by Tigerjeet Ballayram and Fitzroy J. Henry
Original Research
This paper proposes a new framework to advance food and nutrition security and sovereignty in Caribbean Common Market (CARICOM) countries. This “Food and Nutrition Security and Sovereignty” approach, integrates both the Food Sovereignty (FSv) and the Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) approaches into a single, unifying framework. It also elevates FSv to the same level that the FNS approach has occupied in the regional FNS policy space over the past two decades. Despite decades of praxis in the region’s food systems by policy makers, FNS outcomes have not met expectations. These outcomes are rooted, inter alia, in the conceptual framework of the FNS approach that has dominated FNS analyses and related policy prescriptions in the region over the past two decades. At the same time, the FSv approach has rarely been countenanced by governments in the region and their international partners, even though its raison d’etre is to advance the development agenda of small and medium scale food producers. The new framework emphasizes the urgency to address nutrition security, in light of increasing prevalence of nutrition-related chronic diseases, and their co-morbidities, in CARICOM countries. It also places a premium on the Right to Food, governance for FNS and sovereignty, empowerment of small/medium scale food producers, management of food imports, maintenance of agro-ecological integrity, and the sustainability of food systems. The characteristics of a Rights-based sustainable food system are articulated, and a policy framework is developed for advancing food and nutrition security and sovereignty in the region and elsewhere. The paper draws from the recent literature on the FNS and FSv approaches, the state of food and nutrition security and sovereignty in CARICOM countries, and over two decades of the authors’ uninterrupted experiences working on FNS, poverty, and vulnerability issues in Caribbean countries.
Journal of Food Security. 2023, 11(2), 72-84. DOI: 10.12691/jfs-11-2-5
Pub. Date: November 09, 2023
208 Views11 Downloads
by Kolani N’Djoibini Tchanaté, Gnon Baba, Nitale M’Balikine Krou and Koffi Agbegnigan. Degbe
Original Research
The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of composts on the productivity of maize (Zea mays L.) by identifying the optimal dose to obtain maximum productivity. The compost used was produced from fermentable fractions of household waste from the city of Lomé. A device in randomized complete blocks with two repetitions comprising five doses of compost (To = control, T1 = 25 t. ha-1, T2 = 50 t. ha-1, T3 = 75 t. ha-1, T4 = 100 t. ha-1) was used. The treatment with compost have been done on elementary plots of 10 m2 each. Sowing is done in three rows of 25 feet each. On each line, the maize plants are separated by 0.20 m and the lines are spaced 0.80 m apart. The average density is 75000 feet per hectare to ensure good ventilation. The results obtained showed that the yield increased according to the doses of compost provided but decreased from 50 t. ha-1. There is therefore a compost use limit of between 25 t. ha-1 and 50 t. ha-1. Maize farmers could use compost for sustainable and effective fertilization to increase their production while preserving soil quality.
Journal of Food Security. 2023, 11(2), 64-71. DOI: 10.12691/jfs-11-2-4
Pub. Date: November 07, 2023
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by Mamakase Grace Sello, Mahalieo Flora Motanyane, Nthabiseng Anna Mokhesi and Relebohile Ntsieane
Original Research
Background: Lesotho is grappling with food insecurity and malnutrition. Droughts, floods, poor farming practices, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, high food prices, and the Russia-Ukraine war have all played a role in exacerbating food insecurity in the country. Despite the growing worldwide problem of food insecurity, there is a lack of documentation on the status of food insecurity and its determinants at the household level in rural areas of Lesotho. Aim: This study aimed to assess food insecurity and its determinants among rural households in the Southern region of Lesotho, with specific attention directed to Quthing, Mohale’s Hoek, and Mafeteng. Methods & Results: A community quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted, and interview schedules were administered to a sample of three hundred (n=300) rural households. The multiple regression analysis was employed to determine the predictors of household food insecurity. Food insecurity, as measured by Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS), was found in a large proportion of rural households (95.3%, n= 286). The findings of the study identified the number of children in a household (p<0.05), the marital status of the household head (p<0.05), the availability of land (p<0.05), and borrowing money from informal money lenders (p<0.05) as significant predictors of household food insecurity in the studied regions at p<0.05 significance. Conclusions and Recommendations: The study suggests that in light of the high prevalence of food insecurity in rural households in the study area, understanding the determinants of food insecurity in rural households is imperative to combat the rampant food insecurity that plagues rural households in Lesotho. Local authorities must prioritize hunger eradication by enacting practical and sustainable policies that effectively reduce household food insecurity.
Journal of Food Security. 2023, 11(2), 56-63. DOI: 10.12691/jfs-11-2-3
Pub. Date: October 27, 2023
234 Views7 Downloads
by Isaac Anane, Nie Fengying and Huang Jiaqi
Original Research
Children’s early year’s life is essential. Those who receive inadequate nutrition are more likely to suffer from sickness and death in the short term, contributing to behavioral disorders, poor cognitive development, and poor education performance. This paper assesses children’s dietary diversity, food groups, and nutrition adequacy with agro-ecological zone potentials. We used the 24-hour recall method, the newest national representative, a cross-sectional dataset from Ghana’s Demographic and health survey with broad coverage in all agro-ecological zones, and 2451 children aged 6-59 months old for the final analysis. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship between food groups, adequate dietary diversity intake, and marginal effects were applied to estimate the magnitude of nutritional adequacy between different agro-ecological zones. We found that the average dietary diversity score for all food groups was low, 2.23 out of 7. Out of the total food consumed daily, the food group which constitutes the highest proportion are grains, roots, and tubers, with an average daily intake (45.6% to 49.6%), and the least are vitamin A-rich fruits and vegetables (2.6% to 10.0%). The main results were that adequate dietary diversity intake decreased from the least affected climatic zone (12.7%) to the most vulnerable zones (1.7%). There is also a relationship between food groups, adequate dietary diversity, and agro-ecological zones. Implementing climate-smart agriculture, especially in areas prone to extreme climatic stress, will help reduce climate change effects, enhance sustainable food production, and provide adequate food supply and nutrition.
Journal of Food Security. 2023, 11(2), 43-55. DOI: 10.12691/jfs-11-2-2
Pub. Date: September 08, 2023
482 Views11 Downloads
by Marisela Bravo and Francisco F. Herrera
Mini Review
The food we consume defines our eating habits and transcends the economic, social or health conditions of individuals and societies. It is a fact that our consumption patterns respond to a food industry that places economic performance before health, food needs and environmental sustainability. The global environmental crisis forces us to rethink all the activities we do, including food. The consumption of local, wild, native, or naturalized foods allows us to have healthier and more sustainable diets. It is imperative to include diverse foods in our diet so that the consumption of monoculture foods diminishes in time. We need a systemic approach when deciding what to eat. Choosing local and varied foods improves the diet, the family and local economy, rescues the use of marginalized (underutilized) local species and contributes to socially and environmentally responsible food production systems. In the search for adaptations to the planetary environmental crisis, it is urgent to promote sustainable food production systems, and for this, it is necessary to make changes in current consumption patterns. In this paper, we focus on two aspects of the agricultural system in Venezuela: production and consumption, and we propose the rescue of underutilized agricultural diversity to diversify our food systems.
Journal of Food Security. 2023, 11(2), 30-34. DOI: 10.12691/jfs-11-1-4
Pub. Date: July 27, 2023
465 Views3 Downloads
by Théophile Collins Yelengwe Ndjamou, Gabel Essome Bang, Jaime Anibal, Loick Pradel Kojom Foko, Gordon Nwutih Ajonina, Minette Tomedi Eyango and François Tchoumbougnang
Original Research
The clam Galatea schwabi is a bivalve found in the lower Sanaga, and exploited by local people for its meat and shell. This research aimed to determine the proximate and heavy metals (Cd, Pb and Hg) composition contained in fresh and smoked clam meat by standard analytical methods. Fresh clam meat was collected from the fishing area and smoked from Yakalak and Malimba Districts. The results showed a significant difference in the water, protein, lipid, and mineral content of smoked clams in Yakalak and Malimba District, except for the ash content which was similar in the different areas studied. The clam harvested in the lower Sanaga, regardless of its commercialized form is rich in proteins with 27,31 ± 0,27% in fresh, for the smoked clams 59,85 ± 0,24% in Yakalak, 34,66 ± 0,13% in Malimba District, and minerals Ca, Mg and Na. The concentration of heavy metals Pb and Cd in fresh and smoked G. schwabi meat is above the WHO recommended tolerance limits, while Hg is below the same standard. The highest concentrations of heavy metals were observed in smoked clams from Malimba District. Although that G. schwabi clam constitutes an alternative source of nutrients for human and animal, the high concentration of heavy metals, show that the resource is subject to the effects of anthropic activity, and consuming it would be a risk for consumers.
Journal of Food Security. 2023, 11(2), 35-42. DOI: 10.12691/jfs-11-2-1
Pub. Date: July 28, 2023
1795 Views4 Downloads