**Acronyms**

*Food Security in Africa*

**4.3 Prospects**

the age of 5 years was 35% (reflecting cumulative effects of acute malnutrition), with 5% of children being wasted (too thin for their age), while 4% are overweight and 14% being under-weight [54]. The mixed news is that the extent of stunting and underweight in children declined over the period 1999–2016, but wasting remained unchanged over the same period. Paradoxically for unexplained reasons, all the three nutritional/health indicators are highest in children in the major food production areas of the southern and southwestern highlands, an observation that requires addressing. They are lowest in children in the highest wealth quartile, but

Despite efforts between 2007 and 2016 that have reduced the country's poverty rate from 34.4% to 26.8%, the absolute number of poor people has held at about 13 million (approximately 27–28% of the population) [55] partly due to the high population growth rate. Based on the Household Budget Survey of 2017/18, it seems likely that the downward trend in the poverty rate will continue despite it becoming gradual. Government efforts to expand access to social services like education, health, and water have been undermined by their declining quality. This implies that the slowing of factors that contribute most to improved GHI, and any gains in food and nutrition security in the short-term, will therefore be gradual. Real GDP growth is projected to remain in the range of 5–6% over the medium term. This outlook will depend on favorable weather conditions, the steady implementation of reforms to improve the business environment, good fiscal management, and the ability of the Government to address vulnerabilities in the financial sector. The maintenance of low inflation will be underpinned by favorable food supplies and stable global energy prices. The COVID-19 breakout may, however, complicate matters for the country's economy and food security as expected of other Countries of the EAC Region, though the fact that the country did not go into lockdown may

• As agricultural productivity remains low and poses a significant challenge to poverty reduction and food security, Government should endeavor to remove challenges related to low adoption of new technologies and improve infrastruc-

• Government should effect medium and long term interventions to reduce the wasting trends of children in the southern and southwestern highlands, which

• It is critical for the country to arrest the observed overweight trends in children through school education and more physical activities, while simultaneously

• The Ministry of Agriculture should embark on irrigated agriculture in marginal areas by the use of appropriate and research-driven investments and

• The Food industry should explore the potential for value addition of crop and livestock sector production for export to the EAC and other regional food-

ture in order to reduce transportation costs and market access

are also the best agriculturally-endowed regions of the country

are highest in children in the lowest wealth quartile.

mean that it comes off better than its neighbors.

executing parental education

**4.4 Recommendations**

technologies

deficient countries

**114**


*Food Security in Africa*
