Health and Nutritional Situation in Libya

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Health and Nutritional Situation in Libya

• Dr. Yousef M. Elshrek
• Food Science Dept.
• Faculty of Agriculture
• El Fattah university
• Tripoli Libya

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Summary

• Libya located in the north Africa continent,
  on the southern coast of Mediterranean.
• Its climate is mix of mediterranean and dessert
  climate.
• Area of agrarian land estimated at 2 of the
  country area which is about 1.760.000 square km
• The main water resources are underground
  water(95),
• surface water ( 120 million cubic meter/
  annually)
• Desalinated water is about 130 million cubic
  meter
• Recycled is estimated about 20 million cubic
  meter/ annually.

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• The number of Libyan populations around 6
  million.
• Libyan economic depends on oil production with
  little non-oil economic activities contribution
  to the national economic framework, this meanly
  include agriculture, fishery and animal
  production

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• The health situation in Libya is governed by
  three decisive factors social, environmental and
  health care.
• The average life rate expected at birth
  increased from 46 in 1964 to 72 in 2003.
• The average actual consumption rates of energy
  according to food balance sheets ranges from 3346
  to 4400 calories with an average of 3769 calories
  / day.
• The nutritional content of the food intake was
  low in vitamin A, B1,B2 and C for females only
  but the food intake was low in calcium, and it
  was satisfactory for iron.

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Introduction

• This paper gives some basic information about
  Libya, like geographical location, climate
  factors, land and the main water resources,
  population, economic framework and growth rate,
  food situation, human development, food hygiene
  and health, and contribution of food groups to
  the total per capita share of food products.

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• some research shows that the annual portion of
  different food consumption for each person
  during the period 90 96, and the nutritional
  content of the food intake such as vitamins and
  minerals

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Basic Information

• Geographical location
• Libya is located in the north of the African
  continent, on the southern coast of the
  Mediterranean, between 9 to 25 longitudes to the
  east, 33 north and south up to 18.45.
• The Mediterranean is to the north, Niger
  and Chad are to the south, Egypt and Sudan are to
  the east, and Tunisia and Algeria are to the
  west. The total area of the country is 1.760.000
  square km.

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• On the bases of height above sea level, climate,
  type of soil, rainfall rate, and plantation
  cover, the country can be divided into five main
  ecological parts
• Coastal plain regions
• Northern mountain regions.
• Semi-desert regions.
• Desert regions.
• Southern mountain regions.

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Climate factors

• Climate in Libya is a mix of Mediterranean and
  desert climate. The influence of the former
  diminishes as we moved away from the coast
  southwards where the desert climate is dominant.
• Geographical diversity is reflected in
  differences in temperature rates. The most parts
  of the country are located in the hot climate
  regions. Whereas climate at coastal regions is
  moderate with an increase in humidity rate.

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• Wind blows in Summer and Autumn seasons, and
  average annual temperature rate ranges between 23
  - 25º C at coastal regions, and 24-25º C at semi
  desert areas.
• Over 30º C at desert regions.
• Annual rainfalls at coastal areas are between
  150- 400 mm/annually, and could reach
• 600 mm/annually at the Green Mountain
  regions to the east of the country.
• About 75 of the rainfall are during seven
  months, i.e. between October and April. (Fig. 1).

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Land resources

• Area of agrarian land in Libya estimated at 2 of
  the countrys total area
• i.e. 3.6 million hectares. Agriculture crops
  particularly, several types of fruit trees depend
  on rainfalls.
• The agriculture land within the rainfall range of
  300 mm /annually estimated at 220,000
  hectares.
• Areas within the rainfall range of 250mm per
  annually are about 2.172.000 hectares.
• Areas under the waterfall range of 50-250
  mm/year estimated at 13-14 million hectares
  (pasture land )

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Water resources

• The main water resources in Libya are as
  follows
• Underground water
• It is the most important water resource as it
  represents 95 of water resources.
• The agriculture sector consumes over 80 of the
  total underground water consumption.
• The rest is used as drinking water and for
  industry.

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• Underground water is concentrated in five main
  underground reservoirs -
• Sahil al Jafara
• Central region
• Fazen, al-Kufra and Asarrie region.
• Nufusa mountains.
• Al-Jabel al- Akhdar region.

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Surface water

• Surface water comprises rainwater stored by means
  of dams and tanks.
• The quantities of water expected to be retained
  by dams by the end of 2001, estimated at 120
  million cubic m/annually.

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Desalinated water

• This source of water is obtained by desalination
  of seawater by means of desalination plants,
  located at the coastal strip.
• The total annual production of such plants is
  estimated at 130 million cubic m.
• but it cannot be relied on such resource in
  agriculture field due to the high production cost.

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Recycled water

• This is the sewage water recycled for
  irrigation of some agriculture projects adjacent
  to the community concentrations and cities.
• The total production of treatment plants is
  estimated at 120 million cubic m/annually. and
  Fig. (2) shows total water resource in the Libya.

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Population

• According to the general census Fig. (3), The
  number of Libyan population has increased from
  3,231,000 in 1984, to about (5.882667) in 2003.

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• However, the economically working population,
  over fifteen years of age, estimated in 2000 at
  3.155,136.
• i.e. 62 of the total number of the population
  fig. (4) show the distribution of the population
  on age group bases for the year 2000.

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Economic Framework and growth rate

• Non-oil economic activity contribution to the
  national economic framework has increased from
  (75.5) in 1995 to about (82.1), at current cost
  of income factors.
• The growth rate of the agriculture, forests and
  fishing sector has increased from (9.7) in 1995
  to about (11.5 ) in 1998, as explained in fig.
  (5).

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Income per capita

• Income of the individual relative to his share of
  Gross domestic product, in current prices
  increased by more than three-fold from the
  mentioned period.
• i.e. from (656) dinars in 1970 to about 2462.5
  dinars in 1998 and increased in the year 2000 to
  3205.5 dinars.

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Employment

• Due to investments in various economic and social
  activities, the national economy managed to find
  solutions to 1323,000 jobs up to 1998 for
  Libyans, i.e. 87
• About 172,000 jobs for non-Libyans, i.e. (13).
• The number of those employed in the agriculture
  sector is about 225,000 in 1998, i.e. about (17)
  from the total active working force in various
  fields.

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• In order to realize these and others goals, the
  agriculture sector allocated budgets during the
  period 1970 2000, of 6626 million dinars.
• i.e. 17 of the total development budget for the
  same period.
• Total expenditure on the sector during the same
  period reached about (5349) million dinars,
  thereby making total actual investment
  expenditure on the sector 81 of these allocation.

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• i.e. at average annual expenditure of 191
  million dinars.
• Therefore, due to these investments and the
  attaching of increasing importance to the
  agriculture sector, the annual growth rate
  complex realized in this sector during 1970/1998
  was estimated at 11.6 at the current cost of
  income factors,
• hence to increase its contribution to the Gross
  domestic product. from 2.6 in 1970 to 11.5 in
  1998.

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Food situation

• Despite increase tendencies in cereal production
  in comparison to 1995, there is a still a deficit
  percentage of 89 for wheat.
• Libya imports about (300,000 tons) of barely
  annually as feed, and increases as high as
  800,000 per annum in draught seasons.
• Where as vegetable production increased to cover
  all local demand, as vegetables production
  reached about 1,450,000 tons in 2003.

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• Fruits production in the year 2000 recorded
  about 660,000 tons including dates, and olives.
• Libya, produces many fruits all the year around
  save a very short period, during which local
  produce is not enough, and in which case
  shortages is made up by importing some types of
  fruits such as apples.

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• The total production of fresh fish is 25718 tons
  for 1995, and 44829 tons for 1999.
• Fish production has developed to reach about
  50,000 tons in 2000
• The share of the individual of that production
  is still low.
• Imported canned fish such as tuna supplements
  parts of the shortages.

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Development of animal production

• The local production of meat reached about
  229,000 tons for the year 2000.
• i.e. 88 of the production target estimated at
  about 261,000 tons.
• The average per capita share of meat in the year
  2000, about 40 kgs, whereas the per capita target
  is about 55 kgs, per capita

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• Egg production also reached 1.2 billion eggs for
  2003.
• This quantity is enough to cover all needs of the
  country, of eggs as the per capita share of eggs
  about 200 eggs per year.

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• share of milk is about 44 liters.
• as total local production of milk totaled 250
  million liters in the year 2000.
• This quantity covers about 53 of local demand
  of milk which reaches 522 million liters, thereby
• The increasing per capita share to about 90
  liters / annually.

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• Egg production also reached 1.2 billion eggs for
  2003.
• This quantity is enough to cover all needs, of
  eggs as the per capita share about 200 eggs per
  year.

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Human Development

• the average life rate expected at birth increased
  from 46 in 1964 to 72 years in 2003.
• Illiteracy rate for the same period decreased
  from 26.6 to 21.9 .
• Enrollments to the three levels of education
  have increased from 88 in 1993 to 92 in 1998.

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Health Situation

• The health situation of any country is governed
  by three decisive factors
• Social situation (Political system, state of
  national economy and pattern of production,
  distribution and consumption, and nature of
  development of prevailing educational and
  cultural system).
• Environmental situation (water, air and soil
  hygiene or pollution).
• Effectiveness of health cares system.

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• It is internationally acknowledged that the first
  and the second factors have a greater impact on
  determining the state of public health, and that
  their impact amounts to 75-80 of the total
  factors, where as the third factor contributes by
  the remaining 25-20.

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• Health services including social and economic
  services within the framework of national
  development plans as follows
• Ensure that comprehensive health and preventive
  service are provided particularly to remote
  areas.
• Provide tools and the legislative, organizational
  and administrative means, which ensures
  integration and coordination between health
  services and other complementary and
  inter-related services.
• Providing and upgrading free health services.

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• Vaccination of various individuals against
  contagious diseases, focusing on preventive
  health projects, and combat contagious diseases
  and epidemic. (TB, Trachoma, promotes health food
  awareness, and improves environmental
  programmers).
• Develop local manpower of health sector,
  implement education programmers, and health
  training at various levels locally and abroad.

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• Develop and support existing health and medical
  institutions.
• Look after health education and guidance, as well
  as school health.
• Look after studies, researches related to health
  services, as well as economic, food, and cultural
  and psychological

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• As a result of modernization process, economic,
  and social progress undergone by the country
  during the past years, changes in population
  phenomena have become reflected in one of its
  effects on improving health indexes in general.
• As average life expectancy has risen and infant
  and mothers death rate declined.

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• This is accompanied by decrease of fertility and
  birth rate. Table (1) shows the most important
  indexes and health value in 1999, including
  birth, death rate, life expectancy, and hospital
  bed rates and other health indexes.

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• It can be noted from table (1) the decrease of
  infant child death rate to 24.4/1000 lives
  neonatal for 1999 from 118/1000 live neonatal in
  1973.
• As regarding the basic outcome to improve the
  health situation, it can be recognized from the
  development of long life rate at birth.
• The rate was less than 46 years in the beginning
  of the seventies, whereas, this rate according
  table (1) has sharply increased to 68 years for
  men and 71 years for females.

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• These national total indexes are tied up with
  other detailed indexes at regions level,
• As it is noted through the analysis of
  geographical data, that the gap in child death
  rate between urban and rural areas has been
  reduced to a great extent.
• Estimates indicate that death rate has in recent
  years been reduced by 67 in urban areas and to
  62 in rural areas, indicating a great horizontal
  expansion in health services and its equal
  distribution among the regions.

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• Libya is considered among the leading countries
  that managed to go along way in covering
  vaccinations against contagious and infectious
  disease.
• Statistics indicate that vaccination rate against
  TB, paralysis, and smallpox amounts to more than
  97 among children
• The rates are not different between urban and
  rural areas.

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Food hygiene and health

• One of the important aspects that indicate high
  health standard level in Libya is the societys
  food situation.
• Comparative studies of the outcome of national
  surveys conducted by the Arab League on child and
  mother health in Arab countries, showed that
  Libya on top of the list

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• of countries concerning nutrition situation and
  its positive indexes characterized by low rate of
  underweight births, which does not exceed 4.7
  among children under five years old.
• The same thing applies to debility, and short,
  as incidence of such cases in Libya does not
  exceed 2.7 and 15 respectively.
• This rate increased in 1999 to 3787 calories.

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• This rate exceeds the standard daily needs for
  all ages and all years.
• Needless to say that the fundamental factor in
  improving the nutritional state of the Libyan
  society, is the measure of the degree of
  availability of food with all its basic elements,
  and the degree of self-sufficiency, and forms of
  its distribution among various population and
  social sectors.
• Per capita share of available energy for
  consumption ranges from 3346 to 4400 calories
  with an average of 3769 calories/day.

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• In fact this increase dose not constitute any
  problem, as it expresses the energy available for
  consumption.
• Besides it is appropriate for those undertaking
  hard labour.
• the high percentage of food products wasted
  through marketing channels, and in the process of
  meal preparations and taking. The percentage
  wasted can be estimated by subtracting the actual
  consumed calories from the calories available for
  consumption. It is estimated at 1572
  calories/day, i.e. 46.

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• According to field studies conducted in
  al-Fattah university for 2000, contribution of
  plant resources represents 70, and animal
  resources 30, table (14) .
• However, field food surveys for 1999 showed
  that average actual consumption rates of energy
  could reach about 2072 and 1961 calories/ day for
  males and females respectively.

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Contribution of food groups to the total per
capita share of food products

• Fig. (6) shows that there is a major reliance on
  cereals in the per capita share of food products
  available for consumption.
• As it shows that cereals contribution could reach
  about 29, followed by dairy products, 19, then
  meat and sugar 5 and oil 3, legumes, 2 and
  eggs 2

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• Fig (5)
  Contribution of food groups to total per capita
  share of commodity.

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• A Few researches show that, the annual portion
  for each person during the period 90 1996, as
  follows-
• Meat, 34.7 kg.
• Dairy and dairy products, 125 kg.
• Eggs, 7.9 kg.
• cereals, 182 kg.
• Oils, 22 kg.
• Legumes 10.7 kg.
• Vegetables, 116 kg.
• Fruits, 110 kg.

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• The association of energy sources are-
• Fat 26.7 .
• Protein 12.2 .
• carbohydrate 60.9 .
• The nutritional contents mf the food was low in
  vitamin A, B1, B2 and Ca. But are good in Fe, K,
  Na and vitamin C.