Impact of CSA Innovations on Household Food and Nutrition Security: Evidence From the Upper Blue Nile Highland of Ethiopia

Background: Food insecurity remains a major challenge to smallholder farmers in the face of changing climate in the Upper Blue Nile Highlands of Ethiopia. To improve food and nutrition security of climate change vulnerable smallholder farmers in eastern Ethiopia, several climate-smart agriculture (CSA) innovations have been adopted and scaled-up. However, the impact of these innovations on household food and nutritional security was not systematically studied. This study examined the impact of selected CSA technologies on household food and nutrition security. Cross-sectional data were generated from 424 randomly selected rural smallholder agriculture households in the five selected agroecosystems of the Upper Blue Nile Highlands of Ethiopia. The study employed propensity score matching and endogenous switching regression estimation models. Results: Households that practiced crop residue management had an 8.46 higher Food Consumption Score (FCS) and a 0.4 higher Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) than non-adopters. Similarly, households who adopted compost and agroforestry had a 0.462 and 0.446 higher Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) than non-adopters, respectively. The endogenous switching regression analysis result showed that households that practiced crop residue management had an 22.6 higher Food Consumption Score (FCS) and a 2.2 higher Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) than non-adopters. Similarly, households who adopted physical SWC had a 2.3 higher Food Consumption Score (FCS) than non-adopters. Whereas, compost and agroforestry had a 0.28 and 2.12 higher Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) than non-adopters, respectively. Conclusions: This shows that households adopting CSA innovations are more likely to have higher food security compared to non-adopters. This suggests that promotion and scale-up of CSA innovations in the study area can enhance household food and nutrition security.

Exploring the Impact of Crises on Food Security in Lebanon: Results from a National Cross-Sectional Study

This study aims to explore the prevalence and correlates of food insecurity among Lebanese households since the ordeals of COVID-19, economic crisis, and Beirut port explosions. At the core of the study, a mobile application entitled Nutrition Assessment System (NAS) that simplified the data collection was used as toolkit and a technical test was carried out in all Lebanese governorates between November 2020 and March 2021. Findings show that food insecurity is an immediate problem for households in Beirut and in many governorates in Lebanon. Nine in every 16 households ate less than 2 meals per day and more than 70% of them skipped their meals to spare food. Even though half the population studied had a low food consumption score, 82.4% of the people were not relying on livelihood coping strategies. However, more than three out of ten of these households relied on at least three food-based coping strategies. In addition, as for the livelihoods, this assessment found that most Lebanese households reported a drop in income along with an expansion in debt incurrence in the last 24 months to be able to buy food. Improving food security in Lebanon requires effort not only on the part of the government, but through regional and international actions.

Drought and food security in Senegal from the perspective of household access

<p>In the Sahel food security has been a top development priority since the abrupt onset of persistent drought caught the region by surprise in the early 1970s, causing repeated recurrences of extreme food insecurity. Research ultimately demonstrated the global climate root of drought, going so far as to partially attributing persistence to anthropogenic emissions of aerosols and greenhouse gases. </p><p>We exploit surveys collected in Senegal in the last 10 years to assess the year-to-year dynamics of household food security in relation to rainfall variability. We combine three variables from the household surveys, namely the Food Consumption Score, the Food Expenditure Share and the Reduced Coping Strategies Index, to explore the access dimension of food security. Cluster analysis on these three variables leads us to 1) classify households into categories of food security, and 2) discuss the response of each category of household to seasonality and year-to-year variability in climate. </p><p>The UN World Food Programme and in-country partner institutions normally survey thousands of households every few years, in order to assess "baseline" (as opposed to "crisis") food security conditions. However, the years that Senegal households were surveyed in this most recent decade include 2014, a year of severe, national-scale drought. Comparison with the other, non-drought years allows to directly assess the shock from the perspective of the households themselves, and to describe coping mechanisms based on "baseline" food security category. We find that in the drought year (1) more of the “average rural” households that normally do not recur to coping strategies actually did, and (2) food expenditure share increases in all but one food security category.</p>

An Adrift Community in Mainstream Bangladesh: Case of Tea Workers

This research was conducted to analyze the status of tea workers of selected areas of Bangladesh. Primary data were collected through direct interview and secondary data were also collected from different sources. A total of 100 tea workers were randomly selected from Ootterbhag and Indanugger tea estate of Moulvibazar. Descriptive statistics and functional analyses were employed to achieve the objectives of the research. Risk facing index, food security index, food consumption score were calculated and binary logistic regression were carried out to identify the factors affecting food security status. The study revealed that the life of tea workers in selected areas are vulnerable. Wages are not adequate to meet basic needs and the wage raises are not keeping pace with the cost of living. Considering 4.51 average family member the respondent family household is far below the international poverty line (1.90 US$). It was observed from the analysis that 52% sample respondents were illiterate. However, the maximum respondents also agreed that they faced various psychological, mechanical and biological hazards. Household calorie availability or consumption behavior was revealed by food consumption score, which exemplified that 49% respondents are in borderline food consumption pattern while 5% and 46% are in poor and acceptable level respectively. The overall average daily per capita calorie intake by tea workers was observed to be 2076.3996 kilo calorie, which is lower than the national average of Bangladesh. Only 35% household were food secure based on calorie intake. Household was food insecure if number of dependent persons in family increases; food secure with increase in household monthly income; and household food security decreases with increase in household size.

Level of food consumption score and associated factors among pregnant women at SHEGAW MOTTA hospital, Northwest Ethiopia

Background Several studies conducted to access the status of household food insecurity in Ethiopia show that the nutrition problem is still highly prevalent especially in pregnant women and children. This study was conducted in 2018 main harvesting season with the principal objective to assess the level of food consumption score and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal service at Shegaw Motta Hospital. Methods Institution based cross-sectional study was conducted among pregnant women attending antenatal care service at Shegaw Motta Hospital, East Gojjam Zone, Northwest Ethiopia. Primary data of 422 pregnant women were collected using interviewer administered structured questionnaire and a systematic random sampling technique was used to select study participants. The standardized World Food Program eight food groups English version questionnaire was translated to the local Amharic language and used along with the Ethiopian food composition table. The collected data were subjected to descriptive statistics and analyzed with SPSS software. Results From the total of 422 pregnant women, 1.9% (95% CI: 0.7–3.3) of the respondents food consumption score were poor, 16.6% (95% CI: 13.0–20.4) were borderline and the remaining 81.5% (95% CI: 77.5–85.1) had acceptable food consumption score. Residence, being rural or urban [AOR = 4.594;95%CI: 1.871–11.283, P = 0.001], religion status, being an Orthodox [AOR = 0.073;95% CI: 0.021–0.254, P < 0.0001], were factors associated with food consumption score. Conclusions Food consumption score among pregnant women seems to be highly unacceptable. Residence and religion were factors associated with food consumption score. Therefore, appropriate nutrition education should be given.

MODEL SOSIAL-EKONOMI DAN KETAHANAN PANGAN RUMAH TANGGA DI INDONESIA

Ketahanan pangan adalah salah satu prioritas pembangunan dalam Rencana Kerja Pemerintah (RKP). Perumusan kebijakan tentang implementasi ketahanan pangan harus mampu memberikan output yang dapat mengarah pada stabilisasi ketersediaan pangan berdasarkan swasembada, serta meningkatkan kemudahan akses dan kemampuan mengakses pangan. Penelitian ini bermaksud untuk menganalisis faktor-faktor sosial ekonomi yang mempengaruhi ketahanan pangan di Indonesia. Data yang digunakan adalah data tingkat rumah tangga dari Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS) kelima dengan jumlah rumah tangga yang diperkirakan sebanyak 9819 rumah tangga. Penelitian ini menggunakan regresi logistik sebagai metode estimasi, dengan variabel dependen yaitu ketahanan pangan yang dihitung berdasarkan food consumption score (FCS). Sementara, variabel independen yang digunakan adalah: (1) profil kepala rumah tangga yang meliputi usia, jenis kelamin, status perkawinan, tingkat pendidikan; (2) faktor kualitatif yang meliputi jenis pekerjaan kepala rumah tangga, bahan bakar utama untuk memasak, ketersediaan toilet, listrik, dan sumber air di dalam rumah; dan (3) lokasi rumah tangga (perkotaan atau perdesaan). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi ketahanan pangan rumah tangga adalah aspek sanitasi (keberadaan toilet dan sumber air di dalam rumah), penggunaan bahan bakar utama untuk memasak, lokasi rumah tangga, serta usia, status, tingkat pendidikan dan jenis mata pencaharian kepala rumah tangga.

Selenium Nutritional Status of Rural Residents and Its Correlation with Dietary Intake Patterns in a Typical Low-Selenium Area in China

China is recognized as a selenium-deficient country, and nutritional selenium intake has always been a concern. To clarify the current inhabitants’ selenium nutrition status and the characteristics of dietary consumption in low-selenium areas, samples of human hair and grains were collected, and food frequency questionnaires were administered in Binxian County, Shaanxi Province, a typical low-selenium area in the Loess Plateau. The subject number of the study is 85, and the age range is from 11 to 81 years, with an average of 60. The results showed that the average hair selenium content of the residents was 231.7 μg/kg, and 62.4% of the participants had levels higher than the selenium deficiency threshold (200 μg/kg). There was a significant positive correlation between the hair selenium content and the food consumption score after adjusting for rice outsourcing. Three different dietary patterns were noted according to hierarchical cluster analysis. This study provides a tool for assessing the selenium nutrition of inhabitants in low-selenium areas and has considerable significance for improving the dietary pattern of residents.

LEVEL OF FOOD CONSUMPTION SCORE AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN AT SHEGAW MOTTA HOSPITAL, NORTHWEST ETHIOPIA

ABSTRACTBackgroundAll populations are at risk for poor food consumption, but pregnant women are the most vulnerable groups for poor food consumption particularly for those in resource limiting settings like Ethiopia. However, there is a lack of literature for food consumption score in these population groups and study area. Therefore, the results of this study may give information for local decision makers.ObjectiveTo assess level of food consumption score and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal service at Shegaw Motta Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia, 2018.MethodInstitution based cross-sectional study design was conducted among 422 pregnant women attending antenatal care service at Shegaw Motta Hospital from February 23, 2018-April 3, 2018. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select study participants. Data were collected using interviewer administered structured questionnaire and coded and entered to Epi-Data version 3.1 then exported to SPSS version 23 for analysis. Binary Logistic Regression was used for analysis.ResultA total of 422 pregnant women with response a rate of 100% participated in the study. The overall food consumption score among pregnant women was found to be eight of study participants [1.9% (95% CI: 0.7, 3.3)] reported that their food consumption score were poor, seventy of them [16.6% (95% CI: 13.0, 20.4)] were borderline and the remaining 81.5 % (95% CI: 77.5, 85.1) of them had acceptable food consumption score. Residence, being rural or urban [AOR=4.594(95% CI: 1.871, 11.283)], religion status, being an Orthodox or others [AOR= 0.073(95% CI: 0.021, 0.254)], were factors associated with food consumption score.Conclusion and recommendationFood consumption scores among pregnant women was found to be highly unacceptable. Residence and religion were factors associated with food consumption score. Therefore, appropriate nutrition education should be given.

Exploring Food Security and Household Dietary Diversity in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Food security is one of the most severe challenges facing the majority of African countries. The objective of this study was to explore household food dietary diversity and food security in a rural area in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. A total of 296 household heads were randomly sampled to participate in the study. The Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) and Household Food Consumption Score (HFCS) were used to identify the consumption patterns of the households and their food security status. Meanwhile, a binary model was used to identify the variables that had an impact on household food security. Findings from the Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) revealed that 61 percent of the households had lower dietary diversity and were consuming at least three food groups, which mainly include pulses, milk, and cereals. The results from the Household Food Consumption Score (HFCS), however, showed that the majority of the households had adequate levels of food consumption. The binary model revealed that age, household income, access to credit, and gender are statistically significant in influencing household food security status in the study area. It can be concluded that household dietary diversity is not guaranteed by food security, as proven by the regression model. Therefore, the government should consider the impact of low income on food security and it should intensify efforts directed at helping rural households to reduce incidences of food insecurity.

Child Dietary Diversity and Associated Factors Among Children in Somalian IDP Camps

Background: Malnutrition and food insecurity are major challenges in Somalia, particularly among small children living in internally displaced person (IDP) camps. Poor diet has been identified as a key driver of malnutrition in young children who depend for their diets on their household’s socioeconomic standing and access to food, as well as on the family’s caring and feeding practices. Objective: To assess the dietary diversity and identify the factors associated with it among children (6-23 months) in Somalian IDP camps. Methods: We used a cross-sectional survey conducted in 11 IDP camps in Somalia in June 2014 and in June 2015. A total of 3188 children aged 6 to 23 months were surveyed. Child diets were assessed using food frequency questionnaires, and dietary diversity was categorized using the minimum child dietary diversity (MDDC) indicator. Multivariable logistic regressions were used to identify the factors associated with the children’s dietary diversity. We built and compared 2 models using alternatively the household dietary diversity score (HDDS) and the food consumption score (FCS) as food security proxies. Results: Around 15% of children in IDP camps reached the minimum dietary diversity. Overall, our results confirm that not only are food security proxies the factors most associated with MDDC, but HDDS performs better than FCS. In addition, results identify that women as key decision-maker in the household, duration of household permanence in the settlement, women’s physiological status, frequency of milk feeding to child, type of toilet, and measles vaccination are positively associated with MDDC. Conclusions: To improve child dietary diversity in IDP camps, food security interventions should be broadened to include female empowerment and inclusive nutrition education (encouraging male participation) programs, as well as initiatives targeting children who do not live with pregnant or lactating women and that can support families beyond the first months after their arrival.