Impact of Crop Diversification on Household Food and Nutrition Security in Southern and Central Mali

Many African countries, including Mali, depend on the production of a single or a limited range of crops for national food security. In Mali, this heavy reliance on a range of basic commodities or staple crops, or even just one, exacerbates multiple risks to agricultural production, rural livelihoods, and nutrition. With this in mind, the smart food campaign was initiated to strengthen the resilience and nutritional situation of households and peasant communities where the diet is mainly cereal-based and remains very undiversified and poor in essential micronutrients. As part of the campaign, our study aims to analyze the impact of agricultural diversification on food consumption and household nutritional security. The analysis uses survey data from 332 individuals randomly selected. Multinomial logistic regression and the Simpson diversity index were used to determine the index and estimate the determinants of crop diversification. The consumption score index weighted by consumption frequency and anthropometric indices (for children) were used to assess the nutritional status of households. The results show four types of strategies of diversification: 7.55% are cereals only, 5.66% combine millet–sorghum–groundnut, 41.51% combine millet–sorghum–groundnut–cowpea, and 45.28% combine millet–sorghum–groundnut–cowpea–maize. The estimation of the regression model shows that socioeconomic factors have a positive influence. With a consumption score index of 34 in the villages and 40.5 in Bamako, based on eight food groups, we find that the quality of food is insufficient in rural areas, but it is acceptable in the urban center of Bamako. Analysis of the nutritional status of children aged 6–48 months reveals that 30% of the surveyed population is in a situation of nutritional insecurity (all forms combined). To help improve crop diversification and the nutritional quality of foods, we suggest, among other things, subsidies and public spending to facilitate access to inputs that allow the acquisition of a wider range of inputs and services, intensification of nutrition awareness, and education programs to maximize the incentive to consume nutritious foods from self-production and market purchases. Finally, we propose to facilitate access to technologies promoting food diversification and improving food and nutritional security, particularly in rural areas.

Actors and dynamics of a policy transfer network

Based on the discussions of Role Theory and policy transfer, this paper analyzes how the transfer of food and nutritional security policies to the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries relates to Brazil´s performance as a “developer”. We demonstrate how a transnational policy transfer network congregating several cooperation modalities was constructed as a status-seeking strategy grounded on projecting domestic policies. Therefore, the policy transfer case study, was carried out, through interviews and document analysis, in order to observing the cooperative dynamic by mapping the effects that the contacts established between several actors had in the long term. The temporal scope of the analysis begins with the arrival of Lula da Silva to the Presidency in 2003, and extends until the II Extraordinary Meeting of the CPLP Council of Food and Nutritional Security, in June 2017. For conducting an operational analysis, social participation and inter-sectorial work were selected as representatives of the conceptual framework related to the Human Right to Adequate Food, since they are two central ideas for the policies that are the object of experience-sharing in South-South cooperation on food and nutritional security.

FOOD ENVIRONMENT: CONCEPTUALIZATION AND IMPORTANCE IN PERSPECTIVE OF URBAN INDIA

Food environment of an individual is characterized by the ‘availability of food’ and ‘affordability of food’. The latter determines the type of food available that is nutritious or nonnutritious nature of food while former determines the access to food in terms of purchasing power of people. These two components of food environment collectively play a major role in determining the food and nutritional security of any region. Country like India is characterized by the disparity in incomelevels, demography and development. Likewise, India is characterized by regions with varying degree of ‘food security’ and ‘nutritional security’. The present research article discusses the concept of ‘food environment’ in perspective of urban India. Further, the present research study investigates that how the above-mentioned concepts helpful in identifying the regions with food security and nutritional security or both. The study is based on secondary data collected from various governmental and non-governmental agencies.

Effects of Combined Abiotic Stresses On Nutrient Content of European Wheat and Implications For Nutritional Security Under Climate Change Scenarios

Climate change is causing problems for agriculture, but the effect of combined environmental stresses on crop nutritional quality is not clear. Here we studied the effect of 10 combinations of climatic conditions (temperature, CO2, O3 and drought) in controlled growth chamber conditions on the protein and mineral content of 3 wheat varieties. Results show that wheat plants under O3 exposure alone concentrated 15-31% more grain N, Fe, Mg, Mn P and Zn, reduced K by 5%, and C did not change. Ozone in the presence of elevated CO2 and higher temperature enhanced the content of Fe, Mn, P and Zn by 2-18%. Water-limited chronic O3 exposure resulted in 9-46% higher concentrations of all the minerals, except K. The effect of climate change could increase the ability of wheat to meet adult daily dietary requirements by 1.06-1.12-fold for Fe, Zn and protein, but decrease those of Mg, Mn and P by 1.03-1.06-fold, and K by 2.78-fold. The role of wheat in future nutrition security is discussed.

Omics Technologies to Enhance Plant Based Functional Foods: An Overview

Functional foods are natural products of plants that have health benefits beyond necessary nutrition. Functional foods are abundant in fruits, vegetables, spices, beverages and some are found in cereals, millets, pulses and oilseeds. Efforts to identify functional foods in our diet and their beneficial aspects are limited to few crops. Advances in sequencing and availability of different omics technologies have given opportunity to utilize these tools to enhance the functional components of the foods, thus ensuring the nutritional security. Integrated omics approaches including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics coupled with artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches can be used to improve the crops. This review provides insights into omics studies that are carried out to find the active components and crop improvement by enhancing the functional compounds in different plants including cereals, millets, pulses, oilseeds, fruits, vegetables, spices, beverages and medicinal plants. There is a need to characterize functional foods that are being used in traditional medicines, as well as utilization of this knowledge to improve the staple foods in order to tackle malnutrition and hunger more effectively.

Characterization of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Viruses in Zambia-Implications for the Epidemiology of the Disease in Southern Africa

The livestock industry supports livelihood and nutritional security of at least 42% of people in the Southern African Development Community region. However, presence of animal diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease poses a major threat to the development of this industry. Samples collected from FMD outbreaks in Zambia during 2015–2020, comprising epithelial tissues samples (n = 47) and sera (n = 120), were analysed. FMD virus was serotyped in 26 samples, while 92 sera samples tested positive on NSP-ELISA. Phylogenetic analysis revealed notable changes in the epidemiology of FMD in Zambia, which included: (i) introduction of a novel FMDV SAT-3 (topotype II) causing FMD cases in cattle in Western Province; (ii) emergence of FMDV serotype O (topotype O/EA-2) in Central, Southern, Copperbelt, Western, Lusaka Provinces; and (iii) new outbreaks due to SAT -2 (topotypes I) in Eastern Zambia. Together, these data describe eight different epizootics that occurred in Zambia, four of which were outside the known FMD high-risk areas. This study highlights the complex epidemiology of FMD in Zambia, where the country represents an interface between East Africa (Pool 4) and Southern Africa (Pool 6). These changing viral dynamics have direct impacts on FMD vaccine selection in the SADC region.

Deciphering the effect of Natural Fermentation on Nutritional, Anti-nutritional compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Finger millet landraces

Fermentation is one of the most important bioprocessing techniques used to enhance nutritional components and a reduction in anti-nutritional compounds. In the present work, germinated and ungerminated grains of white and red –brown finger millet landraces were subjected to 8, 16 and 24 hours of fermentation to find out its response in terms of nutritional, anti-nutritional compounds and antioxidant activity. White and red-brown grains showed significant response to 16 and 24 hours process in terms of nutritional and anti-nutritional changes. Significant reduction in the tannin content (73%) was noted for germinated and un-germinated grains with the enhancement in nutritional compounds. Highest antioxidant activity was noted for germinated (91%) grains of white seed coat color grains. Process of natural fermentation and the microflora produces various endogenous enzymes which causes enhancement and reduction of nutritional and antinutritional compounds. Obtained results prove the importance of fermentation process and conservation of landraces for nutritional security.