Security In sub-Saharan Africa Research Articles

IMPACT OF PROVINCIAL LIVESTOCK PROGRAM ON MOUNTAIN PROVINCE LIVELIHOODS: REVIEW

This literature review examines the role of livelihood projects, particularly focusing on small-scale poultry production and livelihood diversification initiatives, in promoting poverty alleviation and enhancing food security in Sub-Saharan Africa and Mountain Province, Philippines. Various studies have highlighted the potential of small-scale poultry farming to uplift rural communities by providing alternative sources of income and nutrition. However, challenges such as disease control and market access must be addressed to maximize the impact of these projects. Similarly, livelihood diversification efforts in Uganda offer opportunities for income generation and poverty reduction but require supportive policies and resources. Additionally, the enactment of Provincial Ordinance No. 264, known as the Barangay Muna Program, by the Provincial Government of Mountain Province underscores a proactive approach to addressing socio-economic needs at the grassroots level. By leveraging local resources and governance structures, these initiatives aim to promote equitable development, social cohesion, and inclusive growth within their respective contexts. Overall, this review underscores the potential of livelihood projects to foster sustainable development and improve the well-being of communities in diverse geographical settings.

Effectiveness of Two Entomopathogenic Nematodes (Nematoda: Rhabditida) Populations in Controlling Fall Armyworm [(Spodoptera Frugiperda) Lepidoptera: Noctuidae] on Maize

The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a recent invasive pest significantly impacting maize production and food security in sub-Saharan Africa. While chemical insecticides have offered the most effective control in Ghana, their detrimental effects on human health and the environment necessitate the urgent exploration of alternative, environmentally friendly options. This study compared two entomopathogenic nematodes populations, Heterorhabditis bacteriophora and Steinernema carpocapsae, against a control group (no application) for their efficacy in managing fall armyworm on maize. In the second experiment, S. carpocapsae significantly outperformed both H. bacteriophora and the control in terms of seed weight, achieving a 12.9% increase over the former and a remarkable ninefold improvement over the latter. The first experiment, however, showed no significant difference in seed yield (59 g, 32 g, 2 g) between the two nematode treatments, S. carpocapsae demonstrated the highest yield within this group. Notably, the control group exhibited the highest degree of foliage damage (4.7; 5.0) on a 1-5 scale throughout the study period. Overall, this study demonstrates the superior efficacy of S. carpocapsae compared to H. bacteriophora in controlling fall armyworm on maize. These findings provide valuable understandings for advancing the practical application of entomopathogenic nematodes as a sustainable and eco-friendly biocontrol measure against this devastating pest, contributing to enhanced food security in sub-Saharan Africa.

Does climate variability matter in achieving food security in Sub-Saharan Africa?

Food security in developing regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa is a top priority in global development discourse, as evidenced in Sustainable Development Goal 2. Yet, high climate vulnerability poses serious challenges to food security in Africa even though the literature is inconclusive. Using data from 40 selected Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries from 2000 to 2021, this paper investigates the extent to which climate variability affects food security in SSA. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is used to construct a food security index derived from its four dimensions (availability, accessibility, utilization, and stability). The proxies for climate variability included precipitation, temperature, and CO2 emissions. The Panel Corrected Standard Error (PCSE) technique, which takes into account the cross-sectional dependency, serial correlation, and heteroscedasticity, was employed. The empirical results show that precipitation and CO2 emissions influence food security positively, while the association between temperature and food security is negative. Indeed, achieving food security in Africa requires robust and feasible policies capable of mitigating climate vulnerability and impacts on the continent.

Globalization and food security in Sub-Saharan Africa

The research aimed to assess the impact of globalization and innovation on food security in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) between 2001 and 2021. The study utilized secondary data from the World Development Indicators to analyze the relationship. Food security was measured in terms of accessibility and availability, represented by the “Food Production Index (2014–2016 = 100)” and “Gross Domestic Product per Capita, PPP, Dissemination (constant 2017 international $)” respectively. The research employed a two-step System Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) to evaluate the data. The results indicated that globalization showed a direct and statistically insignificant influence on food security availability, but it had a negative and significant effect on food security accessibility. On the other hand, innovation had a direct but statistically insignificant effect on food security availability, while it had a positive and significant impact on food security accessibility. The interaction between globalization and innovation had an indirect but significant effect on food security availability and a direct and significant effect on food security accessibility. Additionally, the study found that arable land and population growth significantly influenced the availability aspect of food security, while arable land indirectly affected the accessibility aspect. Population had a direct but statistically insignificant effect on the accessibility measure of food security. Based on these findings, the study recommends that the governments of SSA countries and other stakeholders should adopt and operate integrated policy approaches that captures the diverse effects that globalization has on food security.

Communally established cattle feedlots as a sustainable livelihood option for climate change resilience and food security in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review

Climate change poses a significant threat to agriculture and livestock production in sub-Saharan Africa, a region heavily reliant on livestock for smallholder farmers’ livelihoods. This systematic review investigates the potential of communally established cattle feedlots as a sustainable strategy to address the interconnected challenges of climate change resilience and food security in the area. The review focuses on the intensification of climate change, marked by rising temperatures and altered precipitation patterns, posing a direct threat to the livelihoods of millions in the region. Conducting a systematic literature review, we meticulously analyzed 72 articles that centered on communally established cattle feedlots in sub-Saharan Africa. The inclusion criteria considered studies within the context of climate change resilience and food security, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Published articles, grey literature, and relevant reports were systematically sourced from academic databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar and Web of Science, complemented by manual searches of journals, conference proceedings, and organizational websites. The synthesis of findings reveals a nuanced landscape of successes and challenges associated with communal feedlots. Through a narrative synthesis, studies were categorized based on key themes, unraveling the impact of communal feedlots on livestock health, economic viability, and socio-economic dynamics. The review highlights the role of communal feedlots in mitigating climate-related shocks, enhancing livestock productivity, and fostering economic opportunities for smallholder farmers. However, challenges related to land tenure, community engagement, and resource allocation emerged as critical considerations. In conclusion, communally established cattle feedlots offer a holistic and sustainable approach to address climate change challenges in sub-Saharan Africa.

Stakeholder-driven transformative adaptation is needed for climate-smart nutrition security in sub-Saharan Africa

Improving nutrition security in sub-Saharan Africa under increasing climate risks and population growth requires a strong and contextualized evidence base. Yet, to date, few studies have assessed climate-smart agriculture and nutrition security simultaneously. Here we use an integrated assessment framework (iFEED) to explore stakeholder-driven scenarios of food system transformation towards climate-smart nutrition security in Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia. iFEED translates climate–food–emissions modelling into policy-relevant information using model output implication statements. Results show that diversifying agricultural production towards more micronutrient-rich foods is necessary to achieve an adequate population-level nutrient supply by mid-century. Agricultural areas must expand unless unprecedented rapid yield improvements are achieved. While these transformations are challenging to accomplish and often associated with increased greenhouse gas emissions, the alternative for a nutrition-secure future is to rely increasingly on imports, which would outsource emissions and be economically and politically challenging given the large import increases required.

International Involvement in Sovereign States: The Role of the AU in the Preservation of Peace and Security in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Case of Cameroon

The Anglophone issue, the jihadist insurgency, and Boko Haram are among the several violent conflicts that are occurring in Cameroon, along with escalating ethnic and political tensions both online and offline. Nevertheless, the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) tenet has been steadily adopted across Africa. This study's primary goal was to learn what the African Union (AU) is doing in connection to the peace and security situation in Cameroon in light of the above context. This study was descriptive in nature. Secondary data was the sole form of data used in this investigation. Information was gathered through the internet, periodicals, newspapers, books, journals, and other sources. Numerous studies show that the AU Peace and Security Council, which makes decisions on the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts,    do not address Cameroon's challenges and problems. Therefore the AU and the United Nations (UN) can coordinate their efforts in addressing the humanitarian needs of refugees and displaced people.

Morpho-phenological characteristics of exotic pigeon pea genotypes in western Burkina Faso

Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L.) is an important legume and multi-use crop, which contributes to food and nutritional security in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This crop, however, remains less popular and is thus underutilised in west Africa. The objective of this study was to characterise the morphological and phenological features of exotic pigeon pea genotypes in western Burkina Faso in order to provide an entry point for the breeding programme. The study was conducted at two sites, namely Farakoba and Kouentou, located in western Burkina Faso, involved seven exotic genotypes, namely ICP-15029, ICP-14722, ICP-8863, ICPL-20338, ICPH-2740, ICPH-2438 and ICPL-20092, sourced from ICRISAT, India. Also, two local accessions (FKB Cc1 and FKB Cc2) were included as controls. Results showed that semi-spreading (80% of the genotypes) and indeterminate growth habit (80% of the genotypes) were dominant in the genetic materials, with regards to branching pattern and growth habit, respectively. The genotypes including the two checks, were distinguished by three seed colours, viz. brown (three genotypes), dark brown (four genotypes) and grey (two genotypes). There were highly significant differences among the genotypes for phenological (P<0.001) and morphological (P<0.001) traits. The earliest genotype to flower at both sites was ICPL-20338; while the latest was ICPL-20092. A principal component analysis based on the quantitative traits showed that the first two PCs explained 91.78% of the total variation among the genotypes. The most significant contributor traits were stem diameter, leaf size, 50% flowering and plant height. Cluster analysis grouped the genotypes into five clusters.

New evidence in the relationship between trade openness and food security in Sub-Saharan Africa

BackgroundSince 2015, food insecurity has been a more serious threat than the previous years with a record high observed from the year 2020 onwards, especially in developing countries. This record could be due to response measures, notably the closure of borders due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This implies that trade openness have played an important role in achieving food security in the world. However, the debate on the effect of trade openness on food security remains no consensus in the economic literature. It is in this context that this paper aims to re-examine the effect of trade openness on food security in sub-Saharan African countries.MethodsPanel data covering 37 Sub-Saharan African countries over the period from 2004 to 2018 were mobilized. We use a dynamic empirical model based on the system Generalized Method of Moment (GMM) to control the unobserved heterogeneity and potential endogeneity of the explanatory variables. As food security is a multidimensional concept, we used four indicators (“average dietary energy supply adequacy”, “average protein supply”, “per capita food supply variability”, and “share of dietary energy supply”) to capture food security. To improve the robustness of the empirical effect of openness on food security, we also used globalization as an alternative factor to trade openness.ResultsThe empirical results show that trade openness significantly improves food security in 37 Sub-Saharan African countries. However, in the presence of political instability, a deterioration of the food security situation is observed. The results reveal also that the quality of institutions, economic growth, remittances, human capital, and the importance of the agricultural sector are also factors favouring the level of food security in sub-Saharan Africa countries.ConclusionAny policy aimed at trade openness must consider the quality of institutions to achieve the expected results.

The nexus between greenhouse gas emissions and food security in sub-Saharan Africa: A system GMM analysis

The nexus between greenhouse gas emissions and food security in sub-Saharan Africa: A system GMM analysis

How Worried Are You about Food Fraud? A Preliminary Multi-Country Study among Consumers in Selected Sub-Saharan African Countries.

Food fraud is an old, recurring, and global threat to public health. It poses a serious threat to food security in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Despite the prevalence of food fraud in SSA, little is known about how food fraud is viewed by consumers. This study aims to provide an overview of consumers' concerns about food fraud in SSA. A multi-country survey was conducted in October 2022-31 January 2023, and 838 valid responses were returned. To reduce the large and correlated dataset, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used. Five components were derived from PCA: (i) Staple foods; (ii) Premium food and drink products; (iii) Trust in reliable sources; (iv) Trust in less reliable sources; and (v) Trust in food vendors. The findings revealed Ghanaian (mean rank = 509.47) and Nigerian (mean rank = 454.82) consumers tended to score higher on the measure of food fraud concern suggesting that they were less confident in the safety and quality of the food they consume. Demographic characteristics including age, number of children, personal and family experience of food fraud and PCA components such as 'Staple foods', 'Trust in reliable sources', and 'Trust in food vendors' significantly predicted the model. This is the first preliminary study to provide empirical findings on consumers' concerns about food fraud in SSA. Practical and policy recommendations for the region are suggested. This includes (i) modelling the AfriFoodinTegrity in West Africa across other major regions such as Central, East, and Southern Africa; (ii) establish a regional sub-Saharan Africa Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (SSA-RASFF) platform; and (iii) food safety and food fraud reports could be incorporated into SSA-RASFF portal for information sharing.

Herd health and reproductive management associated with lamb weight gain and mortality in sub-Saharan drylands—a case from Ethiopia

Sheep are important for food and livelihood security in sub-Saharan Africa, and maximizing lamb weight gain while minimizing mortality is essential to improve production. Using the Menz sheep breeding villages of Amhara region in Ethiopia as a case study, the weight gain and mortality rate of 208 lambs were monitored during their first 5 months of life. The study was conducted in intervention and control villages, where the intervention villages were part of community-based breeding programmes and had participated in various projects aiming to improve sheep production and management. Multivariable linear regression analysis was conducted to detect associations between weight gain from birth to 1 month, and birth to 5 months, and different lamb and ewe characteristics, farmer education, application of management routines, and presence of village level sheep management interventions. In general, lambs from intervention villages, without certain signs of diseases, whose mothers were 2 years or older, had a body condition score of more than 2 on a 5-point scale, and who originated from flocks where disease prevention strategies had been implemented, had gained more weight. Overall lamb mortality was 6.8% with most deaths occurring before 1 month of age. This study highlights that health interventions in ewes improve lamb survival and weight gain and that the care of lambs during the first month of life is crucial for overall herd productivity.

Determinants of Simultaneous Use of Soil Fertility Information Sources among Smallholder Farmers in the Central Highlands of Kenya

Soil fertility decline is a significant drawback to food and nutritional security in sub-Saharan Africa. However, information and knowledge barriers seriously impede the adoption, effective use, and scaling up of soil fertility management innovations, especially by smallholder farmers who produce the bulk of the region’s food needs. Apart from the knowledge that smallholder farmers seek soil fertility information from diverse sources, which they apply simultaneously, there is limited knowledge of farmers’ information-seeking behaviour regarding which sources are used simultaneously and the factors influencing these choices. We employed a cross-sectional survey study design to determine the simultaneous use of soil fertility information sources of 400 smallholder farming households in the Central Highlands of Kenya. We analysed the data using descriptive statistics, principal component analysis (PCA), and a multivariate probit model. The PCA distinguished seven categories of information sources farmers use: local interpersonal, cosmopolite interpersonal, aggregative, print/demonstration, broadcast media, community-based, and progressive learning sources. The intensity of use revealed that most of the smallholders used soil fertility information sources simultaneously and primarily as complements. The determinants of simultaneous use of soil fertility information sources were farmer location, marital status, main occupation, age, farming experience, exposure to agricultural training, group membership, arable land and livestock units owned, soil fertility status, soil fertility change, and soil testing. This study’s findings have implications for information dissemination strategies involving using multiple complementary sources of knowledge for improved soil health and productivity.

Changing Climate, Changing Food Consumption? Impact of Weather Shocks on Nutrition in Malawi

In this study, we capture the impact of changing temperature and rainfall patterns on the estimated consumption of macro-and micronutrients among households in Malawi. We apply a fixed-effects model to household panel data collected between 2010 and 2017, which contains detailed information on food consumption, combined with rainfall and temperature data over the past 30 years. In turn, we aim to identify the impact of weather shocks on household food and nutrition security. We find decreases in rainfall from the long-term average results in declining daily consumption of macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein, fat), and micronutrients (iron, zinc, vitamin C, and B2). Increases in temperature from the long-term average are associated with reduced daily consumption of carbohydrates, protein, iron, zinc, vitamin A, B2, folate, and B12. These results suggest that reduced rainfall and higher temperatures will exacerbate food insecurity in Malawi. As the effects of climate change are becoming more apparent, enhancing our understanding of the effect of weather shocks on nutrition in developing countries will be vital to aid policymakers to implement targeted interventions to advance food and nutrition security in Sub-Saharan Africa. This will be essential to achieve the sustainable development goal of ‘Zero Hunger’ by 2030.

Diversity Assessment of Winged Bean [Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (L.) DC.] Accessions from IITA Genebank

The capability of winged bean to support food and nutrition security in sub-Saharan Africa is recurrently being affected by several constraints, which include a lack of genetic improvement. The dearth of adequate information on the level of available genetic diversity in winged bean germplasm has been a major setback in planning appropriate improvement programs. Fifteen winged bean accessions were assessed for genetic diversity using 10 quantitative traits and 10 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. The accessions were laid out in RCBD with three replicates for two growing seasons. Leaf samples were obtained from 10 plants representing each accession for SSR marker genotyping. The accessions exhibited significant (p < 0.05) differences for measured traits. Broad-sense heritability estimates varied from 10.31% for days to first plant maturity to 72.67% for pod weight. Pod weight had a positive and significant correlations with pod length (0.53, p < 0.05), pod width (0.70, p < 0.01), and number of seeds per pod (0.64, p < 0.01). However, the number of seeds per pod was negatively correlated with days to maturity (−0.71, p < 0.01). Number of seeds per pod was positively predicted by pod weight, seed thickness, and days to maturity. Cluster analysis delineated the accessions into two distinct groups. Average number of alleles of 4.2, gene diversity of 0.25, and polymorphic information content of 0.22 were recorded. Analysis of molecular variance revealed intra-accession variation of 95% as compared to inter-accession variation of 5%. Two primary genetic groups were identified and only three accessions, namely TPt-6, TPt-126, and TPt-48, showed genetic purity. The results of this study provide the basis for exploiting the existing diversity for winged bean improvement.

Limited environmental and yield benefits of intercropping practices in smallholder fields: Evidence from multi-source data

To ensure food security in sub-Saharan Africa, it is necessary to improve crop yields while minimizing environmental impacts. Intercropping has been demonstrated to deliver such outcomes, but their performance in smallholder fields has received limited attention therefore insufficient to capture the complexity of real-world crop fields run by smallholder farmers. This study examines the benefits and management of intercropping practices in real smallholder fields in Malawi. We collected field data on intercrop types, the number of intercropped species and maize yield in intercropped maize fields. Field data was then combined with geospatial and household survey data to investigate the yield benefits, agricultural inputs, and factors related to intercropping choices. We used Pearson correlation and Tukey’s test to test the statistical significance in the difference between intercropped fields and monoculture fields. We found that more intercrops were planted in fields with smaller sizes, drier conditions, and higher soil erosion levels, with adoption rates increasing from 75 % in 2010 to 84 % in 2020. In addition, our field data shows that intercropping is associated with reduced primary maize yield (2.7 t/ha) compared to pure maize yield (3.8 t/ha). Conversely, satellite data demonstrates an improvement in overall field yield in intercropped fields. Meanwhile, intercropped fields require higher labor inputs (11 h more per season) and increased weeding times than monocultures, however agrochemical inputs (fertilizers and pesticides) do not necessarily decrease in intercropped fields compared to monocultures. Our results suggest that while smallholder farmers in Malawi adopt intercropping to improve land use efficiency, drought resilience, and soil fertility, they are not realizing the full benefits observed in experimental trials. More evidence on the benefits and best practices of intercropping in smallholder fields is necessary in order to better understand this practice as an option for sustainable intensification.

Adoption and impact of improved amaranth cultivars in Tanzania using DNA fingerprinting

Traditional vegetables are very important for food and nutrition security in sub-Saharan Africa but have not received much attention in crop improvement research. One exception is amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) for which international breeding research began at the World Vegetable Center in Tanzania in 2004. This study is the first impact evaluation of this research program. It uses a representative sample of 1,355 amaranth-producing households from five agroecological zones of Tanzania to collect questionnaire-based data and plant material. The genetic identity of the amaranth cultivars used by the farmers was identified using DNA fingerprinting, while the impact on crop yield, production cost and sales was quantified using propensity score matching. The analysis shows that 66% of Tanzania’s cultivated area under amaranth uses cultivars derived from the amaranth breeding program. These cultivars had a mean vegetable yield that was 6.1 ton/ha higher (+ 48%; p = 0.002) than that of other cultivars, while there was no significant impact on the cost of production or quantity sold. This suggests tremendous impact of genetic improvement research in traditional vegetables.

Genomic analysis and identification of potential duplicate accessions in Burkina Faso cassava germplasm based on single nucleotide polymorphism

Cassava adaptation to climate change and its resistance to diseases are essential prerequisites for achieving food security in sub-Saharan Africa. The accessions collected from farmers’ fields are very important because they can provide new sources of genetic variability that are essential to achieve this goal. In this study, a panel of 184 accessions collected in Burkina Faso was genotyped using 36 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. The accessions and markers that presented with more than 6% missing data were removed from the dataset and the remaining 34 markers and 166 accessions were retained for genetic diversity and population structure assessment. The average values of expected heterozygosity (0.46), observed heterozygosity (0.58), and polymorphic information content (0.36) indicated high genetic diversity within accessions. A complex genetic structure of 166 accessions was observed through the formation of 17 clusters using discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) and two clusters using Bayesian analysis. Out of the 166 accessions, 79 were unique multilocus genotypes (MLGs) and 87 were potentially duplicates. From the 79 MLGs, DAPC suggested eight clusters while the Bayesian analysis suggested seven clusters. Clusters shaped by DAPC appeared to be more consistent with a higher probability of assignment of the accessions within the clusters. Principal Coordinate Analysis (PCoA) showed a lack of clustering according to geographical origin. Information related to breeding patterns and geographic origin did not allow for a clear differentiation between the clusters according to the analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA). The results of this study will be useful for cassava germplasm conservation and breeding programs.

Indigenous chicken market participation and smallholder farmers’ well-being outcomes in Chiredzi and Mwenezi Districts of Zimbabwe

Climate change and extreme weather conditions remain major threats to the attainment of well-being outcomes such as food security in sub-Saharan Africa. Thus, it is critical to identify and promote resilient value chains in order to ensure food security in the wave of extreme weather conditions such as drought. This study seeks to evaluate the effects of participating in indigenous chicken markets on smallholder farmers’ food and nutrition security in terms of household dietary diversity score. Cross-sectional data collected from 215 randomly selected farmers in Chiredzi and Mwenezi districts, Zimbabwe was used in this study. The endogenous treatment effect model was employed to determine the effects of market participation on household dietary diversity score. The findings showed that 76% of interviewed farmers participated in indigenous chicken markets. On average, participating in indigenous chicken markets increases the likelihood of having a higher household dietary diversity score by about 60%. This suggests that engagement in indigenous chicken value chain strengthens smallholder farmers’ resilience through attainment of food and nutrition security. Therefore, investment in capacity building of smallholder farmers to engage in indigenous chicken value chains should be prioritised and to support market engagement, indigenous chicken production contract arrangements with private firms should be promoted.   

Integrated Soil Fertility and Water Management Practices for Enhanced Agricultural Productivity

Declining agricultural productivity has been a challenge worldwide and especially in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Low agricultural productivity has been attributed to factors such as poor farm management practices, soil moisture stress, soil infertility, and soil degradation, among others. The nations in the SSA are prone to insufficient crop yields due to their inadequate capacity to adapt to good agricultural practices that support crop productivity such as integrated soil fertility and water management (ISFWM) practices. This lowers the farmers’ capacity to improve crop productivity, thus contributing in jeopardizing the food and nutritional security in SSA. Past research has shown that ISFWM strategies have not been properly adopted probably due to the lack of adequate awareness among the farmers about them. In addition, there is limited documentation on the importance of ISFWM in enhancement of soil fertility, water use efficiency, and sustainable crop production in SSA. This paper discusses some of the key ISFWM options that have the potential to enhance soil fertility, improve water use efficiency, and consequently increase agricultural productivity. The practices include intercropping, use of tied ridges, minimum tillage, mulching, and combined use of organic and inorganic fertilizers.