7.2 Factors affecting food and nutrition security
7.2.2 Household production of food resources
As the economies of rural areas are mostly agrobased, a diversified agricultural production can improve not only the economic situation but also dietary diversity.
Smith and Haddad (2015) find a high correlation between dietary intake of non-staples and reduced child stunting (Smith and Haddad, 2015). Figure 12 illustrates measures to increase and diversify the household’s access and availability of resources (as an underlying determinant) to improve dietary intake.
Agricultural production in both study areas is concentrated on staples and characterised by insufficient yields and lack of diversity. Low yields have multiple causes, including limited access to (adequate) fertilizers, manure, agricultural inputs and machinery63, low availability of agricultural extension services, lack of fertile land and water64 . Furthermore, climate change poses a major problem in both regions, causing erratic rainfall patterns and rising temperatures.
62 In Zambia, soybean and cotton prices fluctuated, reported a representative of the Ministry of Agriculture.
In the 17/18 harvest season, prices for soybeans dropped by 44 % percent, with lowest prices in the Eastern Province (Chapoto et al., 2018).
63 In Eastern Province, only 0.8 % of the farmers practice ripping with mechanical power (Chapoto et al., 2015).
64 In Zambia, treadle pumps have been distributed, as recommended by the project. Its direct influence on nutrition security is still uncertain, however, because only a small number has been distributed to date.
Figure 12: Increasing and diversifying agricultural production
Source: Own illustration based on empirical findings.
In both project regions, the “hungry season” is a reoccurring feature and households have developed different strategies to cope with this periodic shortage of food. However, many of these strategies reinforce poverty and food shortage, leading to a vicious circle that threatens household’s food and nutrition security throughout the year. Therefore, programmes should focus on local adaptation strategies and to tailored interventions aiming at a higher level of resilience.
Despite their declining availability, wild foods are assets in crisis situations (i.e.
famine seasons, poverty). Horticultural production and the collection / consumption of wild foods can increase the regular availability of nutrient-rich food
items, because different vegetables and wild plants are available throughout the year.65
Agricultural production has a direct influence on the nutritional status of the target group. Interventions in conservation agriculture are specifically designed to optimise agricultural production for better nutrition outcomes and they are effective. Interventions already encourage the use of biofortified crops. The orange fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) promoted by ProSecAI/FANSER have increased production and household’s intake of vitamins. The cultivation of cassava and its processing in Togo provides income and needs to be evaluated in Zambia66. In both regions, only a minority of the households engage in gardening. In Eastern Province the accessibility of water is a critical factor for gardening, especially in the dry season. Communities and individuals cannot afford irrigation technology, and only few people own land close to streams and rivers. In Togo´s Maritime region, land availability is limited due to high demographic pressure, limiting the capacity to produce vegetables as the production of staples is prioritised. If the consumption (and production) of vegetables shall increase, more awareness of the nutritional benefits is needed. In addition, access to water and agricultural inputs (fertilizer, seeds, and plant protection methods) need to be improved.
Climatic conditions for agricultural production are more favourable in Maritime. A more humid climate allows two harvest cycles and the cultivation of a more diverse set of agricultural crops. However, this can also result in pest and disease infestation.
The preservation of food during the off-harvest season can help increase the nutrition diversity and resilience of the target group. However, depending on the method of preservation67 micro-nutrients might get lost (Musinguzi, Kikafunda and Lukwago, 2010; Sagar and Kumar, 2010). In Zambia, it is common to sun-dry various vegetables, while the preservation of fruits lags behind its potential. In Togo, the year-round availability of (wild) vegetables sets a high preference for fresh produce, and food is not preserved68. However, the year- round-availability of
65 E.g. in Togo, the okra season is followed by the adémé season.
66 In Eastern Province, Cassava is considered a poor man’s crop and awareness needs to be raised about its benefits.
67 The method of preparation and cooking can improve the nutrition quality of food. These steps may induce (positive and negative) changes and interactions among its constituents (Fabbri and Crobry, 2016).
68 In Eastern Province, green leafy vegetables such as pumpkin leaves, wild mushrooms, okra are sundried.
In rural Togo there is no market for preserved vegetables and fruits with the exception of chili and medicinal plants. Dried tomatoes, jute mallow and mangoes are not consumed by the rural population.
vegetables is declining due to land degradation, demographic pressure and urbanization. During the harvest, produce is sold off at (extremely) low prices or even gets wasted. This underlines the need for adequate and diverse preservation methods that prevent the loss of the produce and potentially improve both food and nutrition security and income generation.
In both regions, insufficient harvest production is coupled with high post-harvest losses (up to 30-40 %) and lack of storage equipment. Community storage systems are rare. As farmers in both regions reported a loss of trust among residents, it is unlikely that potential community storage systems will function.
Animal husbandry is not very diverse; most households rear chicken. Chicken- rearing is essential for income generation and increased consumption of animal proteins, and both programmes are promoting it. However, the outbreak of Newcastle in Petauke district led to a significant loss of chickens and jeopardized income generation.