"www.fao.org/about/meetings/sustainable-food-systems-nutrition-symposium The International Symposium on Sustainable Food Systems for Healthy Diets and Improved Nutrition was jointly held by FAO and WHO in December 2016 to explore policies and programme options for shaping the food systems in ways that deliver foods for a healthy diet, focusing on concrete country experiences and challenges. This Symposium waas the first large-scale contribution under the UN Decade of Action for Nutrition 2016-2025. This presentation was part of Parallel session 2.3: Increasing access to healthy diets through social protection and income generation strategies"

2. PUBLIC PROCUREMENT FROM FAMILY
FARMERS FOR IMPROVED FOOD BASKET:
MALAWI EXPERIENCE FROM PAA
Albert Saka
Ministry of Education
Department School Health & Nutrition
Malawi

3. Background of Purchase from Africans for Africa (PAA)
 Program inspired by lessons learned from Brazil’s Zero Hunger Initiative (ZHI).
 ZHI aims to eradicate hunger and promote food and nutrition security.
 Program implemented in 5 African countries including Malawi, with Brazil Govt
support.
 The Government of Malawi aims to have a viable school meals self-sustaining
model, based on local production and local procurement, with national
replicatability
 PAA Project Goal: To promote the right to adequate food by reducing the social
and nutritional vulnerability of poor, small scale farmers and school pupils
• Project implementation:
 Implemented in 10 schools in 2 districts (Mangochi and Phalombe)
 Technical coordination: Government: Ministry of Education, Ministry of
Agriculture
 Implementation support: UN -- FAO, WFP,
 Implementers: Community, schools and NGOs (WE EFFECT, Malawi Lake
Basin Program (MLBP) and civil society

4. Program activities
 Farm inputs through loans
 Technical training:
Quality control, Nutrition Education,
Post harvest food handling,
Production, Marketing, Business
management, finance management
 Market linkages: farmers & schools;
local procurement,
 Infrastructure development e.g
Warehouses

5. Achievements
 10,385 learners (5,089 boys,5,296 girls) participating in 10
schools
 3,773 farmers in 7 farmer organizations participate in
PAA
 Women producers (~ 58%) participating in PAA [Target
= 30% women]
 3,919 producers trained, 16 trainings conducted
 3.05 MT legume & drought tolerant seeds distributed to
farmers
 2 warehouses built & handed over to 2 cooperatives.
 > 361 MT of various foodstuffs purchased since 2012
 Foods purchased: cereals, pulses, vegetables, fruits and
meat

6. Experience pathways
 The community, school authorities acquired skills on
menu development based on food seasonal calendar
 Procurement of foods from farmers promoted food
diversification
 Communities learnt preparation of healthy diets
through nutrition education “key messages”,
 Teaching learner in class easier using food prepared
(TALULAR)
 Parents started to provide learners with breakfast
before going to school

7. Challenges faced
 Financing delays affecting supply chain:
Schools, farmers challenges to manage finance
paperwork – timeliness, errors etc.
 Soaring domestic food prices affecting local
food purchases for school meals
 Anthropometric measurements not collected;
inadequate health service providers @
community level

8. In Summary
“Through the Home Grown School Feeding
Programme, learners have had an opportunity to
access improved health and nutrition based on
diversified diets; made learning on nutrition and diets
easier (TALULAR) and managed to improve farmer
and school linkages (markets) BUT the cost of
sustaining the program is high”
 Giving rise to other programs: Schools and
communities growing crops and feeding using
locally available ‘resources’