Browsing by Subject "Food security"

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Climate change, cattle herd vulnerability and food insecurity : adaptation through livestock diversification in the Borana pastoral system of Ethiopia
(2013) Megersa Bati, Bekele; Valle Zárate, Anne
Climate change is one of the dominant drivers of changing patterns in precipitation, rise in temperature and increasing frequency of extreme weather events that present a major challenge to livestock production in arid and semi-arid environments. In the Borana region of southern Ethiopia, the resulting reduction in the resilience of rangelands and heavy cattle losses associated with recurrent droughts pose serious challenges to cattle pastoralism. This study aimed at investigating regional manifestations of climate change and variability, and their impacts on cattle production and household food security, as well as the role of livestock species diversification as an adaptation strategy of Borana pastoralists in southern Ethiopia. The study involved the use of questionnaire surveys, participatory discussions and monthly meteorological data from 1970 to 2011. A total of 242 households sampled from Yabelo and Dire districts of the Borana zone were surveyed between August 2011 and December 2011. Data collection also included cattle herd histories, which were reconstructed for a period spanning five major droughts (between 1980 and 2011), and household-level livestock mortalities due to the 2010/2011 drought. With the use of 24-hour food recalls, data on individual dietary diversity were collected from 339 respondents during the beginning (September) and the end of the short rains (December). Besides descriptive analyses, a range of statistical models including general linear models, generalized linear mixed models, generalized additive models, ordered and binary logit models, and a proportional hazard regression model were applied to different data sets using SAS version 9.3. Herders? perceptions showed that rainfall has become more unpredictable with lower amounts and shorter durations, while temperature and the frequency of droughts have increased. The analysis of empirical data revealed a similar declining trend in annual precipitation and cattle holdings, while droughts became more frequent. A spectral analysis of annual rainfall series showed a quasi-periodic cycle of about 8.4 years for annual precipitation with recurring droughts every 4.2 dry years. The Borana herders suffered heavy cattle losses and experienced severe food insecurity in consequence of increased climate variability. Hence, the study showed that climate change and variability have impacts on cattle production, pointing to a critical future for the sustainability of cattle pastoralism in southern Ethiopia. Analysis of the data on food security showed a high prevalence of food insecurity (78%) and low dietary diversity, with the majority of the households (81%) merely consuming one to three food groups. A large number of the respondents consumed no fruits, vegetables (93%) and meat (96%), suggesting a high risk of micronutrient deficiencies given the declining trend in milk intake. Livestock diversification indeed significantly has improved dietary intake and household food security. Households with large herd sizes, farmland sizes and large family sizes, or households having off-farm income sources were also found to be better-off compared to their counterparts. Analysis of the data on livestock species composition showed that all of the respondents were keeping cattle, while 94%, 85% and 40% kept goats, sheep and camels, respectively. Recurrent droughts, bush encroachment and increased cattle herd vulnerability were among the major drivers of livestock diversification. Species diversity fulfilled a broad spectrum of the herders? livelihood priorities, of which milk production and cash revenues from live animal sales were of highest importance. Adaptability assessments based on a set of nine adaptive traits showed that camels had the highest adaptive capacity, followed by goats, while cattle were the least adapted species. Species vulnerability to drought also reflected the adaptability patterns with cattle being the most vulnerable to drought followed by sheep, and camels being the most tolerant species. In general, the present study showed that climate change and its variability posed a challenge to cattle production, with recurrent droughts causing enormous mortalities and worsening household food insecurity. The adaptation measure of herders through diversifying their herd composition was found to alleviate food insecurity and reduce vulnerability to the periodic climatic shocks. To further enhance herders? adaptive capacity, implementing adaptation strategies aimed at proactively reducing vulnerability to climate risks and enhancing ex-post risk management capacity are vitally important.
Combined effects of drought and soil fertility on the synthesis of vitamins in green leafy vegetables
(2023) Park, Taewan; Fischer, Sahrah; Lambert, Christine; Hilger, Thomas; Jordan, Irmgard; Cadisch, Georg
Green leafy vegetables, such as Vigna unguiculata, Brassica oleraceae, and Solanum scabrum, are important sources of vitamins A, B1, and C. Although vitamin deficiencies considerably affect human health, not much is known about the effects of changing soil and climate conditions on vegetable vitamin concentrations. The effects of high or low soil fertility and three drought intensities (75%, 50%, and 25% pot capacity) on three plant species were analysed (n = 48 pots) in a greenhouse trial. The fresh yield was reduced in all the vegetables as a result of lower soil fertility during a severe drought. The vitamin concentrations increased with increasing drought stress in some species. Regardless, the total vitamin yields showed a net decrease due to the significant biomass loss. Changes in vitamin concentrations as a result of a degrading environment and increasing climate change events are an important factor to be considered for food composition calculations and nutrient balances, particularly due to the consequences on human health, and should therefore be considered in agricultural trials.
Contribution of cattle breeds to household livelihoods and food security in southern Mali
(2017) Traoré, Sékou Amadou; Valle Zárate, Anne
In recent decades, there has been a rapid shift in livestock breeds used in developing countries. Local breeds are increasingly being replaced by exotic breeds, leading to a loss of genetic resources. The introduction of more productive but less adapted exotic livestock breeds might offer opportunities. However, it may also pose threats to the livelihoods of poor farmers. In southern Mali, where cattle play an important role in the livelihoods of rural households, the endemic trypanotolerant N’Dama cattle, are increasingly replaced and crossbred with the larger and more milk yielding trypano-susceptible Fulani Zebu. Thus, the N’Dama cattle face serious threats of genetic erosion, despite their adaptive attributes. A systematic comparison of the endemic N’Dama cattle, Fulani Zebu cattle and their crosses under the same farming conditions is required to reveal whether farmers benefit from the introduction of Fulani Zebu cattle or are negatively affected by the replacement of N’Dama purebreds. The overall objective of the study was, therefore, to evaluate and compare N’Dama cattle with Fulani Zebu and their crossbreds based on their performance and contribution to household economic benefits and food security, taking into account the production environment and farmer breeding strategies. Specific objectives were (i) to investigate the production objectives and trait and breed preferences of cattle keepers; (ii) to evaluate and compare the productive and economic performances of N’Dama cattle, Fulani Zebu cattle and their crossbreds in order to assess the comparative advantages of these breed groups for farmers; and (iii) to examine households’ food security and coping strategies, with a particular emphasis on the contribution of different cattle breeds. The study was carried out in the communes of Sibirila and Garalo, which are located in the Sikasso region of southern Mali. A stratified random sampling based on cattle and breed ownership was applied for the selection of 258 households. The 160 households with a herd were grouped into four herd categories based on breed composition. Forty-five households with only oxen and 53 without cattle represented two additional herd categories. Data collection methods encompassed household interviews, herd surveys and focus group discussions. The herd surveys were carried out for 120 households to assess individual cows’ (n=770) performances using a cow progeny history survey and body condition scoring (BCS). Food security was assessed using a household dietary diversity score (HDDS), food consumption score (FCS), and modified household food insecurity access scale (mHFIAS). Gross margin, net benefit and cost benefit ratio were calculated for the assessment of economic performance and efficiency. Besides descriptive statistics, data were analysed using an exploded logit model, mixed linear models and non-parametric tests using the Statistical Analysis System (SAS). Draught power and savings were the most important production objectives. Farmers reported a large body size as the most preferred trait, followed by fertility, draught ability and milk yield. N’Dama was valued for disease and drought tolerance and their good traction ability. Crossbreds were the favored breed group and were appreciated for milk yield and body size, similar to Fulani Zebu. Breed preferences were mainly explained by resistance to disease for N’Dama cattle and high market price for Fulani Zebu and crossbred cattle. Production objectives, trait and breed preferences were mainly influenced by farmers ethnicity and cultural background. Results on cow individual performances showed a higher body condition for N’Dama compared to crossbred and Fulani Zebu cattle. Gross margin and the benefit-cost ratio were highest in Fulani Zebu herds, followed by crossbred herds due to higher revenue generated from cattle and milk sale from these herds. The higher cash revenue for the sale of cattle in crossbred and Fulani Zebu herds was explained by the higher offtake rate in these two herd categories and a 25 and 60% higher selling price for crossbred and Fulani Zebu, respectively, than for N’Dama cattle. When non-market benefits were included, economic performances between the herd categories were similar as shown by the similar net benefit per cattle. Cattle ownership and breed group were important determinants of all household food security indicators. Households keeping Fulani Zebu and mixed herds had the highest FCS, which was mainly explained by their more frequent milk consumption compared to the other breed groups. HDDS and FCS were positively correlated with diversity of food crops cultivated on farm and household wealth and negatively correlated with cotton cultivation. Generally cattle herd ownership was strongly associated with improved household diet diversity and reduced vulnerability to food insecurity. The results of the present study showed that the ongoing replacement of native N’Dama cattle by Fulani Zebu cattle and their crosses is contributing to an improved household economic situation and food security. Fulani Zebu and crossbred cattle are the most suitable options for market-oriented local and settled transhumant farmers, given their higher price and increased profitability. The N’Dama cattle remain a valuable breed for subsistence-oriented local farmers for whom non-market benefits from cattle such as saving play a considerable role. Further research is required to investigate possible ways of optimizing and organizing the ongoing process of crossbreeding between the N’Dama and Fulani Zebu cattle, with a more systematic crossbreeding and selection program in line with the farmers’ interest.
The effect of violent conflict on calorie consumption and dietary quality in Iraq
(2024) Parigi, Marta; Parigi, Marta;
By combining 2012 Living Standard Measurement Survey cross-sectional survey responses and georeferenced conflict data, this study quantifies the effect of violent conflict on food security and dietary quality in Iraq. Specifically, it estimates the effect of physical insecurity on different food security dimensions, including caloric consumption and household dietary diversity. Because disrespecting war-related foreign national cemeteries is a war crime that discourages nearby fighting, instrumenting conflict intensity by the exogenous variation in distance between these sites and household place of residence addresses potential sources of bias. The instrumental variable analysis confirms the positive (negative) effect of conflict—deriving from state, non-state and one-sided violence (e.g., attacks by the Islamic State)—on per capita caloric consumption (household dietary diversity), which although counterintuitive is unsurprising given Iraq's relatively high-income levels and changes in dietary pattern. Given that the primary driver of conflict's positive effect on calories is increased consumption of carbohydrates and, to a lesser extent, saturated fat, these results suggest that in countries transitioning to Western-style diets, violent conflict may drive the population toward an unhealthier diet, contributing heavily to a growing national prevalence of nutrition-related non-communicable diseases.
Food and nutrition security and associated health aspects of Syrian refugee mothers and their offspring : a mixed-method study in Greater Beirut, Lebanon
(2023) Abou-Rizk, Joana; Scherbaum, Veronika
Nutrition during the first 1000 days of life – from conception to two years of age – lays the foundation for optimal health, cognitive and social development, and well-being of children and mothers. Malnutrition and hidden hunger in mothers and their offspring during the perinatal period can have long-lasting and irreversible consequences on human capital and increase the risk to non-communicable diseases among adulthood through intergenerational effects. Since the Arab Spring in 2011, the Syrian humanitarian crisis has escalated to become the world’s largest by the end of 2018, forcing 6.7 million to flee, mainly to neighboring countries. In 2015, Lebanon was the host of more than 1.5 million refugees and displaced persons from Syria, reaching the highest per capita concentration of refugees worldwide. The protracted crisis has increasingly weakened Lebanon, in turn exposing vulnerable groups, especially women of reproductive age and children below five years, to increased risks of inadequate nutrition and health status. To date, there has been a lack of studies among refugees that examine the nutritional and health situation and investigate the underlying and immediate determinants of malnutrition among women of reproductive age and children below five years. Therefore, knowledge gaps regarding the prevalence of anemia and nutritional status of Syrian refugee mothers and children were identified as important research areas in this dissertation. Assessing the food security and mental health of Syrian refugee mothers, examining the dietary intake and infant feeding practices, and investigating their respective determinants and associated risk factors were also important areas of focus. This research project was conducted between July and October 2018 in collaboration with the American University of Beirut in primary healthcare centers in the Greater Beirut area in Lebanon using quantitative and qualitative surveys (mixed-methods survey) among Syrian refugee mothers and their child aged below five years of age. This work comprises a total of three research articles that have been published in peer-reviewed international journals. The first article (Chapter 3) describes the prevalence of anemia and the nutritional status of mothers and children below five years of age and indicates a moderate public heath significance among Syrian refugees in the Greater Beirut area, Lebanon. The existence of the so-called double burden of malnutrition and hidden hunger (micronutrient deficiencies) has been documented, as mothers and children from the same household were affected by undernutrition, overnutrition, and / or anemia. A strong association between maternal and child anemia in the same household and an association between anemia and overweight / obesity among mothers has also been demonstrated. Analysis of the 24-hr dietary recalls of pregnant, lactating, non-pregnant non-lactating mothers revealed inadequate dietary intake and nutrient deficiencies during pregnancy and lactation. The second article (Chapter 4) presents data on the prevalence of food insecurity, low dietary diversity, and poor mental health among Syrian refugee mothers in Greater Beirut, Lebanon. A significant association between food insecurity and low dietary diversity as well as poor mental health status was found. Low household monthly income and a high household crowding index were significantly associated with low dietary diversity and food insecurity. In addition, the results showed that low-income households consumed monotonous diets, characterized by a high consumption of refined starchy staples and grains. The third paper (Chapter 5) focused on the nutritional and health status of infants under six months. Overall, the public heath significance for anemia and wasting was moderate. Inadequate infant feeding practices, such as the intake of pre-lacteal feeding and liquids, were demonstrated in newborns, which in turn contributed to delayed initiation of breastfeeding and low rates of exclusive breastfeeding. Factors supporting infant feeding practices included proper knowledge on maternal nutrition and exclusive breastfeeding and support from healthcare professionals or family during breastfeeding. Identified barriers included cultural practices such as the early introduction of foods, breastmilk substitutes, and giving water or herbal tea to infants under six months of age. Maternal health issues and social factors such as misinformation from family members and violations of the Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes also affected breastfeeding. A conceptual framework was also developed in this dissertation to provide a comprehensive understanding of the linkages and pathways between the enabling, underlying, and immediate determinants and the nutritional and health outcomes in the context of humanitarian crises. Based on this conceptual framework, three principal pathways were identified to explain the following associations: (1) from the enabling determinants to anemia and nutritional status, (2) from socio-economic status and host country resources to food consumption and diets, and (3) from pre-resettlement experiences and dietary acculturation to food consumption and diets. In addition, the concluding discussion (Chapter 6) presented the role of maternal mental health status and health services and their impact on maternal nutrition and anemia status as well as infant feeding. In summary, this dissertation contributes to the knowledge about the anemia and nutritional status of Syrian refugee women and children as well as on the food security and mental health status of mothers living in an urban setting of a protracted humanitarian crisis in Lebanon. It also provides insights into the emergence of malnutrition among women and children in the context of refugees and shows the pathways between different levels of determinants of nutrition and health. Implications for practice can be drawn from this dissertation, such as the development or strengthening of evidence-based culture-specific nutritional interventions that are targeted to the refugee context. Priorities for future research were also identified, including the need to improve the effectiveness of nutritional interventions in conflict settings.
Health enhancing traditional foods in Brazil : an interdisciplinary approach to food and nutritional security
(2012) Abadio Finco, Fernanda; Graeve, Lutz
The Brazilian nutritional profile is currently characterized by the so-called "nutrition transition process" i.e. the population presents nutritional status characteristics of both developing and developed countries. Therefore, malnutrition is present not only in the form of undernutrition but increasingly also presents as overweight and obesity. Some studies suggest that this is not only a particular problem of urban societies but also of rural communities. Recently, Brazil has impressively advanced on issues which address nutrition, agriculture and health within a sustainable framework. One of the recent initiatives encompasses the Brazilian Food and Nutrition Security Policy, which could be considered as the vanguard of this theme by covering different dimensions of nutritional issues, as defined hereunder: ?Food and Nutrition Security is the achievement of the right of all people to access food regularly and permanently, with quality and enough quantity, without compromising the access to other basic needs, based on food practices to promote health, with respect to cultural differences and being social, economic and environmentally sustainable?. Since the Brazilian Food and Nutritional Policy is characterized by a broad view on food and nutrition, different components related to food and nutrition have to be considered. Therefore, the health side of the food, in a pluralistic vision has to be taken into account. Thus, food and their consumers are unavoidably connected. Beyond classical nutrients, much attention has recently been focused on bioactive compounds and their preventive role on non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Therefore researchers are increasingly interested to unfold the preventive biochemical processes of these compounds. Hence, the current research aimed to investigate health enhancing properties of traditional Brazilian fruits within the Food and Nutrition Security definition of the country. Given the interdisciplinary feature of the topic Food and Nutrition Security, the work was performed in two stages. The first one encompasses a nutritional survey with two rural communities in APA ? Cantão, Tocantins State, Brazil and the second part comprises experimental laboratory research. The outcome from the nutrition survey showed a high level of food insecurity among the families (84.2%). The nutritional profile of the study population expressed a high prevalence of overweight for the adults (53.7%). Regression analysis showed that the high Body Mass Index (BMI) is influenced by the consumption of an imbalanced diet and the physical activity level. Furthermore, women had a higher prevalence of overweight and obesity in comparison to men. Another observation is that rural communities have a monotonous diet with very low consumption of fruits and vegetables. Besides the negative effect on their body composition, this last result points to the risk of developing micronutrient deficiencies, i.e. hidden hunger. Based on the outcome and the demand presented by the participants in the nutrition survey, two fruits available in the region were chosen to investigate their possible biofunctional properties. Different assays were performed with Bacaba (Oenocarpus bacaba Mart.) and Jenipapo (Genipa americana L.) phenolic extracts. Extracts from both fruits showed antioxidant and antiproliferative capacities. Since bacaba displayed higher activities than Jenipapo, this fruit was chosen for a more detailed investigation of the biochemical mechanisms involved. The results showed that bacaba phenolic extracts induced apoptosis in MCF-7 breast cancer cells through the mitochondrial pathway. Caspase-6, -8 and -9 were activated when compared to the untreated control in a dose dependent manner (p<.05). However, caspase-9 showed the highest activation. Since MCF-7 cells do not express caspase-3 and based on additional investigations on PARP (Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase) - cleavage, the experiments suggest that caspase-9 plays an important role in the observed apoptotic effect. The laboratory work thus emphasizes the potential healthy properties of traditional fruits from the Brazilian biodiversity with high antioxidant activities. Altogether, the results indicate the need of a better nutritional education with the involved communities in order to promote healthy eating practices and to increase the consumption of fruit and vegetables. Based on this, it is suggested for government and policy makers to take action in rural communities. Indeed, it is undeniable that the biodiversity available in Brazil is a huge treasure and source of novel ?superfruits?. Therefore, the current work reinforces the development of research in this area in order of identify health enhancing neglected traditional fruits and to promote their consumption, add value and generate income to small farmers and traditional communities with not only the improvement of their economic power, but also of their diets and health respecting their tradition and culture. Not to mention the contribution to biodiversity preservation since plants that were merely discarded could now have a multifactor value in line with the Brazilian Food and Nutritional Security policy.
Long-term trends in yield variance of temperate managed grassland
(2023) Macholdt, Janna; Hadasch, Steffen; Macdonald, Andrew; Perryman, Sarah; Piepho, Hans-Peter; Scott, Tony; Styczen, Merete Elisabeth; Storkey, Jonathan; Macholdt, Janna; Professorship of Agronomy, Institute of Agriculture and Nutritional Sciences, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany; Hadasch, Steffen; Biostatistics Unit, Institute of Crop Science, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany; Macdonald, Andrew; Protecting Crops and Environment, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, UK; Perryman, Sarah; Computational and Analytical Sciences Department, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, UK; Piepho, Hans-Peter; Biostatistics Unit, Institute of Crop Science, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany; Scott, Tony; Protecting Crops and Environment, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, UK; Styczen, Merete Elisabeth; Section of Environmental Chemistry and Physics, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Storkey, Jonathan; Protecting Crops and Environment, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, UK
The management of climate-resilient grassland systems is important for stable livestock fodder production. In the face of climate change, maintaining productivity while minimizing yield variance of grassland systems is increasingly challenging. To achieve climate-resilient and stable productivity of grasslands, a better understanding of the climatic drivers of long-term trends in yield variance and its dependence on agronomic inputs is required. Based on the Park Grass Experiment at Rothamsted (UK), we report for the first time the long-term trends in yield variance of grassland (1965–2018) in plots given different fertilizer and lime applications, with contrasting productivity and plant species diversity. We implemented a statistical model that allowed yield variance to be determined independently of yield level. Environmental abiotic covariates were included in a novel criss-cross regression approach to determine climatic drivers of yield variance and its dependence on agronomic management. Our findings highlight that sufficient liming and moderate fertilization can reduce yield variance while maintaining productivity and limiting loss of plant species diversity. Plots receiving the highest rate of nitrogen fertilizer or farmyard manure had the highest yield but were also more responsive to environmental variability and had less plant species diversity. We identified the days of water stress from March to October and temperature from July to August as the two main climatic drivers, explaining approximately one-third of the observed yield variance. These drivers helped explain consistent unimodal trends in yield variance—with a peak in approximately 1995, after which variance declined. Here, for the first time, we provide a novel statistical framework and a unique long-term dataset for understanding the trends in yield variance of managed grassland. The application of the criss-cross regression approach in other long-term agro-ecological trials could help identify climatic drivers of production risk and to derive agronomic strategies for improving the climate resilience of cropping systems.
Maternal psychosocial stressors, depression and its implications on maternal and infant nutrition : a longitudinal birth cohort study in South West Ethiopia
(2022) Woldetensay, Yitbarek Kidane; Scherbaum, Veronika
This thesis draws on theoretical background and a conceptual model of how selected psychosocial stressors (household food insecurity and intimate partner violence) and coping strategies (maternal social support) are linked to psychological distress (maternal depression) which can influence the nutritional status of mothers and infants. The scientific contribution of this work is threefold. First, it adds to the existing literature on the links between psychosocial stressors, social support and depression, by showing the degree to which household food insecurity and intimate partner violence during pregnancy are associated with the risk of antenatal depressive symptoms, and whether maternal social support plays a buffering role in this process. Second, it describes the longitudinal relationship of prenatal and postnatal depressive symptoms with infant feeding practices. Finally, this work contributes to the literature on depression by validating one of the most commonly applied depression measurement tools, the patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9), in a new culture and language. This thesis includes three research articles; two were published in peer-reviewed journals and the third manuscript is currently under peer review. The first article is a validation study of the depressive symptoms measurement tool in a new culture and language in a rural setting. The other two papers are based on ENGINE birth cohort data, a prospective community-based birth cohort study conducted by Tufts University in collaboration with Jimma and Hawassa Universities and the Ethiopian Public Health Institute in the southwest part of Ethiopia. The first article validated an Afaan Oromo language version of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). PHQ-9 is one of the most commonly used depressive symptoms measurement scales. Few validation studies have been conducted in sub-Saharan Africa for scales seeking to detect depression in pregnant women and to the author’s knowledge this is the first validation of the PHQ-9 in this language. The main finding of the first paper was that the PHQ-9 scale has acceptable reliability and validity as a screening instrument for depressive symptoms among Afaan Oromo speaking Ethiopian pregnant women. The PHQ-9 score of eight or above was found to be an optimal cut-off point to diagnose prenatal depressive symptoms with a sensitivity and specificity of 80.8% and 79.5% respectively. The second article tested hypotheses derived from Lazarus and Folkman’s stress and coping theory. This theory provides a basis for understanding the impacts of psychosocial stressors on the development and prognosis of depression and the buffering effect of coping mechanisms. The hypotheses are as follows: increased psychosocial stressors, specifically intimate partner violence and household food insecurity during pregnancy, lead to higher prenatal depressive symptoms, and strong social support from friends,families and partners have a buffering effect. The present results supported these hypotheses by demonstrating that both household food insecurity and intimate partner violence were positively associated with prenatal depressive symptoms. Simultaneously, strong social support from friends, families and partners was negatively associated with prenatal depressive symptoms. The second article tested another hypothesis that the risk of prenatal depression is higher in anemic pregnant women. The current study supported this hypothesis by demonstrating that anemic pregnant women experienced a higher risk of prenatal depressive symptoms than their non-anemic counterparts. The second paper also investigated the degree to which socio-demographic factors such as age, marital status, educational status, and family size predicted the risk for prenatal depression among pregnant women. The results suggested that unmarried pregnant women and women living in households with large family size were at higher risk of prenatal depressive symptoms. The third paper tested one hypothesis that infants born to mothers with maternal depressive symptoms (prenatal and postnatal) are more likely to have poor infant feeding practices than their counterparts. The present study findings supported this hypothesis by showing that immediate postnatal depressive symptoms are negatively associated with infant feeding practices. However, there was no association between prenatal depressive symptoms and infant feeding practices. The results also showed that intimate partner violence was negatively associated with infant feeding practices. In this study, strong maternal social support and active social participation were positive predictors of infant feeding practices. Contrary to expectations, the present study also found that household food insecurity and infant morbidity episodes were positively associated with infant feeding practices. Finally, the third article’s findings suggested that maternal educational status was positively associated with infant feeding practices and preterm babies were at higher risk of poor infant feeding practices. Infant gender did not affect infant feeding practices in this study. Overall, this PhD thesis provided support for Lazarus and Folkman’s stress and coping theory by demonstrating that psychosocial stressors were positively associated with prenatal depressive symptoms and perceived maternal social support was negatively associated with prenatal depressive symptoms. The thesis also found that anemia during pregnancy is a predictor of prenatal depressive symptoms. Additionally, early postnatal depression and intimate partner violence negatively affect infant feeding practices, whereas perceived maternal social support and active social participation predict appropriate infant feeding practices. The study has a number of implications for practice and future research including prioritization of early screening for maternal depressive symptoms and intimate partnerviolence, and promotion of social support and active social participation as a means of preventing maternal depression and improving maternal and infant nutritional status.
Modeling the influence of coastal vegetation on the 2004 tsunami wave impact
(2014) Laso Bayas, Juan Carlos; Cadisch, Georg
A tsunami causes several effects once it reaches inland. Infrastructure damage and casualties are two of its most severe consequences being mostly determined by seaquake intensity and offshore properties. Nevertheless, once on land, the energy of the wave is attenuated by gravity (elevation) and friction (land cover). Despite being promoted as ‘bio-shields’ against wave impact, proposed tree-belt effects lacked quantitative evidence of their performance in such extreme events, and have been criticized for creating a false sense of security. The current study analyzed some of the land uses in sites affected by the 2004 tsunami event, especially in coastal areas close to the coast of Indonesia, more specifically on the west coast of Aceh, Sumatra as well as on the Seychelles. Using transects perpendicular to the coast, the influence of coastal vegetation on the impact of the 2004 tsunami, particularly cultivated trees, was modeled. A spatial statistical model using a land cover roughness coefficient to account for the resistance offered by different land uses to the wave advance was developed. The coefficient was built using land cover maps, land use characteristics (stem diameter, height, and planting density), as well as a literature review. The spatial generalized linear mixed models used showed that while distance to coast was the dominant determinant of impact (casualties and infrastructure damage), the existing coastal vegetation in front of settlements also significantly reduced casualties, in the case of Aceh, by an average of 5%. Despite this positive effect of coastal vegetation in front of a settlement, it was also found that dense vegetation behind villages endangered human lives and increased structural damage in the same case, most likely due to debris carried by the backwash. The models initially developed in Aceh were adapted and tested for the effects that the same tsunami event caused in the Seychelles, where the intensity of the event was a tenth of that in Aceh. These new models suggested no direct effect of coastal vegetation, but they indicated that vegetation maintained dunes decreased the probability of structural damage. Additionally, using satellite imagery with higher resolution than that of the first study and/or from different years before the tsunami, corresponding land roughness coefficients were developed and tested with the existing models. The new models showed no signs of further increase of goodness of fit (AIC). Nevertheless, weather conditions at the acquisition dates as well as coverage and lack of image availability diminished the predictive power of these models. Overall, more than advocating for or against tree belts, a sustainable and effective coastal risk management should be promoted. This planning should acknowledge the location (relative to the sea) of settlements as the most important factor for future coastal arrangements. Nevertheless, it should also consider the possible direct and indirect roles of coastal vegetation, determined by its spatial arrangement as shown in the study models. Sustainability of these measures would only occur when coastal vegetation is regarded as a livelihood provider rather than just as a bio-shield. Practical examples could include, e.g. rubber plantations or home gardens in front of settlements, while leaving escape routes or grasslands and coconut plantations behind these. Therefore, the enforcement of educational programs, the setup and maintenance of effective warning systems and the adequate spatial allocation of coastal vegetation bringing tangible short and mid term benefits for local communities, as well as its adaption to local customs should be considered.
Occurrence of mycotoxins in pulses
(2022) Acuña‐Gutiérrez, Catalina; Jiménez, Víctor M.; Müller, Joachim
Pulses, dry grains of the Fabaceae family used for food and feed, are particularly important agricultural products with increasing commercial and nutritional relevance. Similar to other plant commodities, pulses can be affected by fungi in the field and during postharvest. Some of these fungi produce mycotoxins, which can seriously threaten human and animal health by causing acute poisoning and chronic effects. In this review, information referring to the analysis and occurrence of these compounds in pulses is summarized. An overview of the aims pursued, and of the methodologies employed for mycotoxin analysis in the different reports is presented, followed by a comprehensive review of relevant articles on mycotoxins in pulses, categorized according to the geographical region, among other considerations. Moreover, special attention was given to the effect of climatic conditions on microorganism infestation and mycotoxin accumulation. Furthermore, the limited literature available was considered to look for possible correlations between the degree of fungal infection and the mycotoxin incidence in pulses. In addition, the potential effect of certain phenolic compounds on reducing fungi infestation and mycotoxin accumulation was reviewed with examples on beans. Emphasis was also given to a specific group of mycotoxins, the phomopsins, that mainly impact lupin. Finally, the negative consequences of mycotoxin accumulation on the physiology and development of contaminated seeds and seedlings are presented, focusing on the few reports available on pulses. Given the agricultural and nutritional potential that pulses offer for human well-being, their promotion should be accompanied by attention to food safety issues, and mycotoxins might be among the most serious threats.
Off-farm income diversification among rural households in Nigeria : impact on income, food security and nutrition
(2009) Babatunde, Raphael O.; Qaim, Martin
The promotion of off-farm activities and income diversification in order to provide alternative income earning opportunities for rural households in developing countries has received increased policy attention recently. The growing importance of off-farm activities has also led to rising interest in analyzing the wider implications for household livelihoods and rural development, especially in Africa. In this dissertation, the impact of off-farm income diversification on income, food security and nutrition is analyzed in rural Nigeria. This is done within the scope of three research articles. The analyses build on a survey of 220 farm households, which was carried out in Kwara State, north-central Nigeria, in 2006. The first article is entitled ?The role of off-farm income in rural Nigeria: Driving forces and household access?. Off-farm employment is disaggregated into different segments to take account of heterogeneity in the rural labor market. Various econometric techniques are used to model the determinants of household participation in and income from different economic activities. Furthermore, the contribution of the individual income sources to overall income inequality is examined using the Gini decomposition method. Results indicate that almost 90% of the households sampled have at least some off-farm income; on average, off-farm income accounts for 50% of total household income. Sixty-five percent of the households are involved in some type of off-farm employment ? 44% in agricultural wage employment, 40% in non-agricultural wage employment, and 50% in self-employed non-farm activities. In fact, self-employed activities are the dominant source of off-farm income, accounting for almost one-fourth of overall household income. The share of off-farm income is positively correlated with overall income, indicating that the relatively richer households benefit much more from the off-farm sector. Strikingly, the share of off-farm income also increases with farm size, suggesting that there are important complementarities between farm and off-farm income. The econometric analysis shows that households with little productive assets and those who are disadvantaged in terms of education and infrastructure are constrained in their ability to participate in more lucrative off-farm activities. Accordingly, off-farm income tends to increases income inequality. The analysis counters the widespread notion that shrinking per capita land availability is always the main driving force for the growing importance of off-farm activities. It shows that financial capital rather than land is the scarcest factor for farm households in the study region, so that cash income from off-farm activities can also help to expand farm production. Entry barriers to off-farm activities for poor households need to be overcome to promote equitable rural development. In the second article, entitled ?Impact of off-farm income on food security and nutrition in Nigeria?, 7-day food expenditure and anthropometric data are used to analyze the effects of off-farm income on household calorie consumption, dietary quality, micronutrient supply and child nutritional status. Descriptive analysis indicates that engagement in off-farm activities is associated with higher calorie consumption and a reduced prevalence of undernourishment. Dietary quality, measured by the calorie supply that comes from fruits, vegetables and animal products, is also higher among households with off-farm income. Similarly, households with off-farm income enjoy a higher supply of micronutrients, particularly iron and vitamin A. Child nutritional status, indicated by the average Z-scores for height-for-age, weight-for-age, and weight-for-height of children aged 0 to 5 years, is also better in households with off-farm income. Employing instrumental variable approaches, econometric analyses confirms that the net effect of off-farm income on household food security and nutrition is positive and in the same magnitude as the effect of farm income. This is an interesting result, because it is often believed that farm income is more important than off-farm income for food security and dietary quality in rural areas. Accordingly, improving poor households? access to the off-farm sector can contribute to reducing problems of rural malnutrition. In the third article, entitled ?Patterns of income diversification in rural Nigeria: Determinants and impacts?, descriptive analysis is used to examine income diversification patterns among households, disaggregated by income classes and livelihood strategies. Econometric models, focusing on three measures of income diversification ? the number of income sources, the share of off-farm income in total income and the Herfindahl diversification index ? are also estimated. The impact of diversification on total household income is analyzed using an instrumental variable approach. The results indicate that rural households in Nigeria have indeed a diversified income base, with 93% having at least two sources of income. Interestingly, richer households tend to be more diversified than poorer ones, and income diversification leads to net increases in total household income. Yet, the regression models also show that households have unequal abilities to diversify their income sources. Education, asset endowment, access to credit and good infrastructure conditions increase the levels of household diversification. These factors improve the opportunities to start own businesses and find employment in the higher-paying non-farm sector. In other words, resource-poor households in remoter areas are more constrained in diversifying their income sources. What are the broader policy implications? Enhancing poor households? access to off-farm activities is important to support equitable rural development, since farming alone often cannot sustain a sufficient livelihood. In the Nigerian context ? as in many other parts of SSA ? this requires improvements in the physical infrastructure, including roads, electricity, water, and telecommunication, but also improvements in rural education and financial markets. But up to what level is income diversification desirable? According to economic theory, specialization allows exploitation of comparative advantages and economies of scale, resulting in higher profits and household incomes. Hence, when markets function properly, diversification is associated with foregone benefits. When there is risk involved and formal insurance markets fail, these foregone benefits can be considered as an informal insurance fee that poor households in particular are willing to pay. But the fact that richer households are more diversified in rural Nigeria suggests that there are other mechanisms at work, too. An important motive for richer households to have highly diversified income sources instead of specializing more is that there are limited opportunities to expand single economic activities. This is mainly due to markets that are small and poorly integrated in rural Nigeria, which again is largely a function of infrastructure weaknesses. Better roads, for instance, would enable villagers to commute to the next bigger town, where they might find more stable employment. Better roads and information networks would also improve marketing opportunities for food and non-food products originating from household self-employed activities. Therefore, income diversification should not be considered as a policy objective per se. Rather, it has to be understood as a household response to various market imperfections. Hence, the policy objective should be to reduce these imperfections and make markets work better. While this would facilitate income diversification among the poorest, it would probably promote a higher degree of specialization among relatively richer households.
Perennial biomass cropping and use: Shaping the policy ecosystem in European countries
(2023) Clifton‐Brown, John; Hastings, Astley; von Cossel, Moritz; Murphy‐Bokern, Donal; McCalmont, Jon; Whitaker, Jeanette; Alexopoulou, Efi; Amaducci, Stefano; Andronic, Larisa; Ashman, Christopher; Awty‐Carroll, Danny; Bhatia, Rakesh; Breuer, Lutz; Cosentino, Salvatore; Cracroft‐Eley, William; Donnison, Iain; Elbersen, Berien; Ferrarini, Andrea; Ford, Judith; Greef, Jörg; Ingram, Julie; Lewandowski, Iris; Magenau, Elena; Mos, Michal; Petrick, Martin; Pogrzeba, Marta; Robson, Paul; Rowe, Rebecca L.; Sandu, Anatolii; Schwarz, Kai‐Uwe; Scordia, Danilo; Scurlock, Jonathan; Shepherd, Anita; Thornton, Judith; Trindade, Luisa M.; Vetter, Sylvia; Wagner, Moritz; Wu, Pei‐Chen; Yamada, Toshihiko; Kiesel, Andreas
Demand for sustainably produced biomass is expected to increase with the need to provide renewable commodities, improve resource security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with COP26 commitments. Studies have demonstrated additional environmental benefits of using perennial biomass crops (PBCs), when produced appropriately, as a feedstock for the growing bioeconomy, including utilisation for bioenergy (with or without carbon capture and storage). PBCs can potentially contribute to Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) (2023–27) objectives provided they are carefully integrated into farming systems and landscapes. Despite significant research and development (R&D) investment over decades in herbaceous and coppiced woody PBCs, deployment has largely stagnated due to social, economic and policy uncertainties. This paper identifies the challenges in creating policies that are acceptable to all actors. Development will need to be informed by measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) of greenhouse gas emissions reductions and other environmental, economic and social metrics. It discusses interlinked issues that must be considered in the expansion of PBC production: (i) available land; (ii) yield potential; (iii) integration into farming systems; (iv) R&D requirements; (v) utilisation options; and (vi) market systems and the socio‐economic environment. It makes policy recommendations that would enable greater PBC deployment: (1) incentivise farmers and land managers through specific policy measures, including carbon pricing, to allocate their less productive and less profitable land for uses which deliver demonstrable greenhouse gas reductions; (2) enable greenhouse gas mitigation markets to develop and offer secure contracts for commercial developers of verifiable low‐carbon bioenergy and bioproducts; (3) support innovation in biomass utilisation value chains; and (4) continue long‐term, strategic R&D and education for positive environmental, economic and social sustainability impacts.
Rights-based approaches and social capital in addressing food and nutrition security of the poor and women : a mixed-methods study of NGOs in Armenia and Georgia
(2015) Jenderedjian, Anna; Bellows, Anne
The role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for the improvement of women’s and the poor’s food and nutrition security and advancement of their human rights is gaining prominence in academic and public discourse. NGOs as civil society actors ideally should advocate for greater accountability of states’ food and nutrition-related security programs and policies, support grass-roots efforts for democratized and improved food systems, and represent and protect the most food insecure groups. NGOs, nevertheless, have been criticized for creating dependency among the most food insecure, offering donor-driven top-down solutions and discouraging social mobilization efforts among the most disadvantaged and discriminated against groups. In this study we asked what encourages or prevents NGOs’ engagement with the most marginalized and discriminated against groups, such as women and the poor, and what are the approaches NGOs use in addressing these groups’ food and nutrition security. Applying a mixed quantitative and qualitative comparative analysis, this dissertation focused on NGOs in two post-Soviet countries: Armenia and Georgia. This study has produced three main sets of findings. First, possible determinants for NGOs’: involvement in food-oriented work; adoption of human rights-based approaches, including the right to adequate food; and gender mainstreaming were studied using results from an on-line electronic survey of 228 NGOs in Armenia and Georgia. The adoption of development and human rights concepts by national NGOs was associated with their involvement in networks with transnational donors or civil society organizations. NGO involvement was not determined by public demand alone, but rather as a compromise between various factors, including but not limited to the availability and support of donor funding and the organization’s involvement in a relevant transnational network. These findings confirm and reinforce previous studies on vertical discursive flows from transnational actors to national NGOs. Organizations’ self-reported engagement with the right to adequate food was rare in both countries, implying both absent or weak ties with transnational actors propagating the right to adequate food on the one hand, and on the other hand to low priority paid to the right to adequate food by the food security oriented international organizations cooperating with NGOs in the South Caucasus. Second, a qualitative study of 57 local and international NGOs in Armenia and Georgia explored operational and institutional characteristics of NGOs involved in food and nutrition security. The research found that NGOs’ preferences in building networks and targeting specific groups were determined mainly by the identities of organization core members, most specifically by their gender and their social and economic status. National and international NGOs operating in Armenia and Georgia with male leadership pursued the collective organization of economically better-off male farmers and entrepreneurs, whereas female-led NGOs targeted better educated rural women. The overarching objective of male-led NGO interventions was improved economic gain, whereas female-led NGOs aimed to improve community-wellbeing through promotion of social justice and charity. The study reconfirmed existing concerns that women’s leadership, involvement, and participation is hampered in male-dominated groups. In addition to gender-based segregation, the extremely poor were represented neither by male or female NGO members, nor were they included in NGO attempts to encourage group formation or social mobilization. The findings support Bourdieu’s argument that social capital accumulation is determined by social and economic proximities. Lastly, the case study of a female-led NGO working with internally displaced rural women in Georgia demonstrated how the improvement of women’s food and nutrition status was achievable when social isolation and structural discrimination in public and private spaces were acknowledged and addressed. Supporting bottom-up livelihood strengthening initiatives and addressing violence contributed to internally displaced rural women’s potential to realize the right to adequate food. The dissertation findings represent an advance in the understanding of the role of national and international civil society actors in improving food and nutrition security of the most marginalized and discriminated groups. The study enriches the limited but growing research on rights-based approaches in development as an alternative to technocratic solutions. The dissertation contributes to the research in international development, agriculture and rural development, and broader social theory.
Social-ecologically more sustainable agricultural production
(2023) von Cossel, Moritz; Castro-Montoya, Joaquín; Iqbal, Yasir
Strategies to promote sustainable development: The gendered importance of addressing diminishing African Locust Bean (Parkia biglobosa) resources in northern Ghana’s agro-ecological landscape
(2022) Lelea, Margareta Amy; Konlan, Lydia Madintin; Ziblila, Rashida Chantima; Thiele, Lara Elena; Amo-Aidoo, Araba; Kaufmann, Brigitte
As the topic of gender and forests gains international attention through programs related to addressing the Sustainable Development Goals, we focus on a case study of the African Locust Bean (Parkia biglobosa) in the savannah landscape of northern Ghana. Although this tree holds high cultural significance for Dagomba women, it is unfortunately becoming scarcer in our study area near Tamale. We investigate the reasons for this decline in relation to the agricultural, ecological, and cultural landscape and discuss the gendered impacts of these changes. Research in these communities was conducted between 2018 and 2021 as part of a transdisciplinary action research approach to process underutilized species with women’s groups. The research started with a survey that included 27 women’s groups in 13 communities with 524 women participants. Out of a selected number of groups, our research team has worked more intensively with three women’s groups near Nyankpala, which selected for their processing focus the African Locust Bean, locally known as dawadawa. More than 45 group sessions were organized with seven groups in a collaborative learning process in 2019. Additionally, the three groups in Kpachi who chose to process the African Locust Bean sustained facilitation of group activities until the end of 2021. Specifically, on the topic of the decline of this tree, 19 semistructured interviews were conducted in August 2020 with 8 female farmers, 7 male farmers and 4 chiefs in the local governance system. Our results show the cultural significance of the African Locust Bean for women in the Dagomba culture as well as practical uses of all parts of the tree. Specifically, the seeds are used for making a fermented condiment and tea. Although seeds of the African Locust Bean are considered a women’s crop, their access to this tree is mediated by the local chiefs and often male land-users. Most farmers interviewed reported a reduction in trees in their fields. The reasons for the decrease can be summarized in six different categories, (1) aging tree populations, (2) challenge caring for saplings until maturity, (3) agricultural changes with increased mechanization and pesticide use, (4) over-use as a firewood resource, (5) usufruct rights between traditional chiefs, male land-owners, and women who should be granted access to the trees according to Dagomba cultural values, and (6) reduced water availability inhibits seed yield. In conclusion, there is an urgent need for action to protect and restore the African Locust Bean within northern Ghana’s savannah landscape to ensure continued access and benefits of the tree to women in the region.
The impact of agricultural innovations on poverty, vulnerability and resilience to food insecurity of smallholders in Ethiopia
(2022) Biru, Wubneshe Dessalegn; Zeller, Manfred
Ethiopia has adopted agriculture centered growth strategies over the last three decades that give more emphasis on improving agricultural production and productivity with the ultimate goal to transform the country’s economy. The strategies have mainly aimed at improving smallholder agriculture through introducing improved technologies intended to boost agricultural production and thus alleviate poverty and food insecurity. Although agriculture centered growth strategies contributed to sustained growth in the country over the last two decades, the benefits of growth have not been evenly distributed with observed rising income inequality and a still significant proportion of smallholders remaining under the poverty line. Similarly, despite considerable yield progress over the last three decades due to the introduction of improved inputs Ethiopian farmers’ yield gap compared with other developing countries is quite high. Moreover, the frequent occurrences of shocks such as drought and flooding adversely affect smallholders substantially and thereby exacerbate the existing poverty and food insecurity problems in the country. This thesis applied different econometric techniques to analyze the impact of the adoption of multiple agricultural technologies on crop yield, poverty, vulnerability, and resilience to food insecurity in Ethiopia. The study uses four rounds of household level panel data collected between 2012 and 2019 to assess the link between the adoption of the different combinations of five productivity-enhancing technologies: chemical fertilizer, improved seed, pesticide, and soil and water conservation practices: terracing and contour ploughing on consumption, poverty, vulnerability, and yields of smallholders. To solve the endogeneity problem in the regression models, we applied two-stage multinomial endogenous switching regression model combined with the Mundlak approach. Additionally, the thesis examines the role of the adoption of chemical fertilizer and improved seeds on household resilience to food insecurity amid the occurrence of adverse shocks. The findings are presented in three chapters of the cumulative thesis (Chapters two to four). Chapter two analyses the effect of productivity enhancing technologies and soil and water conservation measures and their possible combinations on consumption, poverty, and vulnerability to poverty. Per capita consumption expenditure for food and other essential non-food items, such as clothing and footwear, is used as a proxy variable to measure poverty. Using the national poverty line in 2011 prices, sample households are grouped into poor and non-poor households and the movement of sample households in and out of poverty between 2012 and 2016 is analyzed using a poverty transition matrix. By employing the ordered logit model, the study additionally examined the dynamics of poverty and vulnerability as well as their drivers. The results show that the adoption of the different combinations of agricultural technology sets including single technology adoption has considerable impacts on consumption expenditure and the greatest impact is attained when farmers combine multiple complementary inputs. Similarly, we find that the likelihood of households remaining poor or vulnerable decreased with adoption. In addition, the study revealed that poorer households are the least adopters of the technology combinations considered in the study, thereby being the least to benefit from adoption. We, therefore, conclude that the adoption of multiple complementary technologies has substantial dynamic benefits that improve the poverty and vulnerability status of households, and given the observed low level of adoption rates, we suggest that much more intervention is warranted, with a special focus on poorer and vulnerable households, to ensure smallholders get support to improve their input use. Chapter three assesses the impacts of multiple technology adoption on the yield of Ethiopia’s four staple crops, namely teff, wheat, maize and barley. Regarding the empirical estimation, we specified yield equations for each of the four crops and five to six possible input combinations that are included in the analysis indicating the presence of slope effect of technology choice other than the intercept of the outcome equations. The findings suggest that the application of two or more complementary inputs is considerably linked with higher maize, teff, barley, and wheat yield. Specifically, barley yield is highest for farmers who have adopted a combination of at least three of the technologies. Maize producers are the largest beneficiaries of the technologies. The impact of the technology choice sets tends to have an inconclusive effect on wheat and teff yields. However, a significant yield gap in all of the four crops was observed. Socio-economic characteristics of the household head such as age and gender as well as the household’s access to infrastructure and spatial characteristics of the household are other important determinants of crop yield. The implications are that more publicly funded efforts could be worthwhile for easing adoption constraints, which would in turn help smallholders to increase their crop yields that indirectly improve their livelihood. Chapter four aims to identify the determinants of household resilience to food insecurity which is the household’s ability to absorb or cope with the negative effects of shocks and bounce back to at least their initial livelihood status and assess its role on future household food security when hit by adverse shocks. Furthermore, the study analyzes the role of single or joint adoption of chemical fertilizer and improved seed on household food security. The household food security indicators used in the analysis are dietary diversity and per capita food consumption and uses data from the last three waves out of our four survey rounds. In terms of empirical estimation, the household resilience capacity index is estimated by combining factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Then different regression models are executed to assess the causal link between technology adoption and resilience capacity and household food security indicators in the face of adverse shocks. Our findings reveal that the most important pillars contributing to the building of household resilience capacity are assets followed by access to basic services. We find that the initial level of the household resilience score is significantly and positively associated with future household food security status. Moreover, the results reveal that the adoption of chemical fertilizer and improved seed is significantly and positively associated with household resilience capacity index, dietary diversity, and food consumption over time. Shocks such as drought appear to be significant contributors to the loss of household food security. Overall, it is revealed that the adoption of improved inputs significantly and positively increases household food security. However, the results show no evidence that supports the current level of adoption that helps households to shield themselves from the adverse effects of shocks. Finally, this study gives insights on examining the impacts and impact pathways of adoption of improved technologies on smallholder welfare which guide decision-makers for intervention as well as pave a way for future research that contributes to the fight against rural poverty and food insecurity. This thesis also concludes that public intervention in terms of investment in providing improved agricultural practices is crucial in improving rural livelihood, but it has to be inclusive and provide opportunities for the poor and vulnerable.
The impacts of conflict and climate change on food security and nutrition in Chad
(2023) Bachofer, Robert Paul; Sousa-Poza, Alfonso
This dissertation aims at providing an overview of how armed conflict and climate impact food security and nutrition in the African country of Chad. It analyzes the impacts of the Boko Haram insurgency on food security and nutrition, and those of annually recurrent droughts on households’ coping strategies. Placing the Republic of Chad in the context of the administrative regions of surrounding countries, where Boko Haram and its splinter groups operated at the time of their greatest territorial expansion (Extreme Nord in Cameroon, Lac in Chad, and Diffa in Niger, as well as the Nigerian states of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa), it covers the timeframe from late 2009 to 2016. On the qualitative side, a systematic literature review on the impacts of Boko Haram on food security and related concepts in the study area, a review of conflict databases and press coverage of Boko Haram’s activities, and semi-structured interviews of Chadian security experts help to locate where and when the insurgency was active, the violence it perpetrated, and the impacts it had. On the quantitative side, the thesis leverages DHS data of 1997 and 2010, MICS data of 2000 and 2015 for childhood malnutrition indicators. The 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 ENSA waves are used for household food security indicators. Across the broader Lake Chad region, Boko Haram activity led to the displacement of food producers, interruption of migration routes of pastoralists, increased exposure to cattle rustling, and transport restrictions affecting food markets. It is also associated with changes in trade routes and border closures leading to price fluctuations, market closure and decrease in market activity, reduction in smallholder farmers’ income, and curbing physical access of consumers to food markets due to the destruction of infrastructure and security concerns. These factors contributed to increases in wasting, stunting, and child mortality rates, decreases in school enrolment and years of schooling, and limitations in access to health care. On the macroeconomic level, agricultural output, GDP, and other development indicators have been affected negatively. However, on the micro level, many studies focus on the insurgency’s impacts on displacement, in the form of refugees and IDPs within specific camps. These populations struggle with their loss of agro-pastoralist livelihoods, and with limited access to land and water to sustain them. Coupled with low employment rates, this results in low income across camps. However, whether this results in lack of food availability and diversity differs significantly from camp to camp, and access to health, education, and other basic service is highly unequally distributed as well. Concerningly, trading food for sex is a practice in at least some camps. Centering in on Chad itself, the thesis exploits the fact that Boko Haram perpetrated only criminal but not political violence between 2010 and 2014. During this period, insurgents plundered and pillaged Chadian villages in the seasonal wetlands of Lake Chad, and committed other criminal acts, but did not engage Chadian security forces for political gains; hence, this setup allows to isolate the impacts that terrorist organizations can achieve through purely criminal violence. Applying a DID approach, the dissertation finds that such criminal violence causes deteriorations in the z-scores of underweight and wasting of children under the age of five years by -0.085 points and -0.305 points, respectively. It finds that the insurgency’s criminal violence causes a decrease of 31.7 percentage points in the participation of households in agricultural activities and a decrease of their dietary diversity by 53.7 points. These impacts are large, especially considering that criminal violence perpetrated by Boko Haram in Chad received little to no international attention. The impacts of seasonal drought on food security, however, are much more measured. Out of five coping strategies assessed, seasonal drought has impacts to a statistically significant degree on only two: The prevalence of households selling non-productive assets and the prevalence of using their savings increases by 7.1 percentage points and 7.6 percentage points, respectively, when drought exposure increases by 1 percentage point on a low administrative level. Estimates of heterogeneous treatment effects and other robustness tests support a causal interpretation of these coefficients, which are obtained through two-way fixed effect estimations. These findings do not mean that drought-affected households do not enact other coping strategies, too. It merely means that seasonal drought likely causes them to use only two very specific coping strategies, but it does not cause the use of others.
The road half-traveled : governance reforms of food and nutrition programs in India
(2018) Kumar, Sandhya Sasi; Birner, Regina
Since its founding as a social welfare state, India has been meandering through “a life of contradictions” when it comes to social and economic equality. A potent indicator of this reality is the state of food and nutrition security across the country. India’s meager progress comes on the heels of rapid economic growth over the last two decades and a slew of public programs have attempted to address the multi-faceted nature of food and nutrition security. These efforts have included subsidized grains for households through the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), village health, nutrition and education programming through the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), and Nutrition Rehabilitation Centers (NRCs) to treat cases of severe acute malnutrition (SAM). Though these programs have been scaled across the country, numerous governance challenges and institutional failures have persisted. The latest development in India’s food and nutrition policy landscape is the National Food Security Act (hereafter referred to as the Act) of 2013, which leverages existing national programs, including the TPDS and ICDS, to grant legal entitlements to nearly 70% of the total population. This Act was the fruit of a rights-based movement in India that demanded for over a decade to codify social and economic rights. However, the question arises as to whether this new Act been able to achieve its goal to ensure food and nutrition security by strengthening the governance of these programs? This is the central question of the present thesis. This thesis investigates how the Act has reformed the implementation of food and nutrition programs in the states of Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and the capital of New Delhi. The four key objectives of this study are to investigate 1) what changes are prescribed by the Act; 2) how effective these reforms have been in addressing persistent governance challenges; 3) what challenges remain and why; and 4) what strategies could be used to address these gaps. A qualitative case study approach was applied, which involved the following data collection methods: key informant and in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, participant observation, matrix ranking and process net-mapping, an innovative participatory tool that maps complex institutional processes and actors. This thesis is comprised of nine chapters. The first chapter introduces the puzzle of India’s nutritional status and explores why government efforts to tackle this problem have had tepid results. The second chapter presents the conceptual framework that defines governance challenges and an institutional framework of demand and supply side factors that contribute to effective policy and programming. Chapters three and four present an overview of the TPDS, ICDS and NRCs, and review the existing literature on the governance issues of these programs. Chapter 5 lays out the study design, methods and ethical protocols. Chapters six through eight explore each of the three programs and present key findings across the selected study sites. The last chapter presents cross-cutting conclusions for these programs in the wake of the Act and proposes a way forward to address institutional gaps in tackling food and nutrition security.
Using panel data to estimate the effect of rainfall shocks on smallholders food security and vulnerability in rural Ethiopia
(2009) Zeller, Manfred; Demeke, Abera Birhanu
Ethiopia's agriculture is predominantly rainfed and hence any irregularity in weather conditions has adverse welfare implications. Using panel data, this paper analyzes the effect of rainfall shocks on Ethiopian rural households' food security and vulnerability over time while controlling for a range of other factors. To this end, we generated a time-variant household food security index which is developed by principal components analysis. Based on the scores of the index, households were classified into relative food security groups and their socioeconomic differences were assessed. The exploratory results show that compared to the less secured households, the more secured ones have male and literate household heads, tend to have a greater number of economically active household members, own more livestock, experience better rainfall outcome, participate in equb (a local savings group), and use chemical fertilizer. Fixed effects regression was used to identify the factors which affect the score's variability and the results indicate that rainfall shock is an important factor affecting households' food security over time. It is also noted that household size, head's age, participation in equb, off-farm activities, use of fertilizer, and livestock ownership positively and significantly affect the food security score. Results from multinomial logistic regression model reinforce the fixed effects regression results by showing the strong association of persistent food insecurity and vulnerability with adverse rainfall shock. A number of conclusions can be drawn from the results which are useful for policymakers as well as for agencies that engage in areas of risk and food security.