Kulnyavilla: Songtaba engages stakeholders on policies to address gender disparities in food systems

A stakeholders' forum has been held at Kulnyavilla in the Sagnargu Municipality of the Northern Region to improve understanding and mobilise support for policies that address gender disparities in food systems and ensure equitable access to food resources. The workshop engaged community members, traditional and religious bodies, media practitioners, opinion leaders, and other key stakeholders in a comprehensive dialogue on gender-fair food-based policies. The event was also to enhance residents' knowledge on healthy lifestyles, foster community support towards addressing gender disparities in food-based policies, and ensure equitable access to food resources. It forms part of the implementation of the Healthier Diets for Healthy Lives (HD4HL) project being implemented by Songtaba in partnership with the Coalition of Actors for Public Health Awareness (CAPHA). Mr Abdul-Kasiru Shani, the Head of Programmes, Policies and Campaigns at Songtaba, said it was to create a more sustainable food system and inform d iet choices to help tackle the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases in the country. He expressed the need for a more sustainable food environment that helped to overcome malnutrition, under-nutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, obesity and other diet-related diseases. He urged opinion leaders in the community to strive to bridge the existing gender gap, especially in the agriculture value chain, to help address issues of poverty, deprivation and hunger. Madam Mary Ali, the Health Promotion Officer, Sagnarigu Municipal Health Directorate, educated residents on healthy lifestyles and good eating habits, and urged them to use available farm produce to prepare nutritious and balanced diets. She encouraged women to observe the six-month exclusive breastfeeding of their babies to enable them to grow well. Mr Abdul-Karim Tahidu of the Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Development Studies, expressed the need for men and women to learn to complement one another in the agriculture sector to enhance food security and promote good nutrition and healthier lives. Naa Alhassan Adam, Chief of Kulnyavilla, expressed gratitude to Songtaba and CAPHA for the initiative and called for more partnerships to promote nutrition and healthier lives within and outside the community. Source: Ghana News Agency