GHANA — Inventive school feeding programs in Ghana address its low rates of school attendance. Harnessing the efficiency of local agricultural production and digital supplements, these programs create jobs for the community, increase national food security and enhance student enrollment rates.
School feeding programs in Ghana provide an important support system for children in resource-poor households. Not only do meals supply an incentive for students to attend school in the first place, but also they prevent chronic hunger, improve cognitive development and attribute to long-term educational success.
School meals have statistically been proven to increase student health and education. According to the WFP, while the programs are a large annual global investment, they pay off, as one in five children around the world now have access to at least one school meal per day.
To assist governments worldwide in successful program design and implementation, the WFP released the Global School Feeding Sourcebook. As the construction of a national meal program needs to be tailored to the individual country, the guide highlights the universal trade-offs and considerations in building a sustainable, large-scale initiative.
Ghana has a significant regional disparity in school attendance, so incentivizing education is a governmental priority. In particular, the Northern regions of Ghana have low literacy rates, high poverty levels and high incidences of protein energy malnutrition.
The small subsistence farmers of Northern Ghana only experience one season of local rainfall, halting year-round agricultural production. This leads to rampant food insecurity, as these regions have limited physical and economic access to food for seven months out of the year.
Malnutrition and nutrient deficiencies are common among children in Ghana. As chronic hunger impedes student growth and development, ensuring at least one meal a day for the next generation is essential.
National school feeding programs in Ghana address all of these challenges and more, by providing a substantial and consistent market for local agriculture. This community collaboration generates income for poor farmers and increases school attendance – both vital elements to poverty alleviation.
Home-grown school meals in Ghana rely on local and seasonal ingredients. The creation of a cheap, nutritionally balanced and locally sourced menu, however, can present itself as a challenge for schools.
The Imperial College of London and the government of Ghana developed a digital meal planner, which can be used as online or offline support for school menu development. The innovative planner is user-friendly — providing real nutritional values, food costs and local availabilities of produce in a simple and visually appealing database.
Program managers can now easily create a school meal budget with this tool. Additionally, a strengthened understanding of macro and micronutrient balances allows for the adoption of widespread nutrition education in schools.
Ghana has attained incredible success with its school feeding programs, due to the creative focus on digital planning and local food sourcing. This simultaneous enhancement of farmer and student productivity will lead to lessened rates of poverty and illiteracy, reducing regional inequalities in Ghana.
– Larkin Smith
Photo: Flickr