Salinity and food security in southwest coastal Bangladesh: impacts on household food production and strategies for adaptation

The rising salinity of land and water is an important, but understudied, climate change-sensitive trend that can exert devastating impacts on food security. This mixed methods investigation combines salinity testing with qualitative research methods to explore these impacts in one of the most salinity-affected regions in the world—the Ganges River Delta. Data collection in 2015 and 2016 undertaken in Bangladesh’s southwest coastal region and Dhaka consisted of 83 in-depth household and stakeholder interviews, six community focus groups, and salinity testing of 27 soil and 45 surface and groundwater samples. Results show that household food production is a multifaceted cornerstone of rural livelihood in the southwest coastal region, and virtually every component of it—from rice plantation and homestead gardening to livestock cultivation and aquaculture—is being negatively affected by salinity. Although households have attempted multiple strategies for adapting food production, effective adaptation remains elusive. At the community level, improved irrigation and floodplain management, as well as restrictions on saltwater aquaculture to abate salinity, are viewed as promising interventions. However, the potential of such measures remains unrealized on a broad scale, as they require a level of external resources and regulation not yet provided by the NGO and government sectors. This study elucidates issues of accessibility, equity, and governance surrounding agricultural interventions for climate change-related salinity adaptation, and its findings can help inform the community of organizations that will increasingly need to grapple with salinity in order to guarantee food security in the context of environmental change.

Well-Being and Cooking Behavior: Using the Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment (PERMA) Model as a Theoretical Framework

The prevalence of psychosocial distress is increasing in the United States. At the same time, the American default lifestyle has steadily displaced household food production with industrial food production, despite increased cultural interest in cooking. An important focus of cooking research to date has been on cooking’s association with nutrition and dietary quality. Less focus has been placed on how cooking might foster the qualities that allow for mitigation of psychosocial distress and promote well-being. Rooted in its evolutionary role in the human experience, cooking requires skills and knowledge that have the capacity to encourage aspects of well-being as described by Seligman as flourishing. Evidence for a beneficial role of cooking in psychosocial health exists, but the exploration is limited, potentially due to lack of a theoretical context to explain these benefits. From this perspective, we review the current literature showing the application of Seligman’s prominent well-being model, Positive emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment (PERMA), to cooking, defined as the activity related to the preparation of food or a meal. We propose that the PERMA model as applied to cooking may function as a theoretical framework to explore psychosocial outcomes associated with cooking. Broader application of this approach may also help to further the application of positive psychology in the developing literature around psychosocial health and nutrition-related chronic diseases.

Food security and alternative food acquisition among US low-income households: results from the National Food Acquisition and Purchasing Survey (FoodAPS)

Objective: To determine the characteristics of US low-income households that use alternative food acquisition strategies and to examine the association between food security and alternative food acquisition. Design: Cross-sectional analysis. The ten-item Adult Food Security Survey Module was used to determine food security status. Self-reported data were used to determine food acquisition from community food sources, social networks and household food production. Setting: The National Food Acquisition and Purchasing Survey (FoodAPS), 2012. Participants: The sample consisted of 2534 low-income households (≤185 % of the federal poverty line) in the USA. Results: Households using alternative food acquisition strategies were more likely to have a primary respondent who was non-Hispanic White, born in the USA, and female, and more likely to live in a rural area, have higher income and own a home than households not using alternative acquisition strategies. Very low food security was positively associated with the use of community food sources (aOR = 2·26 (95 % CI 1·15, 4·46)). There was no association between food security and food acquisition from social networks or household food production. Conclusions: Use of alternative food acquisition strategies varied by specific demographic characteristics among low-income households, suggesting opportunities for outreach and promotion of alternative acquisition strategies in specific subpopulations in the USA. Future research should examine whether quantity and quality of food received from these sources are associated with food security.

The development of small-scale freshwater aquaculture in Mozambique.

This case study is based on information collected by the author during a visit to Mozambique in November 2008 and May 2009 as part of a scoping study by INFOSA for the Mozambique Small-scale Aquaculture Development Plan. The work involved collaboration with the Institute of Aquaculture Development in Mozambique (INAQUA). INFOSA currently has training and capacity building programmes for small-scale fisheries and aquaculture in Mozambique. Although aquaculture in Mozambique is in its infancy, the cultivation of freshwater species such as tilapias has been in existence for many years. The country has over 60 major rivers in addition to lakes, dams and freshwater lagoons and is dominated by a tropical climate. Potential for mariculture along the Indian Ocean has also been investigated for many years. Small-scale freshwater aquaculture in Mozambique is dominated by many fish farmers with small ponds averaging about 200 m2 in area. Production is generally low, subsistence oriented, and integrated with some form of agriculture. During the author's visit to many parts of the country in 2008, it was noted that there is generally huge interest amongst many farmers in taking aquaculture more seriously by operating it as a small business for income generation as well as for household food production. Assistance from the government has often come in various forms, but mainly through training and extension services offered by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Institute of Aquaculture Development in Mozambique (INAQUA), which falls under the Ministry of Fisheries. A few organized fish farmers have received direct financial support for the construction and management of fish ponds from the government. Non-governmental organizations and intergovernmental organizations such as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have been of great assistance in the past. Now that the regulatory framework for the development of aquaculture in Mozambique is in place, the government, through INAQUA is concentrating much on building strategies to improve production, especially among smallholder farmers. Part of the strategy involves organizing the individually scattered farmers, by district, into clusters and then trying to create larger, central farms that will act as drivers to these smallholder farmers. In addition, the government has accelerated its efforts to lure potential investors into supporting the developing aquaculture sector. This is in line with the FAO's Special Programme for Aquaculture Development in Africa (SPADA). A number of constraints to the development of aquaculture in Mozambique have been identified; poor infrastructure, and the requirements for training and capacity building, access to finance, and research and development. Other factors include poor coordination between the institutions, market access and a lack of planning strategies.

Drivers of food choices among households in Kersa District, Eastern Ethiopia

Introduction: Most individuals in low and middle income countries do not meet nutritional requirements. This can be at least partially attributed to poor diet quality, which is impacted by both external and personal food environment factors. Personal food choice factors among socio-economically disadvantaged groups of Ethiopia are not well researched. Objective: This study aimed to assess food choice factors in eastern Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted among 1196 households in Kersa, Eastern Ethiopia with women age 18-49 years. Confirmatory factor analysis models were used to estimate factors that influence food choice. Cronbach’s alpha for internal reliability coefficients were tested. Results: A majority of respondents were employed in agricultural work and a quarter of the families were poor. Women were primarily responsible for household food procurement. Factors that play a role in food choice included food price, convenience, quality, household preference, household food production and market advertisement. Conclusion: Improving nutritional knowledge and diversifying food availability may help to improve food choices and dietary intake in this rural part of eastern Ethiopia.

Pendampingan Pengurusan Perijinan Spp-Irt Pada Ukm Candi Mas Desa Bancong, Kecamatan Wonoasri, Kabupaten Madiun

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) become one of the supporters of national economic resilience. One of the obstacles to the development of SME Candi Mas is not yet taken care of or the existence of Certificate of Household Food Production Industry (SPP-IRT). Therefore, it is necessary to assist the handling of Licensing of SPP-IRT in SME Candi Mas Bancong village, Wonoasri sub-district, Madiun district. The timing of this community service is from May to October 2017. The results are: 1) The completion of counseling and facilitation of licensing arrangement of SPP-IRT. 2) Provision of Temporary Permit on Household Food Production Certification (SPPIRT) Number: 094/2326 / 402.102 / 2017 on June 9, 2017 for Mas Candi Company, product coverage: brem products, pecel sambel, one cake, and tempe chips Madiun District Health Office on June 9, 2017. 3) The obtaining of Food Safety Counseling Certificate Number: 914/351/17 was given to Fekodin (Owner of SME Candi Mas) from Madiun District Health Office on October 31, 2017. 4) Obtaining Certificate Household Food Production (SPPIRT) Number: 2153519010914 - 22 for IRT Candi Mas from Madiun Regency Health Office, product range: brem products, pecel sambel, one cake, and tempe chips, on 31 October 2017.

Empowering Women Farmers in Tanzania Through Communication for Development

African women play a major role in the development and industrialization of the continent. They account for up to80% of household food production by smallholder farmers. In spite of their large numbers, African women generallydo not have access to agricultural production resources, such as land and credit. Their access to land is often throughtheir husbands and fathers and usually loses their property rights as a consequence of widowhood, divorce, ordesertion. This study of women farmers in Tanzania argues that farming is the main source of livelihood for womenand the key to their empowerment. The study, therefore, examines how communication or access to information, canserve as the vehicle for women farmers’ empowerment in Tanzania.

Impact of an enhanced homestead food production program on household food production and dietary intake of women aged 15-49 years and children aged 6-59 months: a pragmatic delayed cluster randomized control trial protocol

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> Undernutrition remains a public health problem in Cambodia. To address this, Helen Keller International has implemented an enhanced homestead food production (EHFP) program that provides agricultural inputs and, nutrition, hygiene, and gender empowerment training. This research evaluates the impact of EHFP on dietary intake of women and children and, household food production.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> This two-year pragmatic delayed cluster randomized controlled trial will be conducted in 600 households in Kampot, Cambodia. Half the households will be randomly assigned to the intervention group and administered the EHFP program immediately. The remaining households (control) will be delayed for one year after which they will receive EHFP. In year one in the control group and year two in the intervention group, household data on food production and income generation will be collected using monthly surveys and, dietary data will be collected using 24-hour recalls from women 15-49 years and children 6-59 months twice during the year. Primary outcomes are differences between the treatment groups in mean intake of zinc and vitamin A among women and children. Secondary outcomes are differences between the treatment groups for other key nutrients and the incremental net monetary benefit of EHFP. Additional outcomes including household food security, women’s empowerment, and hygiene practices from larger project data will also be assessed.</p><p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> The results of this trial will assess the impact of EHFP on household food production and the dietary intake of women and children.</p>