Abstract
The project “Strengthening food and nutrition security through family poultry and crop integration in Tanzania and Zambia” brings together animal, crop, and human health specialists, economists, ecologists, social scientists, and practitioners to work with participating communities. It aims to increase poultry value chain, crop farming systems efficiency, and household food and nutrition security and thus requires understanding of, and ability to work effectively within, complex systems. In this context, communication knowledge sharing and synthesis between stakeholders from diverse backgrounds and a range of experiences, perspectives, agendas, and knowledge is a challenge. To address this situation, communication is conceived as a dialog and a participatory process bringing together all stakeholders. This process results in unanticipated and unexpected results that require a high degree of flexibility and adaptability from team members. The paper analyses the approach and aim of the communication strategy developed for the project and the challenges faced.
Highlights
Improving food and nutrition security remains a global priority, requiring an integrated approach to achieve long-term, sustainable solutions
Progress toward international development targets has been poor in sub-Saharan Africa, where population growth has resulted in an increase in the overall number of people affected by undernutrition in recent decades [2]
In Tanzania and Zambia, the prevalence of stunting in children under 5 years of age, a major determinant of individual development, is estimated to be 42 [3] and 40% [4], respectively, despite years of agricultural research and targeted health and nutrition programs. Problems such as food and nutrition security and childhood undernutrition are regarded as “wicked” problems, meaning that they go beyond complexity and require transdisciplinary
Summary
Improving food and nutrition security remains a global priority, requiring an integrated approach to achieve long-term, sustainable solutions. This paper documents the communication and knowledge management approach and explores learnings in a transdisciplinary research project “Strengthening food and nutrition security through family poultry and crop integration in Tanzania and Zambia,” which is addressing a current wicked problem. An additional Small Research Activity [25] was conducted to develop locally relevant and feasible dietary diversity tools and messages Outcomes of this project have included the development of participatory tools for: [1] collecting information about current dietary patterns, [2] suggesting optimal approaches to preparing and combining foods for people of different ages and physiological stages, [3] sharing information with communities. Considerable time and resources are devoted to maintaining these linkages within the project with considerable benefit
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