scholarly journals Forest, Foods, and Nutrition

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1182
Author(s):  
Alessandra Durazzo ◽  
Massimo Lucarini ◽  
Massimo Zaccardelli ◽  
Antonello Santini
Keyword(s):  
Food Production ◽  
Forest Ecosystems ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Rich Food ◽  
Food And Nutrition ◽  
Forest Foods

Forest ecosystems are an important biodiversity environment resource for many species. Forests and trees play a key role in food production and have relevant impact also on nutrition. Plants and animals in the forests make available nutrient-rich food sources, and can give an important contributions to dietary diversity, quality, and quantity. In this context, the Special Issue, entitled “Forest, Food and Nutrition”, is focused on the understanding of the intersection and linking existing between forests, food, and nutrition.

scholarly journals A systematic approach to food variety classification as a tool in dietary assessment: A case study of Kitui district

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (51) ◽  
pp. 6213-6228
Author(s):  
E Musinguzi ◽  
◽  
P Maundu ◽  
Grum Grum ◽  
KS Nokoe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Dietary Assessment ◽  
Recall Period ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Health Improvement ◽  
Food Diversity ◽  
Food And Nutrition ◽  
Food Variety ◽  
Women And Children ◽  
The Mean

Maternal and child mortalities in sub-Sahara Africa can be alleviated through improvement in food and nutrition security. Part of this strategy includes complementing supplementation, fortification and public health improvement efforts by diversifying dietary habits through identification and utilization of various types of local food sources. In Kenya, inadequate evidence-based information on nutrient variations within species still limits the adoption of dietary diversity policies, particularly in support of the implementation of food and nutrition programmes. The gap between knowledge and practice, therefore, needs to be addressed. Dietary diversity is commonly tabulated using computed scores for food diversity (count of food groups consumed during the recall period) and food variety (count of all dietary items consumed during the recall period up to the species level). This simplification of dietary diversity scores is attributed to the complexity involved in collecting accurate information on varieties under each species consumed. This has led to an urgent need to develop simple, consistent, effective and variety-level sensitive methods of measuring food biodiversity within peoples’ diets. This paper presents a pilot study carried out with an aim of demonstrating the steps involved in applying a food biodiversity sensitive indicator in food consumption studies using a variety-level biodiversity tool in Kitui district, Kenya. A community food list with variety names and photos was developed and was used during household dietary assessment. The target subjects were women and children (under five years). The indicator was tested among women and children under the age of five and, for comparison, a food diversity score was also administered as an indicator of dietary diversity. Results showed that the food variety scores were more indicative of the food biodiversity resources consumed in the community than food diversity scores. The mean variety scores for mothers in the last 24 hours, 7 days and 1 month preceding the survey were 12.80(±4.11), 21.06(±6.37) and 24.43(±7.44) respectively while those for children were 12.93(±4.47), 20.80(±6.98) and 23.88(±8.13) respectively. The mean food diversity scores for mothers in the last 24 hours, 7 days and 1 month preceding the survey were 7.49(±1.25), 8.60(±0.73) and 8.73(±0.64), respectively while those for index children were 7.36(±1.39), 8.42(±1.01) and 8.55(±0.95), respectively. The differences in mean values for both variety and diversity scores for one day, one week and one month were statistically significant among women and children (p<0.001). This approach could provide an alternative indicator for computing dietary diversity in future.

scholarly journals Assessment of Glyphosate Impact on the Agrofood Ecosystem

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 405
Author(s):  
Yaxin Sang ◽  
Juan-Carlos Mejuto ◽  
Jianbo Xiao ◽  
Jesus Simal-Gandara
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Regulatory Control ◽  
Biological Pest Control ◽  
Effective Strategies ◽  
Nutrition Security ◽  
Production And Consumption ◽  
Food And Nutrition ◽  
The Impact

Agro-industries should adopt effective strategies to use agrochemicals such as glyphosate herbicides cautiously in order to protect public health. This entails careful testing and risk assessment of available choices, and also educating farmers and users with mitigation strategies in ecosystem protection and sustainable development. The key to success in this endeavour is using scientific research on biological pest control, organic farming and regulatory control, etc., for new developments in food production and safety, and for environmental protection. Education and research is of paramount importance for food and nutrition security in the shadow of climate change, and their consequences in food production and consumption safety and sustainability. This review, therefore, diagnoses on the use of glyphosate and the associated development of glyphosate-resistant weeds. It also deals with the risk assessment on human health of glyphosate formulations through environment and dietary exposures based on the impact of glyphosate and its metabolite AMPA—(aminomethyl)phosphonic acid—on water and food. All this to setup further conclusions and recommendations on the regulated use of glyphosate and how to mitigate the adverse effects.

scholarly journals Homestead Food Production and Maternal and Child Dietary Diversity in Nepal: Variations in Association by Season and Agroecological Zone

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 338-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bishnu Dulal ◽  
Gary Mundy ◽  
Rojee Sawal ◽  
Pooja Pandey Rana ◽  
Kenda Cunningham
Keyword(s):  
Food Production ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Technical Support ◽  
Population Variation ◽  
Food Groups ◽  
Dietary Recall ◽  
Maternal Report ◽  
Policies And Programs ◽  
Agroecological Zone

Background: Suaahara, a large-scale integrated program, aimed to improve diets and nutritional status among women and children, in part by facilitating enhanced homestead food production (EHFP). Objective: This study examines associations between EHFP and maternal and child dietary diversity and variations by season and agroecological zone (AEZ): mountains and terai. Methods: We used data from household monitoring surveys (n = 2101 mothers; n = 994 children, 6-23 months), which included a 7-day dietary recall and maternal report on participation in 5 EHFP activities—received vegetable seeds, chicks, and technical support and participated in training and EHFP groups. We constructed binary variables for each activity and a scale (0-5) summing participation. For dietary diversity, we used the Women’s Dietary Diversity Score using 10 food groups and 7 food groups for child diets. Multivariable linear regression analyses were used to assess associations between EHFP participation and dietary diversity by season and AEZ, controlling for potential confounders and clustering. Results: In adjusted models, we found positive associations between dietary diversity and chicks, technical support, and EHFP beneficiary groups; the magnitude of the associations varied by season and AEZ. The degree of participation in 5 EHFP activities was positively associated with maternal dietary diversity in the terai (β = .24, P < .001) and mountains (β = .12, P = .01) and child dietary diversity in the terai (β = .35, P < .001) during the winter. No associations were found in the rainy season. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the potential for EHFP to address dietary diversity constraints among this population. Variation by subnational setting and seasonality suggest that policies and programs should be contextualized.

Food and Nutrition Security in Rural Bihar: Dimensions and Determinants

Social Change ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 396-419
Author(s):  
Swati Dutta ◽  
Sunil Kumar Mishra
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Distribution System ◽  
Dietary Habits ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Food Prices ◽  
Household Food Security ◽  
Food And Nutrition Security ◽  
Nutrition Security ◽  
Food And Nutrition

The level of food diversity in any household is an indicator of its healthy dietary habits. It depends on demographic and socio-economic conditions, geographic location, consumption habits and expenditure, cultural practices, income, food prices and the availability, access and utilisation of food. Against this backdrop, our study analyses the pattern of food consumption, dietary diversity, food frequency and the Recommended Dietary Allowance in 12 villages located in 6 districts of Bihar to understand the socio-economic determinants of a household’s food security. The results show that the diversity of food consumption is mainly dependent on the consumption of cereals across various socio-economic classes. Our analysis also emphasises the importance of schemes like the Public Distribution System which has a positive influence on food security outcomes of a household. The logistic regression results show that if the household belongs to the richest consumption class, with better education levels and more salaried members, then the probability of better food and nutrition security is high. In contrast, the low social status of a household, especially those from a Scheduled Caste background, will reveal reduced household food security.

scholarly journals Do Urban Food Deserts Exist in the Global South? An Analysis of Nairobi and Mexico City

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1963 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy Wagner ◽  
Lucy Hinton ◽  
Cameron McCordic ◽  
Samuel Owuor ◽  
Guénola Capron ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Mexico City ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Food Deserts ◽  
Household Survey ◽  
Global South ◽  
Food Desert ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Household Food ◽  
Household Survey Data

Recent conceptualizations of ‘food deserts’ have expanded from a sole focus on access to supermarkets, to food retail outlets, to all household food sources. Each iteration of the urban food desert concept has associated this kind of food sourcing behavior to poverty, food insecurity, and dietary diversity characteristics. While the term continues to evolve, there has been little empirical evidence to test whether these assumed associations hold in cities of the Global South. This paper empirically tests the premises of three iterations of the urban food desert concept using household survey data collected in Nairobi, Kenya, and Mexico City, Mexico. While these associations are statistically significant and show the expected correlation direction between household food sourcing behavior and food security, the strength of these relationships tends to be weak. These findings indicate that the urban food desert concept developed in North American and UK cities may have limited relevance to measuring urban food insecurity in the Global South.

scholarly journals Higher dietary diversity scores and protein-rich food consumption were associated with lower risk of all-cause mortality in the oldest old

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (7) ◽  
pp. 2246-2254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuebin Lv ◽  
Virginia Byers Kraus ◽  
Xiang Gao ◽  
Zhaoxue Yin ◽  
Jinhui Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Consumption ◽  
Lower Risk ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Oldest Old ◽  
Rich Food ◽  
All Cause Mortality ◽  
Protein Rich

scholarly journals Food Swamps and Poor Dietary Diversity: Longwave Development Implications in Southern African Cities

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 4425
Author(s):  
Bruce Frayne ◽  
Cameron McCordic
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Urban Food Security ◽  
Limited Access ◽  
Health Vulnerability ◽  
Food And Nutrition ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Security Network

While the literature on food deserts focuses on limited availability of food in urban settings, ‘food swamps’ may better characterize the extensive prevalence and accessibility of cheap, highly processed foods. For urban populations, access to nutritionally inadequate poor-quality food has dire developmental consequences. The long-wave impacts of malnutrition at gestational and early childhood stages are negative and can be non-reversible. Moreover, those who survive into adulthood may face a lifetime of sub-optimal physical and mental development that undermines the second and third UN Sustainable Development Goals—to end hunger and to ensure healthy lives. This paper assesses the long-term health vulnerability of children with limited access to adequate and nutritious food in rapidly urbanizing cities. The analysis focuses on the African Urban Food Security Network (AFSUN) data drawn from 6453 household surveys in 11 cities and nine countries in Southern Africa. The results indicate that children in these households are consuming a limited diversity of food, have limited access to resources and have greater odds of experiencing both short-term and long-term food and nutrition insecurity. These findings demonstrate an underlying vulnerability to long-term health impacts stemming from nutritionally inadequate diets, with potentially significant costs to human capital.

Can food production diversity influence farm households’ dietary diversity? An appraisal from two-dimensional food diversity measures

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (12) ◽  
pp. 1597-1608 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dare Akerele ◽  
Adebayo Musediku Shittu
Keyword(s):  
Panel Data ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Food Prices ◽  
Farm Households ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Farm Production ◽  
Food Diversity ◽  
Production Diversity

Purpose Emphasis on the potential roles diverse farm production systems could play in enhancing food consumption variety and nutritional well-being in rural developing countries has increased in recent times. However, there are paucities of empirical works connecting diversity in agricultural production and dietary diversity in Africa, and Nigeria in particular. The purpose of this paper is to, therefore, examine, among others, the causal link between farm production diversity and consumption of varied diets among farm households in Nigeria using a nationally representative panel data. Design/methodology/approach Unlike the simple food count measure, the authors adopt two-dimensional indices to assess food diversity, and estimated both fixed and random effects versions of panel data econometrics models with the two-dimensional indices as regressands. Findings Results show that food production system is less diverse with an average farm household consuming fairly varied foods across seasons. All the econometrics models estimated consistently established positive and statistically significant influence of farm production diversity on household dietary diversity. Higher food prices, especially rice and roots and tubers could substantially reduce dietary diversity with the negative effects likely to be more devastating for low-income farm households. The specificity of household being a net food seller had positive, although weak influence on dietary diversity. Originality/value The findings accentuate, among others, the need for strategies to promote farm production diversity, transform farm households to net-sellers of foods and enable them take advantage of food price signals to boost farm incomes as important pathway for diet quality improvement and reduction of food insecurity, malnutrition and related diseases in rural Nigeria

scholarly journals Food production and consumption in Bamyan Province, Afghanistan: the challenges of sustainability and seasonality for dietary diversity

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 413-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nigel Poole ◽  
Habiba Amiri ◽  
Sardar Muhammad Amiri ◽  
Islamudin Farhank ◽  
Giacomo Zanello
Keyword(s):  
Food Production ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Production And Consumption
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