The Impact of Climate Variability and Change on Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa: Perspective from Panel Data Analysis

This study investigates the relationship between climate variables such as rainfall amount, temperature, and carbon dioxide (CO2) emission and the triple dimension of food security (availability, accessibility, and utilization) in a panel of 25 sub-Saharan African countries from 1985 to 2018. After testing for cross-sectional dependence, unit root and cointegration, the study estimated the pool mean group (PMG) panel autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL). The empirical outcome revealed that rainfall had a significantly positive effect on food availability, accessibility, and utilization in the long run. In contrast, temperature was harmful to food availability and accessibility and had no impact on food utilization. Lastly, CO2 emission positively impacted food availability and accessibility but did not affect food utilization. The study took a step further by integrating some additional variables and performed the panel fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) and dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) regression to ensure the robustness of the preceding PMG results. The control variables yielded meaningful results in most cases, so did the FMOLS and DOLS regression. The Granger causality test was conducted to determine the causal link, if any, among the variables. There was evidence of a short-run causal relationship between food availability and CO2 emission. Food accessibility exhibited a causal association with temperature, whereas food utilization was strongly connected with temperature. CO2 emission was linked to rainfall. Lastly, a bidirectional causal link was found between rainfall and temperature. Recommendations to the national, sub-regional, and regional policymakers are addressed and discussed.

Assessing Household’s Food Security in Patarasi Rural Municipality of Jumla District of Karnali Province, Nepal

Food security in mountain areas has always been a matter of concern. The purpose of this study is to examine the food security situation and coping strategies in rural households in a mountain area. Following the descriptive research approach, data is collected through implying household survey, semi-structured interview, and observation method. The food security situation is analyzed through four dimensions of food security: food availability, access to food, utilization of food, and stability. The result shows households depend mainly on markets as their main source of household food and households follow inadequate food consumption and the majority of households' food consumption patterns constitute either borderline or poor. Households apply short-term food consumption coping strategies such as lending money from friends or buying food on credit. The study recommends that farming households be supported in terms of both short-term and long-term strategies to improve food production and supply.

Financial Support Program for Small Farmers, and Its Impact on Local Food Security. Evidence from Indonesia

This paper addresses the implementation of the Kawasan Mandiri Pangan (KMP) program, a microfinance program for farmer groups, assessing whether the program affects farmers’ decisions concerning production, marketing, and consumption or not, and its impacts on household food security along three dimensions: food availability, food access, and food utilization. Based on a qualitative and theory of change mixed-methods analysis, which uses interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs), this research sheds light on the program’s success among two groups of farmers. Both groups experienced improved productivity and increased food availability, but only one group sustained the program. The results indicate that the program has not affected the commercialization of any particular crop, where the crop’s best selling price, relationships, and commitments are factors that affect the farmers’ marketing decisions. Other findings show how food access at the household level increased when the crop’s selling price was reasonable, while food utilization was influenced predominantly by local wisdom. Taken together, the research findings highlight the importance of the capability of the management, the commitment of the members, and the supervision of the agricultural extension agents. There is a need for a locally owned enterprise to absorb agricultural products and maintain the selling price of crops, which is the primary driver of food accessibility and utilization at the household level.

Anthropogenic Food Utilization and Seasonal Difference in Diet of Cercopithecus lowei at a Community Protected Forest in Ghana

In recent times, the diet and foraging behaviors of wild animals are influenced by anthropogenic foods since they often share their natural habitats with humans. We investigated the composition, preferred food item, contribution of anthropogenic food at garbage dump sites, and the seasonal effects on the diet of Lowe’s monkeys (Cercopithecus lowei) in the Duasidan Monkey Sanctuary, Ghana. We found that Lowe’s monkeys fed on 13 plant species, as well as anthropogenic foods and invertebrates. The composition of plant diet changed seasonally: Lowe’s monkeys relied more on buds in the dry season while they consumed more fruits in the wet season. However, anthropogenic food was a major component of the diet for both wet (34.8%) and dry seasons (41.3%), suggesting that the monkeys consistently rely on anthropogenic food throughout the year. Nevertheless, we did not observe any conflict between monkeys and local people. The results suggest that Lowe’s monkeys heavily rely on anthropogenic food at human garbage dumps while they maintain a part of their foraging activities in the wild, indicating a need for the proper management of garbage as well as the protection of the natural habitats of Lowe’s monkeys in the Duasidan Monkey Sanctuary, Ghana.

The measurement of food and nutrition security situation in Indonesia

An appropriate analysis of the food security situation influences the decision-making and even planning of targeted intervention. Considering Indonesia’s vast area and different characteristics of each region, information on the food security situation for each region is needed for policy intervention. This paper conducted a composite analysis to obtain the food security situation of 416 districts in Indonesia. The weighting approach of nine indicators represented the three subsystems of food security, namely food availability, food access, and food utilization, was used for food security situation analysis. Of 416 districts, 81 were classified into food vulnerable region-based one a set of cut-off points used for districts classification. These vulnerable food regions were mainly characterized by the ratio between food production and normative consumption, the percentage of people living under the poverty line, and the prevalence of stunting. The information on vulnerable food regions and their underlying factors can be used as a basis for program intervention and policy formulation for food security in Indonesia. The program designed for food vulnerability alleviation should be located in the vulnerable food area and targeted to reduce those three underlying factors causing food vulnerability.

A mechanism of abiogenesis based on complex reaction networks organized by seed-dependent autocatalytic systems

The complexity gap between the biotic and abiotic worlds has made explaining abiogenesis one of the hardest scientific questions. A promising strategy for addressing this problem is to identify features shared by abiotic and biotic chemical systems that permit the stepwise accretion of complexity. Therefore, we compared abiotic and biotic reaction networks in order to evaluate the presence of autocatalysis, the underlying basis of biological self-propagation, and to see if the organization of autocatalytic motifs permits stepwise complexification. We provide an algorithm to detect seed-dependent autocatalytic systems (SDASs), namely subnetworks that can use food chemicals to self-propagate but must be seeded by some non-food chemicals to become activated. We show that serial activation of SDASs can cause incremental complexification. Furthermore, we identify life-like features that emerge during the accretion of SDASs, including the emergence of new ecological opportunities and improvements in the efficiency of food utilization. The SDAS concept explains how driven abiotic environments, namely ones receiving an ongoing flux of food chemicals, can incrementally complexify without the need for genetic polymers. This framework also suggests experiments that have the potential to detect the spontaneous emergence of life-like features, such as self-propagation and adaptability, in driven chemical systems.

A mechanism of abiogenesis based on complex reaction networks organized by seed-dependent autocatalytic systems

The complexity gap between the biotic and abiotic worlds has made explaining abiogenesis one of the hardest scientific questions. A promising strategy for addressing this problem is to identify features shared by abiotic and biotic chemical systems that permit the stepwise accretion of complexity. Therefore, we compared abiotic and biotic reaction networks in order to evaluate the presence of autocatalysis, the underlying basis of biological self-propagation, and to see if the organization of autocatalytic motifs permits stepwise complexification. We provide an algorithm to detect seed-dependent autocatalytic systems (SDASs), namely subnetworks that can use food chemicals to self-propagate but must be seeded by some non-food chemicals to become activated. We show that serial activation of SDASs can cause incremental complexification. Furthermore, we identify life-like features that emerge during the accretion of SDASs, including the emergence of new ecological opportunities and improvements in the efficiency of food utilization. The SDAS concept explains how driven abiotic environments, namely ones receiving an ongoing flux of food chemicals, can incrementally complexify without the need for genetic polymers. This framework also suggests experiments that have the potential to detect the spontaneous emergence of life-like features, such as self-propagation and adaptability, in driven chemical systems.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS AFFECTING FOOD SECURITY AMONG THE ELDERLY. A CRITICAL LITERATURE REVIEW

Purpose: Mobile technologies provide an affordable and easily accessible technology that lecturers can use effectively to assist students with their studies. The general objective of the study was to evaluate socio-economic factors affecting food security among the elderly. Methodology: The paper used a desk study review methodology where relevant empirical literature was reviewed to identify main themes and to extract knowledge gaps. Findings: From the study findings, it is concluded that the households of the elderly persons are faced with abject poverty due to the household structures they live in, which lack food storage facilities hindering food utilization. The elderly persons are faced with health challenges that hinder them from accessing adequate and appropriate foods. They also are not able to use the available types of food due to the ailments they suffer. Elderly persons are faced by various levels of food insecurity due to the deteriorating strength and vulnerability that comes handy with aging. Farming practices by elderly persons depict that they mainly use manual labour limiting their food production. The elderly persons food utilization that entails enlightenment on food production based on food storage, feeding habits and farming methods have lowered food production thus food insecurity. Recommendations: The study recommended that there should be established programmes that provide homes for the aged to cater for the elderly persons who live alone, sickly and too aged to undertake their daily domestic duties. In addition feeding programmers in households with elderly persons should be formulated and implemented. Relatives should be encouraged to follow up on the wellbeing of their aging parents and organize to employ care givers to keep up domestic duties that may be making it difficult for the elderly to access food. The ministry of special programmes should consider provision of relief food to households with the elderly persons who suffer severe food insecurity. They should also collaborate with the ministry of education in ensuring children who are under the care of aged people have a school feeding programme to provide at least a meal for them at school.

Effects of eliminating interactions in multi-layer culture on survival, food utilization and growth of small sea urchins Strongylocentrotus intermedius at high temperatures

Poor growth and disease transmission of small sea urchins Strongylocentrotus intermedius in summer greatly hamper the production efficiency of the longline culture. Reducing the adverse effects of high stocking density while maintaining high biomass is essential to address these problems. Here, we conducted a laboratory experiment to simulate the multi-layer culture for sea urchins at ambient high temperatures (from 22.2 to 24.5 °C) in summer for ~ 7 weeks. Survival, body size, lantern growth, gut weight, food consumption, Aristotle's lantern reflex, 5-hydroxytryptamine concentration, pepsin activity and gut morphology were subsequently evaluated. The present study found that multi-layer culture led to significantly larger body size than those without multi-layer culture (the control group). This was probably because of the greater feeding capacity (indicated by lantern growth and Aristotle's lantern reflex) and food digestion (indicated by morphology and pepsin activity of gut) in the multi-layer cultured sea urchins. These results indicate that multi-layer is an effective approach to improving the growth efficiency of sea urchins at high temperatures. We assessed whether eliminating interaction further improve these commercially important traits of sea urchins in multi-layer culture. This study found that eliminating interactions displayed greater body size and Aristotle's lantern reflex than those not separated in the multi-layer culture. This approach also significantly reduced the morbidity compared with the control group. These novel findings indicate that eliminating interactions in multi-layer culture greatly contributes to the growth and disease prevention of sea urchins at high temperatures. The present study establishes a new technique for the longline culture of sea urchins in summer and provides valuable information into the longline culture management of other commercially important species (e.g. scallops, abalones and oysters).

Household food security among Hadza hunter-gatherers in Mkalama district, Tanzania

Background Food insecurity is a widespread public health concern in many communities of sub-Saharan Africa. This study involved the Hadza hunter-gatherers of Tanzania, the only ethnic group in the country that has traditionally subsisted on hunting and gathering. In recent years, however, these communities have adopted mixed foraging economies. Information on how this change affects household food security is rather limited. The aim of this study was to assess the status of food security and the factors influencing household food security in the Hadza hunter-gatherer communities. Methods A cross-sectional study of 200 households was conducted in Mkalama district, Tanzania. Sampled householders represented individuals whose livelihood is mainly dependent on foraging (n = 129), beekeeping (n = 30) and farming (n = 41). Food security was measured by assessing food availability (Months of Adequate Food Provisioning (MAHFP)), food access (Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS)) and food utilization (Dietary Diversity Scores (DDS)). Results Mean MAHFP was lower (p = 0.000) in predominantly foraging households (8.4 ± 1.1) compared with those involved in beekeeping (8.7 ± 1.6) or farming (9.6 ± 1.9). Based on HFIAS indicator, the prevalence of food insecurity varied with the household’s main activity (83.0% foraging, 46.7% beekeeping and 26.8% farming). Further, regression analyses show that the farming households were more likely to be food secure than the foraging households (OR = 10.7, p = 0.01). Dietary diversity scores also varied significantly with household’s main activity. About 65% of households (86% foraging, 63.3% beekeeping and 2.4% farming) consumed diets below the critical value of ≤ 4 food groups 24 h prior to survey. Social demographic characteristics and livelihood options are strong predictors of household food security. Conclusion All indicators used to assess food security point to high level of food insecurity in households mainly subsisting on foraging compared with beekeeping and farming. The primary dependence on foraging is associated with a longer period of food shortage, high prevalence of food insecurity conditions and low consumption of food varieties. Livelihood diversification coupled with provision of agricultural support services is necessary for the development of a secure future of the Hadza communities.