Improve Food Security Research Articles

Vision impairment and food insecurity in the national health and aging trends study

Vision impairment and food insecurity in the national health and aging trends study

Stakeholder mapping to explore social and economic capital of Rotating Savings and Credit Associations (ROSCAs) to increase demand for and access to healthy food

IntroductionSouth Africa, grappling with the complexities of malnutrition, faces a dual challenge of undernutrition in children and overnutrition in adults, particularly among women. This situation is exacerbated by high rates of food insecurity, affecting nearly one-fourth of households. In this context, the role of Rotating Savings and Credit Associations (ROSCAs), locally known as stokvels, becomes increasingly significant. These informal, often women-led, savings and borrowing groups present a unique opportunity to address dietary challenges and promote healthier eating practices in urban, low-income settings. This study explores the potential of stokvels in mitigating the dual burden of malnutrition by facilitating access to healthy, affordable foods.MethodsWe conducted stakeholder mapping to understand the roles and influences of various actors within South Africa's food system, particularly their interactions with stokvels. Our research focuses on how these groups, deeply embedded in the community fabric, can leverage their collective power to negotiate better access to nutritious food and influence healthier dietary choices. Stakeholders identified in the study span diverse sectors, including retail, agriculture, finance, and community organizations.ResultsThe research reveals that stokvels are perceived as vital social and economic entities capable of maximizing value through partnerships and networks. However, challenges such as the informal nature of stokvels and the lack of formal legal agreements often hinder their ability to form partnerships with formal institutions. The findings emphasize the importance of understanding and leveraging the social dynamics within stokvels, recognizing their role in enhancing food security and contributing to economic empowerment, especially for women. The study also identifies the need for formalizing stokvel structures to enhance their operational efficiency and increase their impact on food systems.DiscussionIn conclusion, this research highlights the untapped potential of stokvels in addressing South Africa's nutritional challenges. By fostering stronger connections between stokvels and various food system actors, there is a significant opportunity to improve food security and promote healthier eating habits in low-income communities. Future research should aim to include unrepresented stakeholders and explore strategies to enhance the role of ROSCAs in promoting healthier food choices and addressing affordability and accessibility barriers.

Credit, gender, and food security: Empirical evidence of determinants to access, affordability, and consumption in Cameroon

AbstractDespite receiving considerable attention, food insecurity remains a salient issue, especially in sub‐Saharan Africa. Among other factors, limited access to credit is one of the direct drivers of food insecurity. Hence, interventions such as credit, which improve household income, may be important in improving food security. While previous studies have evaluated the effects of credit on food security, the evidence is mixed. Moreover, neither the effect of the amount of credit nor the gender aspects have been adequately considered. In this paper, we evaluate the role of credit access on household food security. Beyond credit access, we also considered the amount of credit. Using cross‐sectional data from two unique regions of Cameroon, we estimated using ordered probit models, and to gain more insights, we performed a gender‐disaggregated analysis. Our results suggest that both formal credit access and the amount of credit are positively associated with the food security status of the household. However, informal credit access does not affect food security. The effects of credit are influenced by the gender of the household head as shown by our gender‐disaggregated results. We therefore recommend that policies that constraint households' access to formal credit should be relaxed.

Morphological, phenotypic and nutritional characterization of exotic and local tomato germplasm under tunnel

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is one of the most important and widely cultivated fruit. By characterizing local germplasm, exclusive breeding material is successfully identified and improved varieties could be created. The research conducted between November 2020 and 2021 at the Ayub Agricultural Research Institute (AARI) in Pakistan used developmental, vegetative and fruit traits to individualize sixty tomato inbred lines for 17 morphological traits. The study showed that 6 qualitative and 11 quantitative morphological traits exhibited a wide range of variation, while 8 traits showed a high coefficient of variation among genotypes according to biplot principal component analysis (PCA). According to biplot PCA, the first component contributed 17.6% of the variation, while the second component contributed 13.0%. Together, the first and second components explained 30.6% of the variation. A correlation analysis was performed to determine the relationship between genotypic traits and phenotypic traits. A very positive correlation was observed between inter-nodal distance, flower per cluster and immature fruit color. The morphological data for firmness, pericarp thickness, fruit width, TSS, inter-nodal distance, number of flowers and fruits per cluster showed specific characteristics that can be used to distinguish the genotypes. The highest value of lycopene of 21.2 mg kg−1 fresh weight was observed among the genotypes. We conclude the results of this study, presenting the crop quality and yield characteristics that could be used in future plant breeding and genetic enhancement of tomato germplasm for improved food security. Based on yield characteristics, Nyagous, Korneseivje and Earliana were selected as the best and most promising genotypes.

Insect as a promising food source: implications for sustainable consumption across species. a review

Insects provide a crucial source of nutrients for human beings and many other animal species. Several insects, such as black soldier flies, house crickets, fruit flies, houseflies, and mealworms, play crucial roles in providing essential micronutrients. Processing can transform insects into different formats, including pastes, powders, and meals. Edible insects (black soldier fly, crickets) have their potential to be farmed by using organic food waste, including manure, compost, and vegetable scraps unsuitable for individual consumption. Eating insects appears to have a lower environmental impact in relation to climate change compared to raising cattle, pigs, or chickens. Consuming insects appears to offer a sustainable solution for fulfilling the nutritional needs of our expanding global community. To better comprehend the potential socio-economic advantages of insect gathering and farming, further investigation is necessary to determine how these practices can improve food security in low-income contexts. Insects appear to raise minimal concerns regarding animal welfare, though the extent to which they may experience discomfort and pain remains unclear.

Assessing the role of plant clinic advisory services in plant health improvement in Chakwal district Punjab

Plant clinic (plant-wise) is a global catalog that Punjab Agriculture Extension is currently implementing to reduce crop losses to improve food security and rural incomes. Plant clinics provide farmers with information that obligates them to lose less of their produce due to pest and disease outbreaks. Plant clinics are held once a week in a village where farmers come to get advice on crops under the protection of a shade. The goal of the desk monitoring was to assess the overall execution and the assistance provided by this initiative. The study covered the district Chakwal, and 225 total participants were randomly selected for data collection in the research area. The data was collected by a well-structured interview schedule consisting of closed-ended and open-ended questions to maintain the quality regarding farmers' perceptions of plant clinics. After data collection, it was analyzed by using SPSS. Descriptive statistical analysis, including frequencies, averages and percentages was undertaken. The results show that 55.6% of the respondents belonged to middle aged. About 60.0% work as private jobs, 44.0% attained matric level education and 60/0% of them were living in a nuclear family. According to 100.0% of the respondents, the plant clinic was providing services about disease management, pest control resources, and integrated pest management. All (100.0%) the respondents reported that extension field staff teaches them methods of weed control, pest identification, fungal and bacteria identification through plant clinic. About 66.7% of the respondents learned the manure application from plant clinic activities. According to 100.0% of the respondents, disease identification and control of the disease were very important. All (100.0%) of the respondents never visited the plant clinic daily. All (100.0%) of them communicated with office calls. The vast majority (90.2%) of the respondents contacted the plant clinic through the farm visit. The majority (82.2%) of respondents disclosed that crop production increased up to 25% with the adoption of the plant clinic services advises. The majority (82.2%) of plant clinics are working with value addition. All (100.0%) of the respondents had awareness about the disease’s services, pest identification & control, seed verities recommendation, and spraying technique services. About all (98.2%) of them also stated that they had increased awareness about the fertilizer’s application services from the plant clinic. The majority (82.7%) of the respondents enhanced awareness about the disease’s services, pest identification & control, seed varieties recommendation, and spraying technique services.

Hyperfidelis: A Software Toolkit to Empower Precision Agriculture with GeoAI

The potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in agriculture for improving crop yields and reducing the use of water, fertilizers, and pesticides remains a challenge. The goal of this work was to introduce Hyperfidelis, a geospatial software package that provides a comprehensive workflow that includes imagery visualization, feature extraction, zonal statistics, and modeling of key agricultural traits including chlorophyll content, yield, and leaf area index in a ML framework that can be used to improve food security. The platform combines a user-friendly graphical user interface with cutting-edge machine learning techniques, bridging the gap between plant science, agronomy, remote sensing, and data science without requiring users to possess any coding knowledge. Hyperfidelis offers several data engineering and machine learning algorithms that can be employed without scripting, which will prove essential in the plant science community.

Sociodemographic Factors and Policy Implications for Improved Food Security

Ensuring food security is a pressing challenge facing East Kalimantan, and practical solutions are necessary. With the impending relocation of Indonesia's capital to this region, it's crucial to evaluate the area's food security in light of projected population growth and economic shifts. Prior to the new capital city project, it's essential to understand East Kalimantan's socio-economic factors to develop policies that strengthen food security for the future. This research uses logistic regression to analyze data from the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) module of the 2021 National Socio-Economic Survey (Susenas-BPS). The results show that 14.75% of households experience food insecurity, while 85.25% maintain food security. Factors such as education, family size, land ownership, marital status, employment, residence, and retirement security influence food security status significantly. However, age, gender, and home ownership have little impact. Notably, agricultural workers are more likely to experience food insecurity, while education and land ownership correlate with higher food security. Additionally, larger families are more vulnerable to food insecurity.

Implementation of solopreneurship in women farmers groups (KWT) with utilization of local food to improve food security and family economy

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on the economic and business sectors in Indonesia. The pandemic has affected household food security not only in the economic sector but also in the household sector. The number of households experiencing food insecurity has increased as they cannot meet their food needs. In Sleman Regency, a forum for women farmer's groups (KWT) sells local food. One quite active is in Moyudan and Minggir Region, but the sales are not optimal, and not all have received training. Therefore, this study aims to see changes in KWT's knowledge, improve their marketing after training, and increase their economic status. Methods: This research was conducted in Sleman Regency, DIY. The training target involved the KWT in Moyudan and Minggir Region forums. We collected primary data from KWT characteristics (24 groups) and pre-post-test scores for each training (46 and 27 participants). The activities include 1) socialization of the program and bazaar of KWT products; 2) training of KWT; 3) packaging design and accompaniment; and 4) developing module training. Results: Most of KWT produces dry foods, such as vegetable and fruit chips, and shredded. Most of KWT's businesses (75.0%) are still running, although some have stopped due to difficulty in promotion during the pandemic. The obstacles experienced by KWT were using technology, arranging home industry food permits (P-IRT), and marketing. Training 1 and 2 pre-tests and post-test results increased only a little since the participants already had good knowledge (62.5% and 85.5% mainly answered correctly). However, many participants still answered incorrectly regarding the halal certification and food licensing. Ten KWTs succeeded in designing product logos and were assisted in making new, more attractive designs. Conclusion: The accompaniment can help KWT maximize its potential to improve the community's economic status.

A Long-term Interpretation of the Effect of COVID-19 on Food Security: A Lesson for the Future Pandemic Diseases

Background: The global spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) could trigger a food security crisis affecting not only impoverished individuals but also urban residents in low- and middle-income countries. Objectives: Given that various strains of COVID-19 impact food security differently, we assessed the food security status of households in Semnan province, Iran, during and after the containment of the omicron variant. Methods: Data from 231 households were gathered using a standard questionnaire that evaluated socioeconomic characteristics, food security based on the U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module, and vulnerability to food insecurity. A quantitative model was utilized to identify factors associated with food insecurity during and post-pandemic. Results: The findings indicated an improvement in household food security following the management of COVID-19, with significant differences observed in food security levels, especially concerning severe food insecurity, during versus after the COVID-19 period. The quantitative model analysis revealed that, with the exception of the head of household's occupation status, personal savings, and the number of educated and employed members within a household, all variables significantly correlated with food security (P < 0.05). Conclusions: These outcomes highlight how the relationship between socioeconomic factors and food security levels may vary depending on the pandemic's timing, environmental conditions, and household resilience, underlining the importance of adaptive policymaking that responds to current circumstances and the evolving links between socioeconomic determinants and food security.

Efektifitas Pengelolaan Manajemen Pergudangan Terhadap Sistem Distribusi Beras pada Pemerintah Daerah DKI Jakarta

DKI Jakarta experienced the rice production deficit of 99.61% in 2020. The problem arised because DKI Jakarta could fulfill its rice necessity from other cities and the poor management of the warehouse and distribution system. The aim of the study is to propose a warehouse management to improve the effective distribution system. The study used qualitative descriptive research method. There were 16 officials of the warehouse management and distribution system in PT. Tjipinang Jaya Food Station as the participants. The data was processed using the credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability tests approaches. The results of the study indicate that the warehouse management and distribution system in PT. Tjipinang Jaya Food Station is considered ineffective and inefficient in improving food security operation in DKI Jakarta. The evidence found is the absorption or the less than demand purchase of the product, which is 2,665 tons with a total demand of 688,226 tons. The problem with inequality distribution, decreased quantity in the distribution process, raw materials received delay, unfulfilled delivery of finished material to consumers and uncertainty of the warehouse utilization planning are factors needed to be restored continuously in the future.

Climate policy and the SDGs agenda: how does near-term action on nexus SDGs influence the achievement of long-term climate goals?

The sustainable development goals (SDGs) represent the global ambition to accelerate sustainable development. Several SDGs are directly related to climate change and policies aiming to mitigate it. This includes, among others, the set of SDGs that directly influence the climate, land, energy, and water (CLEW) nexus (SDGs 2, 6, 7, 13, 15). This study aims at understanding the synergies and trade-offs between climate policy and the SDGs agenda: how does near-term action on SDGs influence long-term climate goals? Based on a multi-model comparison, we evaluate three scenarios: (i) reference; (ii) climate mitigation; and (iii) a CLEW nexus SDGs scenario. We find clear positive effects of combining the climate and the sustainable development agendas. Notably, healthier diets, with reduced meat consumption, have strong co-benefits for climate, with positive effects across multiple SDGs: improvements in food security, reductions in air pollution and water stress, and improvements in biodiversity conservation. Such positive outcomes are prominent in the Global South, where regions typically at higher risk of food and energy insecurity and other environmental stresses (e.g. Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Latin America) benefit from a shorter term agenda focusing not only on the climate but also on the other sustainable development dimensions. However, trade-offs are also observed (e.g. increases in the prices of food and electricity), especially in the dynamics of land and the food systems, highlighting the importance of exploring policy synergies: if individually applied, some measures can negatively impact other sustainability goals, while taking into consideration the nexus interactions can reduce trade-offs and increase co-benefits. Finally, near-term action on SDGs can help speed up the transition towards the long-term climate goals, reducing the reliance on negative emissions options. In 2100, the SDG scenario in significantly less reliant on carbon dioxide removals both from AFOLU and the energy system.

Estimating Rural Premium and Financial Crisis Effect on the Nexuses between Food, Energy, and Water Consumption on Urban-Rural Income Gap in South–Eastern Asian Countries Using Pooled Regression Analysis

Poverty and inequality reduction and access to affordable clean energy and clean water are among the global sustainable development goals. Yet, researchers have overlooked how food, energy, and water (FEW) resources can be instrumental in reducing the urban-rural income gap. In this article, ordinary least squares regression analysis was used to estimate rural premium and financial crisis effect on the nexuses between food, energy, and water consumption on urban-rural income gap using a sample of data pooled from three Asian countries: China, India, and Indonesia over 2000 to 2019. No significant urban or crisis effect on the poverty rate was established. However, a significant crisis effect on the poverty gap was established, but not on the urban premium. A significant positive interaction between food insecurity and water was established. Water supply improves agricultural production, improves food security, and reduces poverty by raising income. However, modern clean energy is associated with rising income inequality. Modern energy technologies benefit a few wealthier individuals investing in the energy and agriculture sectors. Therefore, improved water access, particularly to support food production and affordability, and efficient utilization of clean fuels and technologies among all individuals, regardless of socio-economic class, are crucial to escaping poverty and achieving prosperity.

An Evaluation of Command Agriculture and Food Security Among Communal Farmers in Rural Zimbabwe

The Zimbabwean government commissioned the Command Agriculture Programme as one of the follow-up programmes to the land reform programme in 2016–2017 seasons. The programme sought to increase food and nutrition security and reduce import bill by increasing sustainable agricultural production. Mixed sentiments and debates have emerged on whether the programme has been effective enough to fulfil its objective. In light of this background, this research sought to assess the effectiveness of Command Agriculture among communal farmers in Murehwa district who have been part of the beneficiaries of the scheme. The research is evaluative in nature as it adopted one of the OECD evaluation criteria of establishing the effectiveness of a programme. The evaluation placed much emphasis on the outcome level results as well as on implementation processes. Key informant interviews, focus group discussions and questionnaires were used in this study. The major finding was that there has only been a marginal improvement in food security and productivity in the beneficiary households. This means that sustainable food access, availability, utilisation and stability, which entails food security, has been low in the district in terms of feeding to the overall objective of the programme. Strict monitoring and evaluation is recommended for programme efficiency and effectiveness.

Does urban agriculture contribute to food security, and how might this be achieved?

Food system challenges exacerbate inequalities in access to fresh healthy food and threaten food security. Lack of food security, referred to as food insecurity, is associated with poorer physical and mental health outcomes and has been identified as a key challenge to address by calls for food system transformation. Increasing food production through urban agriculture, the production of fruit and vegetables in urban areas, has been identified as a potentially effective contributor to food system transformation, but the effect of this on household or UK-level food security is unclear. This paper reviews international evidence of urban agriculture's impact on food security. While findings are mixed, available evidence suggests that urban agriculture makes a modest, yet positive, contribution to food security by facilitating the availability of and access to fresh fruit and vegetables to food insecure households. In the UK, studies have shown this to be particularly beneficial during times of food system disruption. Capitalising on such benefits to improve food security requires government investment and support at both the national and local level, therefore increasing access to land for food growing, reducing costs of related resources, and collaboration with existing community groups to enhance sharing of skills and expertise, are identified as avenues for exploration that may help to achieve this. This review also highlights opportunities for future research in this field that may strengthen the quality of the evidence supporting urban agriculture's impact on food security.

Persistent Food Insecurity and Material Hardships: A Latent Class Analysis of Experiences among Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants in Urban Colombia.

The causes and conditions of displacement often increase the vulnerability of migrant and refugee populations to food insecurity, alongside other material hardships. We aimed to examine the multidimensional aspects and patterns of food insecurity and other material hardships in a cross-sectional sample of 6221 Venezuelan refugees and migrants in urban Colombia using a latent class analysis. Using multinomial and logistic regression models, we investigated the demographic and migratory experiences associated with identified classes and how class membership is associated with multiple health outcomes among Venezuelan refugees and migrants, respectively. Approximately two thirds of the sample was comprised cisgender women, and the participants had a median age of 32 years (IQR: 26-41). Four heterogeneous classes of food insecurity and material hardships emerged: Class 1-low food insecurity and material hardship; Class 2-high food insecurity and material hardship; Class 3-high income hardship with insufficient food intake; and Class 4-income hardship with food affordability challenges. Class 2 reflected the most severe food insecurity and material hardships and had the highest class membership; Venezuelans with an irregular migration status were almost 1.5 times more likely to belong to this class. Food insecurity and material hardship class membership was independently associated with self-rated health, mental health symptoms, and recent violence victimization and marginally associated with infectious disease outcomes (laboratory-confirmed HIV and/or syphilis infection). Social safety nets, social protection, and other interventions that reduce and prevent material hardships and food insecurity among refugees and migrants, alongside the host community, may improve public health, support development, and reduce healthcare costs. In the long term, regularization and social policies for migrants aimed at enhancing refugees' and migrants' social and economic inclusion may contribute to improving food security in this population.

Spatial data infrastructure as the means to assemble geographic information necessary for effective agricultural policies in Pakistan

Geospatial information is used to regularly estimate agricultural production for improving food security and economic indicators. Particularly, such estimates are vital for agriculture-based economies like Pakistan. However, poorly managed spatial information causes inaccurate agricultural estimates. Consequently, public policies such as agriculture policies often remain unsustainable to secure enough food and to uplift the rural economy. Against this backdrop, the main objective of this paper is to identify types of spatial datasets, categorize them based on relative importance, and propose a framework to seamlessly disseminate those datasets to agricultural policy-makers in Pakistan. To do so, first of all, the literature is reviewed and a preliminary list of data is prepared. Then we make use of the Delphi survey to prepare the final list of the data. The data are also categorized into most important, very important, and important datasets. The results of the study revealed that the four most important spatial datasets include; hydrological, land use, agricultural census, and meteorological data. The datasets in the category of very important include six datasets; cadaster, crops, soil, pest and disease, natural hazards, and climate change data. The three datasets; remote sensing, research, and agroecological zones data fall under the category of important spatial datasets. Through implementing SDI, the identified data can be made available in one place to find and access to inform policies, the paper concludes.

Financial inclusion and nutrition among rural households in Rwanda

Abstract Using Rwandan Integrated Household Living Conditions surveys (2013/2014 and 2016/17), we investigate whether financial inclusion leads to improved nutrition in rural Rwanda. Our empirical evidence shows a robust positive impact of financial inclusion by formal financial institutions, although informal institutions like tontines were ineffective in improving food expenditure or nutrition. Furthermore, the heterogeneous marginal effects of financial inclusion reduce the gender gap between the food expenditure and nutrition of female- and male-headed households. The results, hence, suggest that the country should promote formal financial inclusion to provide wide-ranging welfare effects by improving food security, nutrition and food expenditure in its rural communities.

Peatland Forest Fire Mitigation Policies: Impact on Traditional Farmer’s Food Security and Environmental Improvement

Indonesia is one of the countries with the most vulnerable food security to the effects of climate change. Peatlands have a considerable potential for crop production, but they must be managed carefully. The government issued a regulation restricting burning the land for farming preparation in response to forest and land fires on peatlands. Unfortunately, traditional farmers lost their food security due to that policy. This research aims to: i) analyze farmers’ food security and its impact on improving the environment after the policy banning burning in land preparation. Data was collected through interviews, field observations, and focus group discussions. The acquired data is analyzed qualitatively and descriptively. According to the study’s findings, their land no longer supports farmer’s food availability, and they must pursue new livelihoods to afford to buy their daily needs from the nearest market. Food utilization is still superficial. Farmers’s food stability is extremely fragile due to the impact of policies, pest invasions, droughts, and floods. Although the policy bans burning in land preparation causes farmers to lose their self-sufficient food security, it has improved peatland ecosystems. The government must strengthen community empowerment programs to restore farmers’ food security.

Fostering Food Security through Farmers’ Intentions to Embrace Climate-Smart Agriculture: Unraveling the Impact of Attitude, Subjective Norms, and Behavioral Control

Food security is a global challenge exacerbated by climate change, especially in lower-income countries. Promoting the implementation of climate-smart agricultural techniques holds significant importance to addressing this issue. This research investigates how farmers’ attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control impact a certain aspect/area on their intention to adopt CSA practices, ultimately contributing to increased food security. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior framework, this study investigates how farmers’ attitudes toward CSAs, subjective norms within their social networks, and perceived ability to implement these practices influence their intentions to adopt CSAs. Data was collected through surveys and interviews with farmers in Cohen’s table to determine the required sample size. Our findings show that farmers’ attitudes towards CSA positively and significantly influence their intention to adopt climate-smart agricultural practices. Additionally, subjective norms are critical in shaping these intentions, indicating that social influence and support networks within farming communities are important in driving CSA adoption. Further, perceived behavioural control emerged as an important factor, highlighting the importance of farmers’ confidence in their ability to implement CSA practices. This research underscores the importance of encouraging positive attitudes, strengthening social networks, and building farmers’ confidence in adopting CSA practices to improve food security in lower-income countries. Policymakers, agricultural extension services, and development organizations can leverage these insights to formulate strategies and interventions to encourage the adoption of implementing climate-smart agriculture practices is essential to safeguard food security amidst the challenges posed by climate change.