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Food consumption statistics in Africa : note submitted by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization

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CAS/2, WP/21

English

ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR AFRICA CONF&OTCE OF AFRICAN STATISTICIANS SECOND CONFERENCE

JUNE, 1961 TUNIS, TUNISIA

Provisional Agenda Item 5 (b)

FOOD CONSUMPTION STATISTICS IN AFRICA

(Note submitted by the United NationB Food and

Agricultural Organization)

61^942

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CAS/2. WP/21

FOOD CONSUMPTION STATISTICS IN AFRICA TIO

1* Introduction

Reports, on thB: de^ralopment of njahy African countries stress the inadequanoy of data on the consumption of food. Generally this i.

is covered "by two types of statistics* food balance sheets and food

consumption surveys* .

Food balanoe sheets are maoro-systems for the estimation of food

supply available for human consumption. The supply for the whole -population of the country or territory concsrned is estimated in the first instanoe and then,"by dividing the totAl food supply data by the population figure, an estimate of the consumption of the average consumer i,s obtained* . , , Sinoe they refer to national averages, they do not indicate differences . :

in the consumption *of regional and slocio—economic groups, etc.

Food consumption surveys are s'uirveys of the quantities of different .,

types of food consumed during a specified period. The data are generally

oolleoted from households and sometimes from individuals. The surveys can be specialized on food consumption cr form part of general household surveys* Food consumption surveys, if properly conducted, are far more

useful than food balance sheets for khe assessment of food and'nutritional

status of the population* The scop© [and method of the surveys can be . adjusted to special requirements andi disclose the situation of a small.

oommunity'dr region^ or population groups .: characterized by income, L , oooupixlon etc, or of the country asj'a whole, if carried out on a large

enough scale. , .

2* Food balance sheets . : , . ■ ■

At present there are only two countries ,in Africa which contribute

regularly to FAO'.s collection o:f ^oqd balance sheets* 3gypt and the-Union

of (Sputh Africa. Li^ya and.Mauritius have starjte.d recently on regular -.ol

series. Some tentative ;fo.od balance Isheets- have.:been prepared for Congo. : •

(Leopoldville),Madagascar, Morocco ajnd Tunisia while recently a FAO/ECA

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CAS/2. WP/21

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consultant after visiting a number of oountries has prepared tentative food balances for: Angola, Cameroun, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanganyika';and.Uganda.. ■, ■;■:.■. . • .■ ..■..: v ;,-.

Ons of the main difficulties in preparing food balance sheetsin;.... h Africa is the lack of sufficiently accurate, food production data, ,-■

which in general are the. starting point of fpod balance sheets. While the situation is somewhat fetter for Northern African oountries, where at least estimates are available for the production of, wheat and

barley, there are many gaps in tha production figures £o,r countries south of tha Sahara in respect of important staple, foods, such as millets and sorghums, maize, starchy roots.and bananas^ Furthermore, food is not only supplied by agriculture (inQluding.livestock) and fishery but a significant part is obtained by foo& gathering. Except for articles of commercial interest, vory little data are available .;.

on the quantities of food gathered for direct consumption* , ■ ;;

3» Food Consumption Surveys ' ,• a,

Food consumption surveys hava:been carried out in many parts of ,. :,;, Afridai Basutoland, Cote d!lvoire, Oameroun, Congo (Brazzaville). t -..*.?*r\

Congo (Leopoldvi;ie), ^ Gambia, Haute Volt a, Ghana, Libya, Madagascar, : .:■;.., r5l

Nigeria, Euanda-Urundi, Senegal, Somalia, Southern Rhodesia, Tanganyika^

Togo, Tunisia, Uganda and the Union of South Africa.

Most of the surveys cover only a very restricted area or a small section of the population. In some cases, the survey relates only to a short period of time, thus neglecting the seasonal changes which are particularIf important in rural areas where food consumption is,

closely linked with production cyole. In some others, only food expenditure

is studied-so;'that the level of intakes cannot be studied,usefully'.'""

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CAS/2. WP/21

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Sometimes the households or individuals investigated are not selected aocording to a proper random selection procedure, so that

there is no guarantee that the data obtained are representative even for the restricted area or the group of population to which the survey relates*

There seems to "be a large soope for the expansion of food consumption surveys in Africa, as thare is in other developing regions of the world, ■

The Tenth Session of the FAO Conference, reaffirming the importance of food consumption surveys for providing "basio data for programmes

with nutritional, economic and social objectives, "by Resolution 34/59 has requested the Director General of PAO, inter aliat(a) to prepare

a draft programme for food consumption surveys along the lines adopted

in the 19-60 World Census of Agriculture and (b) to organize regional

technical meetings of nutritionists, statisticians and economists to consider such a draft programme and methods of enquiry applicable to speoial conditions in different regions. The first FAO Regional Con

ference for Africa, held in Nigeria in November 196*0, also emphasized

the high importance of promoting and conducting food consumption surveys throughout the region. A Draft programme of Food Consumption Surveys has already been prepared.

4* Conclusion

Improvement in food statistics of Afrioa as outlined before are needed in three different fieldss i.e., production of statistics,

food balance sheets (including utilization statistics) and food consumption

surveys. The Conference may wish to oonsider the desirability of suggesting ways and means of promoting action at national and inter national levels for the improvement of these statistics in Africa*

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