Kasungu District has recorded an increase in stunting among children, with the rate rising to 40.1 percent from 36.3 percent, according to recent health survey findings.
Kasungu District Council Principal Nutrition, HIV and AIDS Officer Gladys Manyenje disclosed the figures on Thursday, August 13, 2026, during a nutrition fair at Chatoloma in the district.
Manyenje said the figures are contained in the Malawi Demographic and Health Survey, attributing the rise to households’ failure to provide children with foods from different food groups.
She said the nutrition fair, organised under the Ulimi ndi Chilengedwe (UCHI) project, will help address the problem by encouraging communities to produce a variety of foods at household level.
According to Manyenje, the project is advocating for participating households to grow six different varieties of food to improve access to diverse diets.
She said improving household food production could help communities provide more balanced meals and address nutritional challenges.
Chimaliro Ward Councillor Brave Chirwa said the nutrition fair was particularly important for rural communities as it provided residents with knowledge on proper nutrition and encouraged them to consume foods from all six food groups.
He said the initiative has also enabled nutrition advisers to educate communities on healthy eating and the importance of maintaining a diverse diet.
The councillor urged residents not to rely on nsima as their main source of food but to grow different crops to ensure households have access to foods from various food groups.
One of the farmers participating in the project, Kaluso Katonya, said the initiative has equipped farmers with knowledge on improving nutrition.
Katonya encouraged communities to diversify crop production and keep livestock so that households could access foods from different food groups.
The latest figures highlight the need for continued efforts to promote dietary diversity and household food production as Kasungu works to address rising levels of stunting.
