sweet potatoes, cabbage, green pumpkins, egg plant…) or fruits (banana, papaya, coconut…). Their low consumption is not sufficient to meet daily requirement in micronutrients. Due to income limitation and poor nutritional knowledge, only few households consume meat, eggs, legumes or dairy products.
Food shortage period is locally perceived as the period of time when corn stocks at household level are depleted. The usual food shortage period is from August until March. During this period, families use several coping mechanisms to fulfill their food needs.
There is no recent comprehensive survey on the province’s nutritional status. However, from analyzing secondary data, prevalence of chronic malnutrition appears to be high and the overall nutritional status precarious. It can quickly deteriorate in case of outbreak of waterborne disease or when the food production/income generation is disrupted by adverse factors (drought, pest, etc)
The Ministry of Health collects weight/age measurement data through the posyandu /puskemas systems. They report about 39% of underweight with 107 000 cases (severe and moderate) for 2006 in NTT. All the 16 districts of NTT are affected by malnutrition, and TTS presents the highest number of cases.
At household level, several factors, closely connected to structural poverty, increase the risk of chronic malnutrition:
- Low family income: less than 200,000 IDR per month in average,
- Unsustainable livelihood (source of income): highly depending on cash crops (harvested once a year and sensitive to climate changes),
- Livestock is not used as source of daily food consumption, but is used instead for traditional ceremonies,
- Undiversified diet: legumes are less popular for consumption today than a decade ago,
- Lack of care from the mothers to their children, lack of knowledge of the mothers regarding nutrition and health,
- Poor sanitation facilities,
- Low quantity of water available/used for household and body hygiene
- Lack of knowledge on irrigation water use.
- Low education level.
ACCESS TO WATER
RECOMMENDATION
PICTURE
Writer : FoodSec and Watsan Department
Editor : Erma Maghfiroh
Translator : Erma Maghfiroh
