Accessibility of Nutritious African Foods for an Adequate Diet in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe

Abstract

Despite being an agriculturally productive country, Zimbabwe has a high prevalence of undernutrition. Our purpose was to study the implications of food pricing policies on the accessibility of nutritious foods purchased through the formal market economy to the urban black (indigenous) population of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. A validated food basket was created to calculate the cost of meeting the nutritional needs of a typical low-income urban family. Food prices were surveyed during July (winter) 1995 in three regions of Bulawayo. The mean monthly cost of the food basket in the high-density suburbs (low-income region) was Z$l,181.12 (± 74.60).This is 7% higher than in the city center (predominantly nonresidential; mean basket cost = $1,101.65 ± 52.83) and 10% higher than in the low-density suburbs (higher income region; mean basket cost = $1,069.46 ± 44.37). Comparison of monthly food basket costs in the high-density suburbs to government-stipulated minimum wages typical of employed low-income families revealed food costs 2.3 to 4.88 times the total monthly salary for one worker.The household food insecurity experienced by the low-income urban black population is discussed in relation to government policies adopted in response to structural adjustment programs.