Current status of fruits and vegetables production and consumption in francophone African countries - potential impact on health

Current status of fruits and vegetables production and consumption in francophone African countries - potential impact on health

2009

E08034

This paper is a synthetic view of the situation of the production of fruits and vegetables and their availability for local consumption in Francophone countries of Africa, in relation with some chronic diseases such as diabetes and obesity. It is based on data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) and information collected through a survey made in each of the 20 Francophone countries of Africa and Indian Ocean. The survey was in preparation for the workshop on "Promotion of fruits and vegetable for health in francophone African countries", held in Yaounde, Cameroon, on 23-26 October, in the framework of the FAO-WHO initiative. There is a great diversity of situations related to geographical position, cultural traditions and economic situation. Very few countries are reaching the recommended intake of 400 g of fruits and vegetables per capita and per day. These are humid-forest countries including Cameroon, Gabon, Guinea, Rwanda, and Burundi, where banana and plantains are the fruits most consumed. On the other side, the situation in Sahelian countries such as Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, and Mauritania is even worse with an availability below one third of the critical level. A first analysis of data from FAO and WHO is supporting the assumption of a relationship between a low consumption of fruits and vegetable and a high prevalence of chronic diseases such as diabetes and obesity in some conditions.

841:249-256, ACTA HORTICULTURAE

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