The most basic human rights are food, shelter, education and health (Nyirenda, 2004). Hunger is not an
issue people generally think about when they have enough food to consume. What most people do not
realize is that the luxury of retrieving food from a refrigerator and eating whenever and whatever they
want is simply not an option for many. In order to eat, some individuals are required to grow, process, and
cook the food themselves. Even then, their diet is limited to only what they can grow in their particular
region of the world. In the event they are unable to grow enough food, there can be severe repercussions.
Lack of food for an extended time period leads to malnutrition. World Food Programme (WFP, 2016)
estimates there are 795 million undernourished people in the world, meaning one in nine people do not
get enough food. This makes malnutrition the number one risk to health worldwide. According to WFP
(2016), “the vast majority of the world's hungry people live in developing countries, where 12.9% of the
population is undernourished”. Malnutrition causes 45% of deaths in children under five, around 3.1
million children each year (WFP, 2016). Malnutrition affects socioeconomic factors as well. Quantifying
the health impact of malnutrition, Blössner & de Onis (2005) state, “malnutrition can create and
perpetuate poverty, which triggers a cycle that hampers economic and social development, and
contributes to unsustainable resource use and environmental degradation”. Sub-Saharan Africa has the
highest population percentage of malnutrition where one in four persons is undernourished (WFP, 2016).
In a compilation of facts, UNICEF notes, “Zambia is one of 22 African countries with the highest burden
of under nutrition in children under five”. According to (WFP, 2015) more than 350,000 people in the
country are food insecure, meaning they do not have access to a regular supply of healthy food.
An average household size in Zambia is 5.1 persons (CSO, 2014). Green vegetables and cornmeal
(nshima) are typical meals in low-income families of Zambia. These may be complemented with fish
(kapenta), chicken offal, or goat meat once a week. According to Rural Poverty Portal (2015), the
calculated GNI per capita of Zambia in 2010 using the Atlas Method was $1,760. Only 42% of Zambian
households can afford three meals a day. Most families live by two meals a day: breakfast and supper. As
family members are away from home during the day, lunch is normally skipped. About half the
households (50.7%) can afford two meals a day, while 5.2% of households suffice with one meal a day.
Generally, three meals a day are expected to suffice the minimum dietary requirements of an individual.
Reduction in food intake may lead to deficiency of nutrients required to sustain health and normal growth
like vitamins, minerals, proteins and carbohydrates. Especially growth of children less than five years of
age is adversely affected due to inadequacies resulting from reduced intake of nutrients (Chibuye, 2011).
According to Zambia Demographic and Health Survey (CSO, 2013-14) “40% of children under age 5 are
stunted, 6% are wasted, and 15% are underweight”. Nyirenda (2004) reports that over 70% of the
population in Zambia is poor and 58% are classified as extremely poor.