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Since the 1970s, Marxist feminists have extensively discussed social reproduction to argue that women's unwaged domestic labour is a form of exploitation deriving from capitalism. This article focuses on the socialist socio-historical context to explore the social reproduction performed by lower working-class women in Shanghai during the COVID-19 outbreaks. To probe the pandemic interruptions to social reproduction, a COVID-19 Diary-Writing Workshop was conducted in 2020 to collect diaries written by destitute and disadvantaged women (pinkun funü) living in the Workers' New Villages. By delving into the women's affective lives, the article shows that women not only contributed to community through their volunteerism in social reproductive labour but also sacrificed for their families in a time of crisis. Moreover, women endured mental stress as the main performers of social reproductive work, and communal services provided by neighbourhood committees helped relieve the stress of household chores and resolved tensions related to food shortage. Our findings confirm scholars' longstanding argument that communal support policies can alleviate the gendered exploitative nature of social reproductive labour, and shed light on the roles of the remaining structures of socialist communal organization and infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food stockpiling is a common strategy to cope with food shortages, especially during major crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper investigates the effects of online shopping on household food stockpiling behaviour, using data collected from urban residents in China. Unlike previous studies considering only binary decisions, we take into account two-stage decisions (whether to stockpile and how much to stockpile). We employ a novel double-hurdle two-stage least square approach to model the sequential decision-making process and to address the endogeneity issue of online shopping. The empirical results show that online shopping significantly increases the probability that households choose to stockpile food and stockpiling ratio. Online shoppers in Eastern China are more likely to stockpile food, while their counterparts in the Western region tend to have a higher food stockpiling ratio. Online shopping significantly increases stockpiling ratio of perishable food such as fruits and vegetables relative to non-perishable food such as grains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between March 28 and June 1, 2022, Shanghai imposed lockdowns under the zero-COVID policy, which caused Shanghai residents to lack access to adequate food. The present study examined the relationship between temporary food insecurity, social capital, and mental health during the lockdowns. We conducted a quota sampling survey in April 2022, in which data of 1,064 respondents, aged 18–79 years, were used to estimate a mediated moderation model. The results show that temporary food insecurity predicted poor self-rated health and high depression levels. Both offline and online social capital positively related to self-rated health but negatively related to depression. When faced with severe food insecurity, people with high offline social capital maintained better self-rated health, whereas those with high online social capital were not immune to depression. The mediation effects of participation in voluntary activities on the relationship between social capital and mental health were not confirmed. Temporary food insecurity during the lockdowns resulted in detrimental outcomes to Shanghai residents’ health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper delineates a distinctly post-1960s expression of hunger and desire for food in Cuban and Egyptian cultural production. Hunger has always been present in aesthetic renditions of everyday life in both locales. Following the early-1960s socialist expansion of the role of the state, a new expression of hunger for animal protein emerged that relied on vegetarian tropes and parodied official discourse. Expressions of this "new hunger" captured the contradictory state of being conditioned, through state food programs, to see the consumption of animal products as the epitome of a healthy diet that endows one with the status of being "developed" and "modern" while simultaneously not being afforded satisfactory access to those food items due to conditions beyond one's individual control. In such contexts, the average citizen is primarily vegetarian and not by choice, while those with access to power live the promised dream of carnivorous plenty. This article analyzes several political speeches, cartoons, jokes, and songs to map the rhetorical and aesthetic characteristics of such satiric expressions and demonstrate how they were informed by the growing gap between early revolutionary official promises of food for all and actual food shortages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chondrichthyans form an important part of marine food webs as top predators and mesopredators. However, little is known about chondrichthyans in Namibian waters and the roles they play in ecosystem function. During efforts to disentangle Cape fur seals Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus from fishing gear or plastic debris, 11 incidents of seals impaled by the dorsal spines of St Josephs Callorhinchus capensis (order Chimaeriformes) were recorded. These observations overlapped with mass die-offs of the seals owing to food shortages, as indicated by large numbers of emaciated seals and widespread miscarriages of seal foetuses. This suggests that the St Joseph is not a desirable prey species for Cape fur seals, though this chimaera may provide a source of food, especially when preferred prey species are unavailable. This is the first published record of Cape fur seals feeding on chondrichthyans in Namibian waters. Documenting these types of food-web linkages between pinnipeds and chondrichthyans will allow for a better understanding of how impacts on their populations may more broadly affect Namibia's marine ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How people speak of hunger extends beyond statements about food adequacy; people's remarks may reflect experiences of poverty and feelings of vulnerability, and may be used to request help. In this article, we build on the idea of idioms of distress to conceptualize hunger talk as expressing more than an empty belly. We draw on ethnographic data gathered in two settings in South Africa: one a peri-urban area under traditional jurisdiction in the Eastern Cape Province; the other an inner-city suburb of the largest city, Johannesburg, in Gauteng. Hunger-related idioms of distress help illustrate the complex interplay of social, economic, and cultural factors, and allow people to speak of various affective and material aspects of their lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systematic restrictions on access to food have brought on a food crisis in Russian-occupied territories. Blocking free access to food by occupation, economic pressure, reduced production and destruction of infrastructure risks social conflicts and escalating violence. Food shortages have led to deterioration of physical and economic health, increased mortality, social disorganisation and threats to personal security; many victims experience post-traumatic stress disorder. We draw comparisons with the Holodomor of 1933–4 and the Dutch Hongerwinter of 1944–5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores poverty dimensions and negative experiences of households living in secondary cities of Kenya with the aim of understanding the determinants of the willingness to pay to access water services. Our findings suggest that negative experiences of households related to poor access to water, like water crises, water borne diseases, and daily time to fetch water, seem to play an important role. Conversely, poverty dimensions are not necessarily influential. More specifically, while daily income of the household is an important factor, other variables, namely, education, food shortages, and access to information do not have significant effects. Our evidence suggests that to raise the awareness of this public good's value, local governments should focus on improving citizens' information especially in poor areas, as well as the ability to pay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The strong military traditions of Worcester may mean the city's engagement in two world wars is often thought about in terms of the soldiers or even the ammunition produced at Blackpole Munitions Works. The ways in which both wars impacted the more mundane lives of the majority of women who were housewives have received less attention. As housewives, daughters, sisters or domestic servants, women undertook the lion's share of the domestic and emotional labours needed to maintain homes, communities and neighbourhoods. This was played out at a local level, shaped by the geographical, economic and cultural specificity of not only regions but towns and cities. There were as many different home fronts as there were battle fronts; thus, Worcester residents experienced the privations and problems of twentieth-century large-scale international warfare, through their local home front. This contextualized case study of Worcester explores the financial challenges housewives faced, their problems with food provisioning and the care of evacuees to argue that both wars entered the home in a multitude of ways. It provides evidence of how, the boundary between public and private spheres was blurred, as in wartime the state interfered in the domestic life to an unprecedented degree. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precision agriculture generally refers to the methods of crop, livestock and fish farming that are meant to eliminate or minimize uncertainty and maximize products with relative accuracy that matches predetermined expectations. Amidst these, the relevance of space assets such as satellites for remote sensing, navigation and communication in guaranteeing food security is increasingly gaining attention. This development cannot be ignored in Africa, a region that is infamously known as a hotspot of drought, famine, malnutrition and attendant death. Using a combination of post-colonial and modernization theories, this article examines the need for Africa to embrace, adopt and adapt space supported precision agriculture to address its enduring food production shortages and related insecurity. This study used a mixed-method to analyze data collected from secondary sources. Despite the involvement of over 50% of the population in agriculture, most African countries have a poor record of food production, because they rely on smallholdings with little technological support, making them vulnerable to food insecurity. Hence, there is an overriding need to adopt modern techniques, such as space supported precision agriculture that are relevant to overcome the challenges that continue to undermine food production capacities and potentials of the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid global urbanisation has seen a growing number of urban poor who lack natural endowments to cope with food shortages. Broadening their safety nets merits urgent political attention but requires understanding their profiles. A survey among 88 urban poor in Benin found that they had low educational and income levels, overcrowded and unsanitary housing conditions, and limited access to social services and health facilities; 76 per cent of them were food insecure, influenced by city, gender, ownership of a motorbike, and access to health facilities. Engaging them in allotment gardens requires farming skills, financial capital, and safety issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the crisis of food and energy shortage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is emergently important to emphasize food waste prevention in the tourism and hospitality industry because people around the world have started traveling in the post-pandemic era. Based on norm activation model and individualism-collectivism, this study proposes a perspective of religious beliefs to conceptualize divine awareness (i.e. divine retribution and divine rewards) and environmental awareness (i.e. resource scarcity and eco-friendly) on the formation of food waste prevention practices. A total of 571 samples from Taiwan and 483 samples from the United States was collected. Both countries showed that religious beliefs improved divine retribution, divine rewards, and religious food waste prevention practices. Divine rewards enhanced tourists' awareness of resource scarcity and eco-friendly, and resource scarcity led to religious food waste prevention practices. Interestingly, the effects of divine retribution on resource scarcity and eco-friendly were significant only in Taiwan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Statistics highlight the importance of Ukraine to world food security and the immediate effects of Russia's war. The essence of food security and the reasons behind shortage of food in the poorest countries of the world are considered against the backdrop of the disruption of Ukraine's grain exports. Recommendations are offered to prevent the present crisis in Ukraine descending into a global food crisis: these include adaptation of the established mechanism of coordination to resume exports; support for Ukrainian producers; continued close relationship with states that provide humanitarian, financial, and political support; and, best of all, cessation of Russian aggression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilizing survey information obtained from five irrigation schemes in southeastern Africa, we investigated the influence of agricultural innovation platforms (AIPs) and monitoring tools on a range of farm and household outcome indicators. Doubly robust estimation was used to measure the effects of these interventions, with a variety of other methods used for robustness checks. Involvement in AIP activities and using monitoring tools was found to be statistically associated with increased on-farm income together with an increased capacity to fund child education. Participation in AIPs also had a significant positive influence on off-farm income and reduced food shortages. Moreover, spillover effects were accounted for in the estimations and statistically significant positive effects were found regarding on-farm income for non-participants. These findings suggest that interventions with strong agricultural innovation system approaches in irrigation schemes in Africa could provide significant societal benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insect consumption provides a solution to the issue of decreasing food security. Despite these benefits, their acceptance by some consumers as a source of human food remains the main obstacle to their consumption. The present study focuses on three locations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (provinces of Kinshasa, Grand Bandundu and Kongo Central) in a context of food shortage. We examined the socio-demographics, socio-cognitive (Theory of Planned Behaviour, TPB), determinants of intentions and insect consumption, and the additional contribution of emotional associations in a sample of 537 participants (mean age = 34.88, SD = 12.39, 47% females). There was a higher consumption in Kinshasa (M = 4.58; SD = 1.62) and in Grand Bandundu (M = 4.36; SD = 1.54), as compared with Kongo Central (M = 2.29; SD = 1.45). Greater insect consumption was associated with a lower education level, when living in Kinshasa or Kongo central, when attitudes, perceived control and intentions to consume were higher, and when participants experienced lower levels of fear and repulsion towards insects. The results provide insights to better understand the determinants of low consumption in Kongo Central. They also suggest that most TPB dimensions could be potential targets for future interventions that aim to increase insect consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impacts of structural oil shocks, namely, the index of industrial production, world production of oil, and spot crude oil prices on the food prices in Saudi Arabia between 1986 and 2020 using nonlinear autoregressive distributed lags (NARDL) and Structural Vector Autoregressive (S-VAR) models to capture both short- and long-run asymmetries between these variables. The asymmetry between industrial production and food price in the short- and long-run was revealed and the impact of negative shocks of industrial production on the food prices was dominant. This implies that lower economic activities result in declined industrial production and food shortage which exerts a hike in food prices. With respect to Saudi Arabia, a significant relationship between negative shocks in crude oil prices and food prices was found in short- as well as long-run periods. The estimations also reveal that increases in oil supply result in a decline in food prices decrease in both periods of time. Similarly, a positive association between GDP growth and food prices was found. Finally, the oil supply shocks are found as the main factor, followed by the oil demand shocks and crude oil prices, causing the food price variation in Saudi Arabia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses two books on the topic of food security. The first book, "The Paradox of Agrarian Change," focuses on Indonesia and examines the issues of inequity, nutritional insecurity, and ecological decline resulting from global market integration. The book argues that feeding and nutrition programs are not enough and that policy should address structural issues such as community access to and control over land. The second book, "Food Security," takes a neoliberal approach and discusses the key issues of availability, income, and productivity. However, the book is criticized for its focus on the Global North and its failure to address the challenges faced by peasant farmers in the Global South. The article concludes by emphasizing the importance of addressing food security for the poor and marginalized, particularly women farmers, and suggests targeting them for access to resources such as land tenure and agricultural support services. [Extracted from the article]

This study investigated the distribution, numbers and conservation threats of the West African Crested Tern, which was recently elevated to full species after it was split from the Royal Tern with an American and African subspecies. In the period 1998–2019, a total of 13 West African coastal islands were identified as breeding localities, stretching from Mauritania to Guinea. All the islands are isolated, usually sandy and subject to erosion. There was great yearly variation in the numbers of breeding pairs within and between sites. A complete census of all breeding locations in 2015 and 2019 resulted in estimates of 79 000 and 77 000 pairs, respectively. The threats identified are predation, human disturbance, nest flooding and loss of breeding habitat as a result of coastal erosion. Predation of eggs and chicks by Sacred Ibises and especially Great White Pelicans may heavily impact on the species' breeding output. Human disturbance is slight because most of the breeding islands are within protected areas. Flooding of nests has increasingly been observed in recent years, occurring at nine of 11 islands occupied by the terns in 2015. Most islands are subject to erosion, which has resulted in substantial loss of suitable breeding habitat over the 22-year study period. Two important islands have become completely unsuitable. We conclude that West African Crested Terns have an uncertain future. Food shortage resulting from industrial fishing is suspected, and the effects of climate change might negatively impact on habitat suitability and food availability. Monitoring of the total population at three-year intervals is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mycotoxins are among the major food contaminants, especially in Africa and in many developing countries. Contamination by mycotoxins has greater consequences in terms of both human and animal health as well as economics of these countries. This phenomenon may impact negatively Africa's food availability and food security scenarios. This review evaluated mycotoxins in foods, safety of foods, consumer health and Africa's food security. This review also gave comprehensive information on socio-economic implications of mycotoxins of foods and the effects on food security in Africa. In Africa, information concerning food contamination by mycotoxins is very scanty and the problem of storing agricultural produce under poor storage conditions that may predispose food to fungal infestation and subsequent mycotoxin contamination are common in African countries. Consumption of moldy produce or food contaminated with mycotoxins and the dangers of mycotoxicoses as well as the impact on public health necessitated a comprehensive approach to reduce the impact on public health and consumer safety. The challenges of food shortages, wars and conflicts, poor governance and planning in African countries have increased the problems of mycotoxins in Africa. In order to improve food safety, consumer health and availability of needed food by the teeming African population, education and enlightenment of Africans on the economic and health implications of mycotoxins are very crucial. The major techniques for control and mitigation of mycotoxins need to be explained to consumers. A robust regulatory control and effective analyses and detection of mycotoxins as well as good produce handling and storage are important to stem the tides of effects of mycotoxins in foods in Africa countries to improve consumer health and food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With large volume of product flows and complex supply chain processes, more data than ever before is being generated and collected in supply chains through various tracking and sensory technologies. The purpose of this study is to show a potential scenario of using a prototype tracking tool that facilitate the utilisation of sensor data, which is often unstructured and enormous in nature, to support supply chain decisions. The research investigates the potential benefits of the chilled food chain management innovation through sensor data driven pricing decisions. Data generated and recorded through the sensor network are used to predict the remaining shelf-life of perishable foods. Numerical analysis is conducted to examine the benefit of proposed approach under various operational situations and product features. The research findings demonstrate a way of modelling pricing and potential of performance improvement in chilled food chains to provide a vision of smooth transfer and implementation of the sensor data driven supply chain management. The research finding would encourage firms in the food industry to explore innovation opportunities from big data and develop proper data driven strategies to improve their competitiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article identifies the nature, patterns, and determinants of seasonal outmigration in Tsagibji District, in the Amhara Region, Ethiopia. In the study on which the article is based, a quantitative research approach was primarily employed, complemented with a qualitative approach to triangulate the findings. Primary data were gathered from rural households using a household survey, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. Secondary data sources were employed to complement the primary data. Descriptive and inferential statistics were computed. The findings indicate that rural–urban migration is a dominant pattern of seasonal outmigration, as about half of the total sample households migrated to urban areas to avoid the seasonal food shortages and economic shocks caused by environmental factors. The binary logistic model analysis revealed that male-headed households, household size, and participation in productive safety-net programmes were significantly and directly related to seasonal outmigration. Other aspects had a significant and negative association with seasonal outmigration. Additionally, environmental and economic push and pull factors drive households to employ migration as a coping and adaptive livelihood strategy. The authors conclude that addressing rural unemployment, livelihood diversification, and environmental rehabilitation activities is crucial to reduce the volume and scale of seasonal outmigration in Tsagibji District. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Defined as an inability to acquire enough food because of insufficient money or other resources, the prevalence of food insecurity is markedly higher among cancer survivors than the general population. The objective of this qualitative study was to understand and characterize the experience of food insecurity from the perspective of cancer survivors' and their informal caregivers using qualitative interviews. Barriers to healthy eating, behaviors and strategies in times of food shortage, and unmet educational needs shaped the experience of food insecurity. These experiences and insights for addressing food insecurity in oncology practice have broad implications for future interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asian elephants and humans have long shared their lives, but recent changes in human perspectives on animal use have created ripples through the small country of Nepal. Captive elephants are caught in the crossfire between local communities, elephant owners, mahouts, and NGOs in debates over their treatment, health, welfare and use in tourism. In addition, zoonotic disease, natural disasters and political strife affect the lives of captive elephants and mahouts. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, elephants, caregivers and owners found themselves facing income loss, decreased welfare from housing and husbandry issues, and food shortages. Many owners sold elephants, fired mahouts, and "quit" the tourism industry. Others sought help from outside organizations, community members, and governmental agencies to retain ownership of what they viewed as valuable commodities. NGOs and grassroots organizations assisted in the hopes of keeping elephants in Nepal, thus preventing them from long, treacherous walks across the border and into situations where they might face further welfare decreases. This article combines elephant stable visits and interviews with mahouts, owners, NGO, and government staff between January 2019 and December 2021. It highlights the ongoing health and welfare challenges faced by elephants and mahouts in Nepal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on newly published witness accounts, the article gives an insight into the civilian experiences of the humanitarian crisis that took place in the Ober Ost in 1916–1917. Vilnius, a city of 140,000, became an epicentre of famine and an epidemic of typhus that resulted in the death of several thousand civilians between November 1916 and October 1917. The article explores causes and dynamics of the crisis, survival strategies of local population and the emergence of a vast network of local relief agencies among Poles, Jews, Lithuanians and Belarusians. The author argues that the humanitarian disaster in Vilnius was part of the broader home front crisis of Central Powers. The food shortages that hit Germany and Austria-Hungary from mid-1916 led to the tightening of the exploitative occupation policy in the Ober Ost. Increasing requisitions, including confiscations of full harvests, food rationing, restrictions on free trade and population movement produced the famine that German authorities were able to control only with great difficulties. The humanitarian crisis destroyed the political credibility of the occupation regime in the eyes of the city's population which had to rely for help mostly from their own relief agencies. It was during this crisis that numerous relief societies that have emerged among Poles, Jews, Lithuanians and Belarusians grew and extended their influence among city's residents. Eventually they also helped to set the stage for nationalist and revolutionary political agendas of the city's ethnic groups. These relief structures became early vehicles for their political aspirations and provided an early organizational setup for their post-WWI political programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Africa has the world's fastest rate of population expansion, making it vulnerable to food shortages. Africa cultivates two types of rice (Asian rice; Oryza sativa and African rice; Oryza glaberrima). Native African rice called O. glaberrima has some intriguing characteristics, including resistance to several biotic and abiotic regional restrictions in Africa. However, O. glaberrima is solely employed as a tool to increase the production of O. sativa, which cannot grow in Africa, due to its low yield, lodging, grain breaking, and poor tissue culture ability. Enhancing breeding efforts for O. glaberrima is therefore critically important. The protocols for transformation and regeneration, however, are mostly for O. sativa and not O. glaberrima. This study examines the present problems with transformation and regeneration for African rice species as well as potential solutions for using modern breeding methods in O. glaberrima. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outbreak of World War II in 1939 altered the trajectory of food production in Malawi in the last two decades of colonialism. This paper examines the extent to which the World War II and the World Food Crisis that followed shaped peasants' food production in Malawi between 1939 and 1957. It argues that, while the war caused food shortages through the dislocation of labour and foodstuffs, it also altered the production of surplus foodstuffs. Despite its merits, the paper observes, however, that colonial campaign for the peasants to grow more foodstuffs was a 'marriage of convenience' rather than an attempt to improve the food welfare of the peasants. As soon as the food crisis ended, the colonial authority resorted to its old policy of prioritising on cash crops at the expense of food crops. This history sheds new light to rethink 'the second colonial occupation' thesis by arguing that colonial appropriation of African resources in the 1940s and 1950s was complex, dynamic and contested. Foodstuffs laid at the core of rural life such that the colonial state could hardly expropriate them or discourage their excessive production without challenges from the peasants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efforts to manage the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic led to unprecedented social and economic change and put strain on charities who provide community and emergency food aid. This research investigates the response and capacity of the emergency food sector in Victoria, Australia, to the Covid-19 pandemic. An online 37-question self-administered survey was sent (April-May 2020) to 601 agencies, valid responses were received from 101 agencies. Results suggest an increase in the number of people seeking aid, and when combined with changes in supply chains and the impact of panic buying in the community, created food shortages for agencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Blue Swallow is an intra-African migrant that breeds in its fragmented range from South Africa to southern Tanzania, from October to March annually. The birds migrate north and are on their non-breeding range in NE DRC, Uganda, NW Tanzania and W Kenya, from April to September annually. The global Blue Swallow population, estimated at <1 500 pairs, is classified as 'Vulnerable', because of its small and declining population. Only the female Blue Swallow incubates the eggs and broods the nestlings for the first nine days after they have hatched from the eggs. The growth rate of Blue Swallow nestlings is reduced by adverse weather conditions characterised by low temperatures (<14 °C), 3–4 consecutive days of fog and intermittent rainfall. In the Blue Swallow Natural Heritage Site (25°36′ S, 30°45′ E), food shortages, because of three or more consecutive days of adverse weather conditions resulted in Blue Swallows shifting entirely to self-maintenance by abandoning eggs and nestlings and attempting to breed again when weather conditions improved. The post-fledging survival of the nestlings affected by adverse weather conditions is reduced. The reason is that at the time of fledging the mass of these nestlings was below the mean mass of the adults and because the mass of nestlings developing under good weather conditions is equal to or greater than the mean mass of the adult birds. Circumstantial evidence suggests that Common Fiscal Lanius collaris may be the predator of Blue Swallow eggs and nestlings. Adult longevity and the breeding success of Blue Swallows may have been reduced by adverse weather affecting their entire meta-populations in the small and isolated patches of suitable habitat remaining for the birds. These characteristics of the Blue Swallow meta-populations may be contributing to their continued decline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cowpea is an important low-cost protein source for millions of people in West Africa. Although mature seeds are the primary food source, fresh green pods are also consumed to survive food shortages before the harvest of main cereal crops. To increase protein intake from green pod consumption, a visual indicator of pod elongation, namely relative pod length, which enables the nitrogen content of immature seeds to be estimated, was developed. This is a simple visual method to ascertain the optimal time for green pod harvesting and is therefore highly practical for local farmers, the primary consumers of green cowpea pods. The nitrogen content of immature seeds was estimated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. This method was also applied to genetic resources to select cowpea accessions with high nitrogen content in immature seeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses the causes and effects of rural-urban migration in the Amhara Region, one of the nine national regional states of Ethiopia. Data were collected through interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs) and questionnaires in the main destination towns and rural areas from which migrants predominantly originate. Rural-urban migration in Amhara is a multi-causal process. The study reveals food shortages resulting from landlessness and drought as the principal factor for rural-urban migration. Debt, information flow and exigent cultural conventions are also important factors. The income from migration enables rural households to supplement poor harvests, service debts and diversify their livelihood. Migration, however, contributes to the spread of disease, as well as socio-culturally undesirable habits producing dysfunctional families and other societal ills. Considering migration is a livelihood option for the rural poor, policy objectives should be to support returning migrants rather than manage its adversities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scorpions often experience food shortages, yet information on their baseline nutritional input is lacking. In many life histories, there is a trade-off between adult size and development time that is interrelated with food availability. We present precise data on the influence of two different feeding regimes that affect development in the buthid scorpion Tityus neibae. The results indicate a strong relationship between the treatment group, sex, morphometrics and life stages. The different diet inputs had no influence on the embryonic development or the litter size but had a major effect on the postembryonic development time and on the life stage when individuals reached maturity. No females or males reached maturity by the 4th instar when fed every two weeks and only males that were fed weekly were able to reach maturity by the 4th. Thus, a trade-off in T. neibae males is apparent, since they can reach maturity earlier in life, resulting in an overall smaller body size that may reduce the risk of predation. By contrast, females may have been selected to reach full development with an overall larger body size that results in an increase in the fitness, the number, or the size of the offspring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the mid- and late 1990s in North Korea, a period marked by the "Arduous March", discourse shifted from "conquering" the natural environment to "rationally using and protecting" it. It is argued in this article that this change was related to the dynamic character of the North Korean regime, which evolves according to changing circumstances. Thus, this study aims to examine this change in discourse about the natural environment, focussing on features of North Korean discourses that directly demonstrate the government's identification of pending issues and its methods of address-ing them. It finds that the primary issues confronting the government during the Arduous March – overcoming food and economic crises and establishing the regime's superiority – and the methods to cope with these dilemmas closely factored into the change. To enhance the reliability of this study, we examined key outlets for discourses in North Korea, including collections of the Supreme Leader's speeches; newspapers and magazines published by the Korean Workers' Party; and articles in academic journals authored mainly by scholars vetted by the state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

is a characteristic trace fossil in the Mississippian in the Alborz Basin deposits of north Iran, and is described for the first time in the Mobarak Formation. The vertical distribution of the carbonate deposits bearing Zoophycos provided the basis for distinguishing three distinct types of sedimentary sequences including Zoophycos (type A, B, and C) in shallow marine sediments of Mobarak Formation. Type A is composed of rare to common density of small to medium lobed Zoophycos. Type B is characterized by common density of medium lobed Zoophycos. This ichnogenus in type A and B is associated with Palaeophycus. The low diversity and bioturbation of the trace fossils would be the result of a stressful environment characterized by optimal water circulation and high-energy conditions. Type C consists of abundant density of large lobed Zoophycos. Type C is associated with Chondrites and planolites. The high diversity and bioturbation of the trace fossils in type C than type A and B would be the result of a calm environment characterized low-energy conditions. Under low sedimentation rate, stable paleoenvironment, dysaerobic conditions, and high amount of benthic food, the size of Zoophycos is the biggest, whereas in the high sedimentation rate, unstable paleoenvironment, aerobic conditions, and shortage of benthic food, the size of Zoophycos is small. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hatching asynchrony in birds occurs when incubation commences prior to clutch completion and results in broods containing different aged and sized nestlings. The brood reduction hypothesis predicts that hatching asynchrony is a strategy that facilitates the partial success of brood, as feeding to old and large nestlings which results in adaptive brood reduction under periods of food shortage. Using stochastic simulation, we tested and specified the outcome of the brood reduction hypothesis with various provisioning variables of birds to investigate under what conditions the brood reduction effectively explains the evolution of hatching asynchrony. Asynchronous hatching can be productive as provisioning by parents is preferentially feeding to old nestlings when food is not sufficiently available, while it did not create substantial differences in the number of nestlings fledged when food was equally allocated to all nestlings. Secondly, in the case where food items are large and fewer deliveries are needed, asynchronous hatching becomes more favoured compared to smaller, more frequently delivered, food items. Also, when parents provision less food than was needed on bad days, hatching asynchrony became favoured even when the bad days occur infrequently. Different life traits of each bird can change the expectation of the brood reduction hypothesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food insecurity negatively impacts the health and well-being of postsecondary students attending college and university. Students may be especially vulnerable for food insecurity if they care for children. This qualitative study explored the experience of food insecurity among nine food-insecure university students with children who accessed a food bank on their campus. Transcripts of semi-structured, individual interviews underwent content analysis. Students tried to shield their children from the negative effects of food insecurity by sacrificing their own nutrition in times of food shortage. Food-insecure postsecondary students with children may therefore be at risk for compromised dietary intake and other negative health and academic consequences by limiting their own diet in order to ensure their children's nutritional needs are met. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The capacity of small birds to sustain periods of food shortage largely depends on their ability to adaptively regulate expenditure in response to reduced food supply. To investigate changes in thermoregulation during periods of food restriction, we measured changes in the body mass, basal metabolic rate (BMR), organ mass, thyroid hormone levels, and several physiological and biochemical markers, of silky starlings (Sturnus sericeus) subject to 16 days food restriction. Birds in the control group were provided with food ad libitum whereas those in the food restriction (FR) group were provided with half of the usual quantity of food. Oxygen consumption was measured using an open–circuit respirometry system. Mitochondrial state-4 respiration and cytochrome c oxidase (COX) activity in the liver and pectoral muscle were measured with a Clark electrode. The concentrations of T3 and T4 in plasma were determined by radioimmunoassay. Starlings in the FR group had lower body mass and BMR compared to the control group. Starlings in the FR group also had lower state-4 respiration and COX activity in the liver and muscle, and lower T3/T4 ratio in plasma, relative to the control group. BMR was positively correlated with body mass, state-4 respiration and COX activity, in liver and muscle tissue. These results indicate that silky starlings can decrease their energy metabolism during periods of food shortage by making a suite of adjustments from the organismal to the biochemical level. These morphological, physiological and biochemical responses could be adaptations that allow starlings to adjust to seasonal changes in food abundance, such as the typically lower food abundance over winter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe weather events pose significant risks to food supply chains that are reliant upon critical infrastructures such as road and rail. Can local food procurement arrangements, and contingency plans based on those arrangements, help to ameliorate food shortage in times of crisis? This article explores how governments can empower communities to this end. A broader research project provides the basis of insights and recommendations to aid policy practitioners who seek to develop food-related disaster resilience at the community level. The findings call for the following: the adoption of policies that facilitate the procurement of local food; informing council planning; facilitating shared control with those who want these changes to occur; removing the barriers to change; and utilising a suite of consultation and engagement policies to these ends. It is argued that the Australian regional context of South-East Queensland, with its inherent issues of rapid population growth, has immediate relevance to international contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses a hermeneutically informed analysis to reveal how Irish men's accounts of acute hunger on arrival in England during the 1950s and 1960s resonate with archival oral accounts of the Great Hunger in Ireland during the 1840s. The paper makes the case for a new continuum of memory which foregrounds the corporeal and spiritual dimensions of acute food deprivation and its significance over space, place and time. I argue that a corporeal-spiritual medium of memory represents a two-sided reality, a pivotal yet nebulous point of contact which exemplifies our understanding of how discourses of hunger recounted over the course of a century help shape reconstructions of Irish sociocultural identity. The symbolic potency of hunger and particular foods to expose a distinct moral and social order during both time periods is examined. I also show how this more burnished and fluid medium of corporeal and spiritual memory highlights the importance of intracultural diglossia in respect of Irish sociocultural identity and with it, the interface between individual, collective and folk memory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past two decades, southern Africa has experienced both exceptionally high AIDS prevalence and recurrent food shortages. International institutions have responded to these challenges by framing them as security concerns that demand urgent intervention. Young people are implicated in both crises and drawn into the securitisation discourse as agents (of risk and protection) and as (potential) victims. However, the concepts of security deployed by global institutions and translated into national policy do not reflect the ways in/security is experienced 'on the ground' as a subjective and embodied orientation to the future. This paper brings work on youth temporalities to bear on social and cultural geographies of in/security and securitisation. It reports on research that explored insecurities among young people in Lesotho and Malawi. It concludes that, by focusing on 'threats' in isolation, and seeking to protect 'society' as an abstract aggregate of people, global securitisation discourses fail either to engage with the complex contextualised ways in which marginalised people experience insecurity or to proffer the political responses that are needed if those felt insecurities are to be addressed. However, while securitisation is problematic, in/security is nonetheless an important element in young people's orientation to the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In their natural habitat, Djungarian hamsters are faced with dramatic seasonal changes. This requires various morphological and physiological adaptations allowing cope with harsh climate and food shortage, particularly in winter. These seasonal changes are controlled by the photoperiod and can be observed also in the laboratory at room temperature. The aim of the present study was to investigate if the efficiency of thermoregulation also depends on the photoperiod. For this reason, Djungarian hamsters were transferred to short-day conditions (SDC) with 8 h light and 16 h darkness. Two-thirds of the animals were classified as responders showing the typical seasonal changes - decrease of body mass, fur change, testes regression, vagina closing. The total activity per day did not change but, the nocturnal activity was spread over the longer dark time. The body temperature decreased, and the animals showed regular daily torpor. To investigate the thermoregulatory efficiency, body temperatures were correlated with motor activity. The obtained regression coefficients describe formally the effect of motor activity on body temperature, a measure for the efficiency of thermoregulation. In SDC, the coefficients were elevated, both during rest and activity, i.e. the same amount of activity did produce a larger increase in body temperature. Under field conditions, this might be an additional mechanism to compensate the bigger in winter heat loss. Also, the high coefficients may support the increase in body temperature at the end of a torpor phase by a bout of motor activity. The results show that, seasonal changes of thermoregulatory efficiency are an effective accessory way to cope with different temperatures in hamsters' natural environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this study is to identify livelihood strategies of fishing households in response to prevalent vulnerabilities they face within the Volta Basin. Questionnaires were administered to fishery households in the Basin using the multistage sampling technique. A non-hierarchical k-means cluster analysis partitioned the households into four livelihood strategies on which the multinomial logit regression was performed. These four identified strategies are fishery only, fishery and farming, fishery and non-farm, and fishery, non-farming and farming. The results from the multinomial logit regression revealed that marital status of head of household, number of months of food shortage experienced by a household per year, access to credit, access to extension services, distance to regular markets and district capital as well as experience in fishery were the major determinants of livelihood strategies. Implications for policy include the need for public extension services and training to invigorate fishery households' income. As majority of the fishery households combined fishing and non-fishing strategies, livelihood intervention programmes should prioritize improvement of the non-fishing activities and lead to opening other opportunities for rural development. This will take pressure off the fish stock by facilitating the regeneration of fish stock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific, technological, and economic progress over the last 100 years all but eradicated problems of widespread food shortage and nutrient deficiency in developed nations. But now society is faced with a new set of nutrition problems related to energy imbalance and metabolic disease, which require new kinds of solutions. Recent developments in the area of new analytical tools enable us to systematically study large quantities of detailed and multidimensional metabolic and health data, providing the opportunity to address current nutrition problems through an approach called Precision Nutrition. This approach integrates different kinds of "big data" to expand our understanding of the complexity and diversity of human metabolism in response to diet. With these tools, we can more fully elucidate each individual's unique phenotype, or the current state of health, as determined by the interactions among biology, environment, and behavior. The tools of precision nutrition include genomics, metabolomics, microbiomics, phenotyping, high-throughput analytical chemistry techniques, longitudinal tracking with body sensors, informatics, data science, and sophisticated educational and behavioral interventions. These tools are enabling the development of more personalized and predictive dietary guidance and interventions that have the potential to transform how the public makes food choices and greatly improve population health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many epidemiologic studies have explored the association between famine exposure and the risk of hypertension, but the results remain controversial.Objective: A meta-analysis was performed to determine the association between early life famine exposure, fetal famine exposure, and childhood famine exposure and risk of hypertension.Methods: A literature search was performed in PubMed, Web of science, Embase, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure for relevant articles published up to October 2016. Pooled relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a random-effects model.Results: Sixteen studies from 14 articles for early life famine exposure, 11 studies from 10 articles for fetal famine exposure, and 10 studies from 8 articles for childhood famine exposure were included in our meta-analysis. Compared with unexposed group, the pooled RRs were (1.26; 95% CI, 1.11-1.44), (1.27; 95% CI, 1.08-1.49), and (1.32; 95% CI, 1.15-1.52) for early life famine exposure, fetal famine exposure, and childhood famine exposure, respectively. In subgroup analyses, the above-mentioned associations were consistent in cohort studies, and studies conducted in Asia.Conclusion: This meta-analysis confirmed the association between exposure to famine in early life and increased risk of hypertension in adulthood. Prevention of malnutrition during early life is an appropriate recommendation to prevent hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When the abundance of ship rats (Rattus rattus) is reduced, sympatric house mice (Mus musculus) are released from constraints of food shortage, intimidation or predation. As a result, mice may become either more abundant or more active and detectable. To distinguish between these effects, we monitored mice at eight sites within Pureora Forest Park during periods of rat removal and non-removal, and supplemented food in mouse-specific feeders to half of the sites. We used live-trapping to estimate mouse relative abundance, and tracking tunnels to detect activity. Mouse relative abundance increased when rats were removed, which correlated with increased mouse activity in tracking tunnels. Analysis of mouse capture probability showed that although rat population levels predominantly influenced mouse relative abundance, mouse detectability was also affected at a subtler level. Fluctuations in mouse relative abundance were driven by immigration, and there was evidence that mice were food-limited in the presence of abundant rats. However, this effect was not offset by supplementing food, so it is unlikely that exploitation competition alone limits mice in the presence of rats. Instead, when ship rats were abundant the danger to mice was likely to have limited their foraging opportunities. Evidence of direct predation of mice by ship rats was observed, but it is unclear what role direct predation plays in determining mouse abundance relative to risk effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes a year-long participatory arts project carried out as part of a community-university partnership in the South of England. The research sought to examine the relationship between the ‘user-led’ ethos of the Brighton Unemployed Centre Families Project (BUCFP) and emergence within it of creatively working and self-managing groups, examining how an environment that did not adhere to a prescribed use of space might enable groups to make sense of their experiences. The research used ethnographic methods and a theoretical framework informed by systems theory, critical health psychology and narrative analysis to explore the group’s experiences of food poverty. The research demonstrates ways in which the group provided community members with a space in which to examine, define and make legitimate their experiences and how this can be thought of as an educational and community knowledge-building practice that has important implications, particularly for notions of well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decades, the number of certified organic farms have increased significantly in Uganda. One assumption is that certified organic agriculture contributes to economic, social and ecological health of agroecosystems. In the literature, however, there is thin empirical evidence to support such claims. We therefore developed health indicators and contrasted data from four Ugandan farming systems with principles and objectives of organic agriculture. We identified four health patterns (ecology-driven, economically struggling, socially-driven, and hanging in) demonstrating the impact of farm management on agroecosystem health and trade-offs between health domains. Ecological farm health is strengthened only if the conversion goes beyond ‘organic by default’. Market-oriented specialization can create lock-in situations if production strategies cannot be changed easily. Food shortages occur when additional income from certified production does not compensate for the reduced area and effort devoted to food crops. We conclude that the positive effects of organic certification on agroecosystem health cannot be taken for granted. Interventions promoting organic agriculture should acknowledge risks smallholder farmers take by converting to cash crop-oriented certified organic farming. A challenging question will be how aspects of wellbeing and social health can be translated into certification standards and thus product attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, food concerns in higher education have emerged as an issue of critical importance. Food acquisition struggles and high rates of food insecurity among students have been documented, yet food within higher education continues to be an under-researched area of study. This paper calls for advancing research that critically engages with food concerns in higher education. The argument is made that food concerns should be viewed as a social justice matter, and a case is made for conducting research on food concerns by adopting an alternative approach to research in this area – a transformative paradigm. The paper advances new insights for the philosophical, methodological and ethical dimensions to researching food in higher education as a matter of social justice. The argument is made that a transformative approach to research is conducive for examining the experiences of those who are marginalised within the context of higher education and confront food challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored how and why a halo effect occurred during a food-related crisis in South Korea. The research questions were framed using situational crisis communication theory. A qualitative research method involving 16 in-depth interviews revealed that the good performance history of the company involved in the crisis caused people to attribute less responsibility to the organization, as they doubted the alleged cause of the crisis and interpreted the crisis as a one-time mistake. A good performance history reduced threats to the organization because people felt a personal bond with, and trust in, the organization, partly due to its long history of operations and relatively large size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Faith-based organisations (FBOs) have long been involved in HIV and AIDS impact mitigation and humanitarian relief, but most are not equipped to intervene in the structural drivers of food insecurity and attendant health inequities. Acknowledging limitations is as paramount a task for organisational effectiveness as maximising strengths. This article reports findings from a study of HIV-positive care supporters who volunteer with a church-run home-based care organisation in Swaziland. The article seeks to assess the impact of chronic food insecurity on antiretroviral adherence practices and how these individuals manage daily food shortages. Findings highlight the limited capacities of FBOs in highly vulnerable settings and the imperative for international and governmental coordination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]