Abstract: Abstract Unhealthy diets are among the main risk factors associated with non-communicable diseases (NCDs). In Sub Saharan Africa, NCDs were responsible for 37% of deaths in 2019, rising from 24% in 2000. There is an increasing emphasis on health-harming industrial foods, such as ultra-processed foods (UPFs), in driving the incidence of diet-related NCDs. However, there is a methodological gap in food systems research to adequately account for the processes and actors that shape UPFs consumption across the different domains of the food systems framework and macro-meso-micro levels of analysis. This paper interrogates how the Food Systems Framework for Improved Nutrition (HLPE in Nutrition and food systems. A report by the high level panel of experts on food security and nutrition of the committee on world food security, 2017), considered the dominant framework to analyse nutrition, and language of interdisciplinarity are practised in research with regards to consumption of UPFs among adolescents in Ghana, a population group that is often at the forefront of dramatic shifts in diets and lifestyles. We conducted a scoping review of studies published between 2010 and February 2022, retrieved 25 studies, and mapped the findings against the domains and analysis levels of the Food Systems Framework for Improved Nutrition (HLPE in Nutrition and food systems. A report by the high level panel of experts on food security and nutrition of the committee on world food security, 2017). Our study illustrates that there is a tendency to address unhealthy diets among adolescents in a siloed manner, and as a behavioural and nutritional issue. In most cases, the analyses fail to show how domains of the food systems framework are connected and do not account for linkages across different levels of analysis. Methodologically, there is a quantitative bias. From the policy point of view, there is a disconnect between national food policies and food governance (i.e., trade and regulations) and initiatives and measures specifically targeted at adolescent’s food environments and the drivers of UPFs consumption. PubDate: 2023-12-02
Abstract: Abstract Physical and economic access to food vary spatially. Methods to map that variability at high levels of spatial detail over large areas are scarce, even though suitable datasets and methods exist. Using open-access data for Ethiopia, we developed a method to map the disparities in physical and economic food access at 1-km resolution. We selected 25 access-related variables for 486 geo-located communities from the 2018 Ethiopian Living Standards Measurement Study to create a food access index (FAI). The index was based on a weighted summation of the 25 variables from a principal component analysis (PCA). We then extrapolated the FAI to the rest of Ethiopia using a generalized additive model (GAM) to produce a 1-km resolution FAI map and used that to describe the spatial variability of food access. Economic access had a heavier weight than physical access in the FAI reflecting the fact that proximity to food markets alone is insufficient if one cannot afford food. The GAM had an R2 of 0.57 and a normalized root mean square error of 22.2% which are comparable to measures of model performance in studies that provided micro-level estimates of relative wealth. Peri-urban areas, representing 67% of the population, had relatively low food access, suggesting that these areas should be a priority for infrastructure or economic intervention. The scarcity of detailed spatial information on food access may limit the effectiveness of targeted policymaking to improve food security. The methodology developed in this study uses widely available and carefully selected datasets and can contribute to more spatially detailed estimates of food access in other countries. PubDate: 2023-11-21
Abstract: Abstract There is growing recognition that water insecurity – the inability to reliably access sufficient water for all household uses – is commonly experienced globally and has myriad adverse consequences for human well-being. The role of water insecurity in food insecurity and diet quality, however, has received minimal attention. Data are from panel surveys conducted during 2020–21 among adults involved in smallholder agriculture in Niger (n = 364, 3 rounds), Nigeria (n = 501, 5 rounds), Senegal (n = 501, 5 rounds), and Ghana (n = 543, 5 rounds). We hypothesized that household water insecurity (measured using the brief Household Water Insecurity Experiences Scale) would be associated with greater individual food insecurity (using 5 of the 8 Food Insecurity Experiences Scale items) and lower dietary diversity (using the Minimum Dietary Diversity Score for Women). At baseline, 37.1% of individuals were living in water-insecure households and of these, 90.6% had some experience of food insecurity. In multilevel mixed-effects regressions, individuals living in water-insecure households had 1.67 (95% CI: 1.47, 1.89) times higher odds of reporting any food insecurity experience and were estimated to consume 0.38-fewer food groups (95% CI: -0.50, -0.27) than those living in water-secure households. Experiences with suboptimal water access and use are associated with poor nutrition. The pathways by which water insecurity impacts nutrition should be identified. Global and national food and nutrition security policies could be strengthened by monitoring and developing strategies to address household water insecurity. PubDate: 2023-11-16
Abstract: Abstract Southeast Asia is projected to be the fourth largest economy in 2050, where agriculture and food are key sectors contributing to the regional’s GDP. However, ensuring food safety and traceability remains a challenge in the region and this offers ripe opportunity for fraudsters to take advantage of the system. This study aims to provide an overview of consumers’ concern about food fraud in selected countries in Southeast Asia. A cross-sectional online survey was implemented in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, yielding 1393 valid responses. Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) was conducted first to reduce the large dataset containing nominal variables. After that, ordered logistic regression was performed to predict food fraud concern, with independent variables being dimensions derived from MCA, total knowledge and experience, and demographic characteristics. We found that respondents from Vietnam and Malaysia were significantly more worried about food fraud compared to other countries. Concerns about food fraud were influenced by increased demand for food fraud control, perceived risks of different types of food fraud, information sources from media and personal networks, information sources from credible organisations, and self-experience of food fraud. Practical and policy recommendations for the region were suggested. This is the first empirical study on consumers’ concern about food fraud in Southeast Asia. The study embodies the UK Global Food Security and UN Sustainable Development Goal No. 2 ethos of providing the growing global population with access to safe food. PubDate: 2023-11-10
Abstract: Abstract There is growing recognition that a better understanding of how food systems respond to crises is critical to build and protect the food security of local populations. But rigorous and reliable methods to measure food system resilience are still missing. In this paper, we build on the current literature to develop an analytical framework aimed at assessing the resilience of food systems at local level. The novel element of the analysis lies in the levels at which resilience is considered. Combining the individual actor level with the notion of 'emergent properties' of food systems, we argue that the overall resilience of food system results from processes that take place – and need to be measured – at both individual and system levels. The framework is structured around three components: (i) the mapping of the actors and the local food system; (ii) the assessment of the resilience of these actors and that of the food system, and (iii) the outcomes of this resilience, assessed in term of local population’s food security. For each of those components, indicators are proposed and the ways to collect them are discussed. The paper then presents the types of analyses that would be necessary to complete to gain a better understanding of the situation regarding the resilience of the local food system under consideration, including the analysis of “positive deviance” among food system actors. The paper concludes with a series of reflections about the caveats and challenges that one may face when attempting to assess food system resilience. PubDate: 2023-11-08
Abstract: Abstract Street traders play a key role in the food system in South Africa and many other countries. Despite their importance, the operations of street traders are not well understood and often undermined by policy makers and planners. This article provides insights into the role of street traders who sell food, in particular fresh produce, and the nature of their operations. It shares experiences of street traders in South Africa since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and derives lessons from this for their contribution to food and nutrition security. The article is based on in-depth research carried out with street traders and other food system actors that they are linked to in three provinces (Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal and Limpopo) of South Africa. It was found that the street traders were severely affected during the first hard lockdown and continued to suffer due to the drop in aggregate demand that has resulted from the reduced incomes of many of their clients. They have also not been able to access the government Covid-19 recovery funds. Despite these challenges, street traders have continued to perform an even more essential role in making fresh produce accessible. This is in contrast to supermarkets that have maintained higher prices and profit margins despite the state of disaster affecting people’s ability to buy. Street traders are deserving of greater recognition and support as they play a key role in achieving food security and addressing other socio-economic challenges. Improving the conditions for street traders requires securing more public space for food trading and recognising and building on the ways that street traders use space and organise their economic lives. PubDate: 2023-10-26
Abstract: Abstract Price and affordability are important drivers of food choice, particularly for rural smallholder farming households in Malawi, experiencing extreme poverty, food insecurity, and lack of dietary diversity. Lowering the cost of staple crops such as maize targeted by agricultural input subsidy programmes (AISPs) may potentially increase consumption of the staple crop, but it might also lead to consumption of a more diverse range of foods. Using a discrete choice experiment, this study investigated food choice responses to changes in maize price in rural Malawi. Study participants (n = 400) were given a series of choice tasks for which they were asked to choose between food baskets with varying cost, reflecting local prices and with maize at both high and low price. Baskets contained different types of foods including maize, rice, cabbage, small-dried fish, and/or a soft drink. The data were analysed using mixed logit models including investigation of heterogenous effects based on socio-demographic characteristics, food security and actual market purchases. Individuals revealed a preference, as expected, for lower cost food baskets. Small-dried fish and cabbage were the highest valued food products. At a low cost of maize, the expected utility from a basket with maize was greater than a basket with other items, particularly among households with high- and low-food purchases, low socioeconomic status, living in Phalombe District, and experiencing food insecurity, indicating that among such populations a low price of maize will not necessarily lead to increases in dietary diversity. In contrast, among households living in Lilongwe District, with high SES and food secure, a lower maize price will not lead to a loss in dietary diversity as they prefer a basket containing non-maize products over maize. The findings suggest that achieving food security and dietary diversity may require a range of policy approaches addressing different pathways of impact as opposed to relying on subsidizing inputs for staple crop production. PubDate: 2023-10-07
Abstract: Abstract Agriculture needs to reduce its current dependence toward pesticides while reducing crop losses caused by pests and ensuring food security; Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is considered the most appropriate approach to achieve the goal. More specifically, growers should use tools that enable informed decisions on whether and when crop protection is needed, and which methods should be used. These tools include risk algorithms, decision rules, intervention thresholds, and decision support systems (DSSs), collectively named decision tools (DTs). A large number of DTs have been developed and made available to advisors and farmers, mainly through Internet-based systems. The adoption rate of these systems, however, has been low because of technical limitations and farmer perceptions. Fragmentation of the DTs offered, poor local implementation, and restriction to particular users are among the causes for low adoption. If properly mobilised, the use and effects of DTs could substantially be increased. Sharing of IPM DTs has a strong potential for providing wider access to the existing knowledge, for fostering IPM implementation, and for supporting plant health policies. In this article, we outline an overall approach to develop a web-based platform, in which DTs are shared and made widely available. Such a platform can include a range of ready-to-use DTs, i.e. DTs which are currently available, that have been field-validated, and which are already being used in some agricultural contexts. The platform also provides open, full documentation of DTs, makes DTs available for validation and adaptation in different agricultural contexts, and makes DTs easily available for multiple kinds of end-users involved in IPM (farmers, IPM experts, public and private information and service providers, and policy makers). We also consider how DT sharing can reduce both the technological and behavioural limitations of existing plant health management systems. PubDate: 2023-10-07
Abstract: Abstract Poultry is one of the fastest-growing agricultural sectors in India and its demand is said to be rising. There is a perception that higher incomes, growing population, urbanisation, and increased productivity in the industry have influenced Indian poultry consumption. However, consumer surveys have shown that the average poultry consumption in India has remained low. With this in mind, the paper analysed household determinants of chicken and egg consumption within the Indian population, using two rounds of National Sample Survey data (1993–1994 and 2011–2012). By conducting a spatiotemporal analysis of household consumption and expenditure survey and by using truncated Double Hurdle and Unconditional Quantile regressions (UQR) models, this study explored socio-economic and food system determinants of chicken and egg consumption in India. Key results highlight that while consumption has increased marginally over twenty years, supply-side determinants, such as price and poultry production concentration, influenced heterogenous consumption patterns in India. We also find evidence that historically marginalised groups consumed more chicken and eggs in comparison to non-marginalised groups and preliminary evidence suggests how household gender dynamics influence different consumption patterns. Adequate consumption of poultry is important to improve nutrient-deficient diets of vulnerable groups in India. Our findings on demand side determinants of poultry products are crucial to support consumer tailored actions to improve nutritional outcomes along with the Indian poultry sector policy planning. PubDate: 2023-10-01
Abstract: Abstract Traditional vegetables are very important for food and nutrition security in sub-Saharan Africa but have not received much attention in crop improvement research. One exception is amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) for which international breeding research began at the World Vegetable Center in Tanzania in 2004. This study is the first impact evaluation of this research program. It uses a representative sample of 1,355 amaranth-producing households from five agroecological zones of Tanzania to collect questionnaire-based data and plant material. The genetic identity of the amaranth cultivars used by the farmers was identified using DNA fingerprinting, while the impact on crop yield, production cost and sales was quantified using propensity score matching. The analysis shows that 66% of Tanzania’s cultivated area under amaranth uses cultivars derived from the amaranth breeding program. These cultivars had a mean vegetable yield that was 6.1 ton/ha higher (+ 48%; p = 0.002) than that of other cultivars, while there was no significant impact on the cost of production or quantity sold. This suggests tremendous impact of genetic improvement research in traditional vegetables. PubDate: 2023-10-01
Abstract: Abstract This paper examines whether the combined participation in workfare and food grain subsidy programmes in India impacts the nutritional and health status of women and children, using body mass index (BMI) and short-term morbidity as indicators. Based on a nationally representative panel data survey conducted in 2005 and 2012, we estimate the participants’ average treatment effects by applying a semi-parametric differences-in-differences (DID) approach on the full sample and a regression-based DID approach on a matched sample. We find that simultaneous participation in these programmes lowers women’s morbidity by at least 25%, but women’s BMI increases only in states implementing those programmes well. For children, there is no robust evidence of impacts. Our results suggest that various social protection programmes can operate synergistically and deliver positive impacts on children and women’s nutrition or health, even though this is not their main objective. However, the effects are heterogeneous and confirm that the nutrition and health benefits, reached through a combination of the two social protection programmes, are mediated by intrahousehold dynamics. Synergistic and mediating effects must be considered in future efforts to upscale social protection in the Global South in order to deliver simultaneous progress across the Sustainable Development Goals. PubDate: 2023-10-01
Abstract: Abstract Given their long-lasting seed viability, 15–20-year lifespan and their high seed production levels, a significant impact of parasitic plant Striga spp. on African food production is inevitable. Over the last decades, climate change has increasingly favoured the adaptability, spread and virulence of major Striga species, S. hermonthica and S. asiatica, across arable land in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). These parasitic weeds are causing important yield losses on several staple food crops and endangering food and nutritional security in many SSA countries. Losses caused by Striga spp. are amplified by low soil fertility and recurrent droughts. The impact of Striga parasitism has been characterized through different phenotypic and genotypic traits assessment of their host plants. Among all control strategies, host-plant resistance remains the most pro-poor, easy-to-adopt, sustainable and eco-friendly control strategy against Striga parasitism. This review highlights the impact of Striga parasitism on food security in SSA and reports recent results related to the genetic basis of different agronomic, pheno-physiological and biochemical traits associated with the resistance to Striga in major African cereal food crops. PubDate: 2023-10-01
Abstract: Abstract Agricultural extension, or advisory services, have a key role to play in supporting farmers’ learning and adoption of new practices and technologies. This paper analyses gaps and needs which require addressing in order for extension systems to more effectively contribute to the upscaling of ecological intensification approaches in East African smallholder agriculture. Our starting point is the push-pull technology (PPT), a promising approach. PPT originated in East Africa and is being continuously improved through cycles of interdisciplinary and participatory experimentation. Despite well-documented benefits to farmers and the environment, more institutional support from agricultural extension systems (AES) is needed for PPT to realise significant impact on poverty reduction, food security, and sustainability. Departing from this assessment, we review literature on AES in five East African countries. After clarifying the AES characteristics that ecological intensification requires, emphasising the capacity to embrace complexity, we identify four thematic areas that are in urgent need of attention: first, widely recognised problems with access and inclusiveness have seen welcome innovation but remain substantial. Second, information and communication technologies provide many benefits and new possibilities, but expectations must be tempered. Third, pluralistic AES present coordination challenges that risk undermining and misdirecting extension. Finally, the political-economic underpinnings of extension require critical scrutiny and strategic interventions. While many challenges threaten extension effectiveness broadly, we highlight implications for ecological intensification approaches like PPT. Our insights thus speak to the broader question of how to design and implement extension for sustainable agricultural development in East Africa. PubDate: 2023-08-29 DOI: 10.1007/s12571-023-01387-z
Abstract: Abstract Food security measurement is of paramount importance as it guides governance, policy formulation and intervention projects targeting and monitoring and evaluation. The measurement of food insecurity has proven to be a difficult task owing to the multi-dimensionality of the construct and different measurements have been developed to measure different dimensions of food insecurity. However, it is difficult to apply the different measurements to a holistic food security measurement as their classification might not agree. The current study proposes a composite food insecurity indicator by aggregating items from Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS), Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) and Months of Inadequate Household Food Provision (MIHFP) for Windhoek households’ data into a single measure using the Rasch Testlet Response Model. The composite measure was internally validated against the HDDS, HFIAS and MIHFP and externally validated against household income and the Lived Poverty Index (LPI) using Spearman's Rank Correlation and Cohen's Kappa. The validation results suggest that the metric could be a promising measure of aggregate food insecurity worth further investigation and discussion. However, more research is needed in coming up with cut-points for categorizing households into food insecurity statuses. In addition, the metric has only been computed and tested on a single urban sample in the Global South and hence it is not generalizable to different setups. Other researchers who might want to use the index can try to estimate and validate the index in different scenarios and suggest ways the index can be improved. PubDate: 2023-08-29 DOI: 10.1007/s12571-023-01388-y
Abstract: Abstract This study traces the consumption of animal-source foods (ASF) during a period of rapid economic change and food system transformation in Myanmar. We use data from two nationally representative consumption surveys conducted in 2010 and 2015 and food composition tables to estimate the contributions of ASF to estimated average requirements (EARs) of key nutrients among population subgroups differentiated by geography and economic status. We find: (1) Little change in the average quantity of ASF consumed per individual, but substantial changes in the composition of the ASF consumed. (2) Increasing rural–urban and income-linked inequality in quantities of ASF and associated nutrients consumed. (3) Declines in the adequacy of intakes of five out of eight micronutrients (calcium, iron, zinc, thiamine, vitamin B12) and small increases in two (selenium and vitamin A), due to the changing composition of ASF; most importantly, reductions in the supply of diverse aquatic foods from capture fisheries and increasing availability of intensively reared chicken. (4) Elevated levels of ASF-derived total fat and sodium consumption among better-off consumers, suggesting an emerging triple burden of malnutrition. We review the implications of these results for food security, nutrition-sensitive policies and interventions beyond Myanmar. PubDate: 2023-08-04 DOI: 10.1007/s12571-023-01380-6
Abstract: Abstract A global transformation of food systems is needed, given their impact on the three interconnected pandemics of undernutrition, obesity and climate change. A scoping review was conducted to synthesise the effectiveness of food system policies/interventions to improve nutrition, nutrition inequalities and environmental sustainability, and to identify double- or triple-duty potentials (their effectiveness tackling simultaneously two or all of these outcomes). When available, their effects on nutritional vulnerabilities and women’s empowerment were described. The policies/interventions studied were derived from a compilation of international recommendations. The literature search was conducted according to the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews. A total of 196 reviews were included in the analysis. The triple-duty interventions identified were sustainable agriculture practices and school food programmes. Labelling, reformulation, in-store nudging interventions and fiscal measures showed double-duty potential across outcomes. Labelling also incentivises food reformulation by the industry. Some interventions (i.e., school food programmes, reformulation, fiscal measures) reduce socio-economic differences in diets, whereas labelling may be more effective among women and higher socio-economic groups. A trade-off identified was that healthy food provision interventions may increase food waste. Overall, multi-component interventions were found to be the most effective to improve nutrition and inequalities. Policies combining nutrition and environmental sustainability objectives are few and mainly of the information type (i.e., labelling). Little evidence is available on the policies/interventions’ effect on environmental sustainability and women’s empowerment. Current research fails to provide good-quality evidence on food systems policies/interventions, in particular in the food supply chains domain. Research to fill this knowledge gap is needed. PubDate: 2023-08-03 DOI: 10.1007/s12571-023-01385-1
Abstract: Abstract The Livestock CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research) Research Program (Livestock CRP) generated evidence on livestock-to-nutrition pathways through the implementation of nutrition-related livestock programs and research. In this analysis, we compiled lessons learned from Livestock CRP projects and identified recommendations for nutrition-sensitive livestock programming and research in the context of the literature and through the development of an updated livestock-to-nutrition pathways framework. The updated framework shows the interconnected nature of the three main pathways—own-consumption, income, and women’s empowerment—along with other pathways and includes contextual factors, which were lacking in previous frameworks. Eight Livestock CRP projects were reviewed, including five integrated livestock and human nutrition projects, two studies on drivers of food choice, and one study to develop and test a tool to measure nutrition outcomes among pastoralists. Key lessons learned were that women’s empowerment in livestock-to-nutrition pathways is important, but challenging to measure; engaging male partners improves nutrition in livestock-keeping households; nutrition-sensitive livestock programs and researchers should articulate and measure livestock-to-nutrition pathways they are addressing; livestock keeping does not guarantee access to animal source foods; context and livelihoods are not static and program design should be adapted accordingly; and digital data collection systems can provide accurate and timely nutrition information. Key recommendations include developing tools to fill measurement gaps; creating shorter versions of validated tools for ease of use; using complexity-aware evaluation methods to capture the interconnected nature of livestock-to-nutrition pathways and shifting livelihoods; and conducting pathways analyses to better understand linkages in the framework and further refine it. PubDate: 2023-07-25 DOI: 10.1007/s12571-023-01382-4
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