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The presentation was made at the 19th International Triennial Symposium of the International Society for Tropical Root Crops (ISTRC) 2022, held in Nairobi. Itreportsthe findings from two studies in Uganda that aimed to test the use of the champion farmer models and social incentives to improve theadoption, and diffusion of knowledge, of improved sweetpotato varieties.

Despite their proven effectiveness in addressing micronutrient deficiencies, adoption of biofortified crops among smallholder farmers remains low. Using a cross-sectional survey dataset of 1538 hou...

Many African countries are seeking to improve nutrition by introducing biofortified foods in school feeding programs. These programs are generally designed to create demand for biofortified foods both in and outside of school. Finding ways to encourage child acceptance of novel biofortified foods is key to the success of this strategy.The aim was to assess effects of 2 behavioral interventions in promoting the consumption of biofortified foods as part of school lunch meals.The study is based on a field experiment involving 360 school-going children of in the third, fourth, and sixth grades. We tested if structured provision of information about the nutritional benefits of a biofortified food and its association with an aspirational figure influence its consumption when served alongside a favorite local food as part of school lunch meal. Six schools in Tigray, Ethiopia, were randomly selected to participate, with 4 participating in the Orange-Fleshed Sweetpotato (OFSP) Program. Of the 4 participating in the program, 2 were assigned to provide educational information about sweetpotato, whereas 2 presented the same information plus depictions of an aspirational figure (a famous local athlete) associated with the sweetpotato.Provision of information on the nutritional benefits of biofortified food combined with an aspirational figure resulted in increased consumption of biofortified food by children. However, provision of the information alone did not detectably increase consumption. An analysis of trends over the course of the study revealed no discernable decay effect.Our results highlight the potential for relatively inexpensive behavioral interventions to increase acceptance of novel biofortified foods among children in a developing-country context. Larger studies with more varied interventions and larger numbers of participating schools could address several of the weaknesses in this study and establish more robust findings.

Background: Solutions to create enabling nutrition environments must come from within communities and involve multiple sectors. As vital actors in community mobilization, rights-based advocacy, and accountable public institutions, civil society organizations (CSOs) can help ensure nutrition programs and policies represent and reach all community members to achieve impact. Objectives: To review attributes of civic engagement in multisectoral nutrition governance systems and to provide recommendations to increase CSO participation. Methods: We reviewed 7 national case studies of Civil Society Networks involved with the Scaling Up Nutrition movement and characterized 6 functional attributes of CSOs in multisectoral nutrition governance: identify needs of all community members, mobilize and build civic capacity, advocate for political commitments, inform program design and evaluation, ensure accountability mechanisms in public institutions, and report challenges and successes using broad media campaigns. Results: All studies described government agencies involved with multisectoral nutrition governance systems, at national and subnational levels; however, there was limited evidence of subnational platforms for CSO engagement. Although countries increased investments in public institutions for nutrition, it was unclear whether nutrition service quality improved and none reported corresponding investments in civil society. Conclusion: Our characterization identifies strategies to engage CSOs in multisectoral nutrition governance at multiple ecological levels. We hope future adaptation and application of this characterization will increase community ownership and diverse representation in nutrition governance systems. Both of these are key to enabling national and international entities to address malnutrition’s underlying determinants in ways that align with local contexts, values, and systems change processes.

PurposeThe sustainability of decentralized seed producers established to enhance farmers’ access to seed of newly introduced biofortified crops is a major challenge. Understanding what motivates the multipliers of clonally propagated crops to engage in seed multiplication is critical for enhancing access to improved seed varieties. The purpose of this paper is to examine the structure and content of mental models associated with the decision to engage in biofortified sweetpotato vine multiplication as a business.Design/methodology/approachThe study focused on decentralized vine multipliers from Kenya and Ethiopia. These were stratified by orientation toward nutrition or commercial value addition. A total of 45 multipliers were interviewed. Means-end chain (MEC) analysis combined with laddering technique was used to generate mental constructs multipliers relate with the decision to engage in biofortified sweetpotato vine multiplication.FindingsThe structure and content of mental models of biofortified sweetpotato vine multipliers supporting nutrition-focused interventions and those supporting commercial value-addition sweetpotato interventions are different. Nutrition-focused multipliers are driven by the benefits of good health, while commercial value-addition interventions are driven by the benefit of making “more money.” The content and structure of mental models are also country/region specific.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has demonstrated that decision to engage in community seed production business is driven not only by the desire to make profits but, equally importantly, by personal and societal (social) factors. It has also discussed the limitations of current analysis and future research areas.Originality/valueThis study is the first to apply MES analysis to assess how decision to invest in seed multiplication business is affected farmers’ personal values and other psychosocial factors.

Understanding local drivers of malnutrition can help improve the design of agricultural interventions intended to reduce child stunting and underweight. This study reports the prevalence of child under-5 stunting and underweight from 10 rural districts in the Tigray region of Ethiopia; analyzes factors associated with child undernutrition; and presents implications for designing and selecting indicators for agricultural programs intended to improve nutrition. Overall prevalence of stunting and underweight was 40.0% and 34.6%, respectively. There was significant variation among the districts in the proportion of children classified as stunted and underweight (p > 0.05). Stunting rates ranged from 26.7% to 66.7%, underweight rates ranged from 13.3% to 63.3%. Geographic location (odd ratio [OR] = 1.99; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.81–4.87), no maternal history of eye issues (OR = 1.67; 95% CI, 1.01–2.78), and not owning a mobile phone (OR = 1.5; 95% CI, 0.91–2.49) were factors that increased odds of stunting. Geographic location (OR = 1.17; 95% CI, 0.5–2.76) and no maternal history of eye issues (OR = 1.71; 95% CI, 1.01–2.91) increased odds of underweight. The aggregate data masked influential social and behavioral factors affecting nutrition within certain districts and subgroups. Nutrition-specific approaches that target women and children and nutrition-sensitive approaches that strengthen local sources of resilience are needed to accelerate progress toward improved nutrition and reduce health disparities.

The performance, expansion and contribution of tree lucerne has not reached to its full potential due to a number of factors. An action on-farm research was conducted with men and women farm households to (a) compare survival and growth of tree lucerne across contrasting sites and growing niches, and (b) identify the key determinants of tree lucerne survival and growth on farms in the crop-livestock systems. The research was conducted in eight research kebeles (the smallest administrative unit in the country) of the four Africa RISING (Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation) project sites. Eight farmer research groups (FRGs) were formed in consultation with the group members. Each FRG consisted of 25–30 men and women farmers representing a range of social groups. Each farmer participating in the research received on average 50 seedlings. A total of 253 farmers participated in the research. After planting, data on survival, growth, root collar diameter and management were collected at 9 months using simple field monitoring tools. A total of ten sample plants were selected from the field of each farmer who planted tree lucerne, and these were labelled for continuous growth measurements. The on-farm research measurement was supplemented by cross-sectional survey data collected from a sample of FRG member households in the eight research kebeles. A combination of descriptive statistics, multivariate statistical techniques and econometric models were used for data analysis. The results of the study show that percentage survival on-farm were significantly higher for tree lucerne planted in backyards than those planted in outfields and for middle-resource class households. Household size, access to reliable water supply, and management factors—including fencing and watering planted-seedlings, mulching during dry periods, clean spot weeding and applying organic fertilizers—significantly enhanced survival and growth of tree lucerne in the planting sites.

Background: Undernutrition is a major cause of child morbidity and mortality worldwide. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) used a single indicator –prevalence of children under 5 years who are underweight –to measure nutritional deficiencies. However, the causes of undernutrition are complex and multi-sectoral and are difficult to capture in this single measure. Recognizing this, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) encourage countries to apply integrated approaches to address child undernutrition. Rates of undernutrition, stunting, and wasting remain high in Ethiopia, despite growing income levels and national economic development. This …

Agricultural interventions more effectively improve nutrition when they are adapted to local contexts and engage multiple sectors. However, evidence is limited for how to design and measure the impacts of such interventions. We piloted a participatory methodology to collect community feedback to inform the design and selection of measures for a multisector nutrition intervention in Ethiopia. Study participants were purposively recruited from 6 rural districts in Tigray and the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ regions. Qualitative data were collected from 12 focus group discussions with smallholder farmers (men and women) participating in a nutrition-sensitive agriculture intervention. The Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) combined with an ecological systems model informed the survey tool and analyses. Analyses revealed 3 key findings. First, there were regional differences in how communities defined assets important for nutrition. Second, when asked to prioritize which assets were most important, communities selected every SLA capital category; however, the types of assets within each category differed by region. Third, the most commonly reported barriers to good nutrition were traditional feeding behaviors (eg, men eating before women) and lack of nutrition knowledge. How households use assets to enhance nutrition is influenced by diverse and dynamic cultural, social, economic, and ecological factors. The participatory methods piloted in this study present a novel approach to identify contextually relevant household, community, and institutional assets used to support food and nutrition security.

ObjectiveTo describe: household dietary diversity across four zones in Ethiopia; the relationship between household dietary diversity and consumption of vitamin A-rich foods; and the relationship between household dietary diversity and food security status.DesignThis was a cross-sectional survey. Data were collected using structured questionnaires in the local language. Household dietary diversity scores measured types of foods households consumed, and households were classified by food security status using a modified version of the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale. An ordinal logistics regression model was created to assess the relationship between three tiers of dietary diversity (low, medium and high) and food security while controlling for agricultural zone, educational variables and household characteristics.SettingRural households in Tigray, Ethiopia.SubjectsThree hundred households in Tigray, Ethiopia, were interviewed.ResultsOf the households, 23, 47 and 30 % had low, medium and high dietary diversity, respectively. Among households with high dietary diversity, eggs and fruit were the most common foods added to the diet. In the fully adjusted model, participants who reported being food secure had 1·8 increased odds of greater dietary diversity (95 % CI 1·0, 3·2) compared with participants who were food insecure.ConclusionsFood security was positively associated with dietary diversity. In order to enhance health, interventions that improve dietary diversity and vitamin A consumption should remain important areas of focus for health leaders in the region.

Wetlands in southern Africa continue to be degraded and lost through conversion to agriculture and other uses. One of the major constraints to sustainable management of wetlands in the region is that wetland users and decision-makers have insufficient understanding of the consequences of alternative management and policy regimes on wetland functioning, ecosystem services and human well-being. This study developed an ecological–economic model based on the system dynamics framework to simulate the impacts of alternative policy regimes on wetland functioning and economic well-being. Results showed that wetland services (crop production and natural resource harvesting) are inter-linked with trade-offs involved through their competition for labour, land and water resources. Policy scenario simulation results showed that diversifying livelihoods out of agriculture simultaneously improves economic well-being and enhances wetland conservation. Pure conservation strategies impose significant losses in the economic welfare of local population unless supported with diversification of livelihood sources. Government policies that support livelihood diversification into off-farm livelihood opportunities for the rural poor are critical for sustainable wetland management.