Sustainable Nutrition Security Research Articles

Optimizing protein content prediction in rice bean (Vigna umbellata L.) by integrating near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy, MPLS, deep learning, and key wavelengths selection algorithms

Rice bean, a potential protein-rich underutilized crop, can serve as a valuable source for food and feed, contributing to sustainable food and nutrition security. However, traditional methods for measuring protein content are laborious, tedious, and expensive. This study evaluates the performance of Modified Partial Least Squares (MPLS) and 1D Convolutional Neural Network (1D CNN) models in predicting protein content in rice bean using Near-Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy (NIRS) data. Both models were validated with whole spectra, key wavelengths, and spectral segments derived from Genetic Algorithm (GA), Ant Colony Optimization (ACO), Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), and Competitive Adaptive Reweighted Sampling (CARS). The 1D CNN model demonstrated superior predictive performance, with an 11 % increase in R² and an 18 % increase in RPD using the whole spectra compared to the MPLS model. Specifically, the 1D CNN model with CARS-selected wavelengths achieved an R² of 0.82 and an RPD of 2.15, while the MPLS model achieved an R² of 0.84 and an RPD of 2.25. The segmented spectra approach further enhanced the 1D CNN model's performance, achieving the highest R² of 0.84 and an RPD of 2.28 with CARS-selected segments. These results highlight that the 1D CNN model with CARS-selected wavelengths provides the best predictive performance for protein content in rice bean. The optimized method can lead to rapid early-phase breeding practices and improved quality assessments in leguminous crops, emphasizing the importance of integrating advanced modeling techniques with NIRS for agricultural applications.

Knowledge Based Millet Trainings for Sustainable Nutritional Security in the Tribal Communities of Andhra Pradesh

India, home to the world's largest tribal population of 10.43 crore as per the 2021 census, heavily relies on millet farming for food security in tribal communities. Millets, often termed Nutri-cereals or superfoods, are resilient to poor soil and harsh climates and provide essential nutrients like iron, calcium, and dietary fiber, addressing widespread nutritional deficiencies. Despite their advantages, millet farming faces significant challenges due to climate change, land degradation, water scarcity, and rising food prices. The research sampled with 240 women from three Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) in the Alluri Sitharamaraju (ASR) district was included for the study. Structured interview Schedule and a five-point continuum were used to evaluate the tribal women views towards training given on millet cultivation, post-harvest practices, and value addition techniques. Findings revealed a general positive response to the training, particularly in areas like field preparation and nutrient management. However, challenges persist, such as limited access to resources, modern processing equipment, and proper storage facilities. Addressing these issues is crucial for improving the livelihoods of tribal women and promoting sustainable agricultural practices. Enhanced infrastructure, timely financial support, and continuous capacity-building are essential for maximizing the benefits of millet farming in tribal areas, contributing to food security and economic development.

From 'Farm to Fork': Exploring the Potential of Nutrient-Rich and Stress-Resilient Emergent Crops for Sustainable and Healthy Food in the Mediterranean Region in the Face of Climate Change Challenges.

In the dynamic landscape of agriculture and food science, incorporating emergent crops appears as a pioneering solution for diversifying agriculture, unlocking possibilities for sustainable cultivation and nutritional bolstering food security, and creating economic prospects amid evolving environmental and market conditions with positive impacts on human health. This review explores the potential of utilizing emergent crops in Mediterranean environments under current climate scenarios, emphasizing the manifold benefits of agricultural and food system diversification and assessing the impact of environmental factors on their quality and consumer health. Through a deep exploration of the resilience, nutritional value, and health impacts of neglected and underutilized species (NUS) such as quinoa, amaranth, chia, moringa, buckwheat, millet, teff, hemp, or desert truffles, their capacity to thrive in the changing Mediterranean climate is highlighted, offering novel opportunities for agriculture and functional food development. By analysing how promoting agricultural diversification can enhance food system adaptability to evolving environmental conditions, fostering sustainability and resilience, we discuss recent findings that underscore the main benefits and limitations of these crops from agricultural, food science, and health perspectives, all crucial for responsible and sustainable adoption. Thus, by using a sustainable and holistic approach, this revision analyses how the integration of NUS crops into Mediterranean agrifood systems can enhance agriculture resilience and food quality addressing environmental, nutritional, biomedical, economic, and cultural dimensions, thereby mitigating the risks associated with monoculture practices and bolstering local economies and livelihoods under new climate scenarios.

Role of MGNREGA for the Sustainable Nutritional Security among Rural Women in Tiruchirappalli District: A Field level study

Role of MGNREGA for the Sustainable Nutritional Security among Rural Women in Tiruchirappalli District: A Field level study

Multisectoral approaches for sustainable food and nutrition security actions in Ethiopia

Ethiopia has demonstrated a commitment to tackling the high burden of Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) challenges by developing and implementing various policies, strategies, and programs. Despite the efforts, the current FNS situation is of significant public health concern observed by various nutrition indices. The narrative review aimed to appraise multisectoral policy, strategic and programmatic initiatives aimed at addressing FNS challenges and identify entry points for enhancing coherent and integrated FNS approaches. The review involved broad literature research using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A total of 1,086 articles and grey literature were identified. Out of this, 47 full-text articles and documents met the selection criteria and were included in this review. Evidence was synthesized in themes to characterize the successes and challenges of key FNS policies, strategies, and programs and identify potential areas of improvement to enhance multisectoral actions and address FNS challenges. Overall, Ethiopia has made considerable progress in enhancing FNS through the implementation of a range of FNS policies, strategies, and programs such as the National Nutrition Program (NNP), Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP), and Agricultural Growth Program (AGP) among others. These efforts have resulted in notable achievements, such as the reduction of the prevalence of undernourishment from 47.0% in 2000 to 24.9% in 2020 and the reduction of stunting among children under five years from 57.4% to 35.2% over the same period. Nonetheless, the pace of progress has been hindered by various contextual and programmatic challenges such as climatic shocks, poverty, high inflation, political instability, limited access to production resources, inadequate coverage of FNS interventions, inadequate financing, and inadequate multisectoral coherence and integration. A comprehensive and integrated multisectoral FNS approach focusing on enhancing commitment, planning, coordination, financing, capacity building, and accountability across sectors and levels is imperative. Strengthening coherence across various sectors, alongside the operationalization of robust multisectoral monitoring and evaluation systems highlighted in the National Food and Nutrition Strategy, constitutes the most suitable entry points for ensuring sustainable advancement in mitigating the prevailing FNS challenges in Ethiopia. Key words: Food and nutrition security, policy and program, multisectoral approaches, Integration, Ethiopia

Evaluation of fertilizer type and rate of application on tomato fruit quality

Growing vegetables is seen as a promising method for ensuring sustainable food and nutrition security in the tropics. The rise in demand for tomatoes in this region has influenced production practices and strategies to meet local and export needs. Many tropical countries have expanded their tomato cultivation to fulfill local demand and potentially generate income from exports, as they have become increasingly important for food and nutrition security. Various successful production systems have been implemented around the world to grow tomatoes. However, Zimbabwean farmers are experiencing decreased yields and shorter shelf lives of tomatoes due to insufficient use of calcium, despite the pivotal role agrochemicals have played in boosting global agricultural production. This study aimed to assess the impact of different types and levels of basal chemical fertilizers on tomato quality. The three types of basal fertilizers used were Compound D [7:14:7], Gypsum, and a combination of both in equal proportions. These fertilizers were applied at rates of 50, 100, and 200 kg/ha. A Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replications was utilized for the study. Tomato quality parameters such as ripe fruit count, size, disease prevalence, firmness, total soluble solids, weight loss, and shelf-life were measured. The results revealed significant differences (p<0.05) between the application rates and types of basal chemical fertilizers. The combination of Compound D and Gypsum had the most noTable effect, as the addition of calcium and sulfur improved the quality of tomato fruits. Ultimately, it was concluded that the best tomato quality was achieved when using a combination of Compound D and Gypsum at a rate of 200 kg/ha. These findings highlight the urgent need to promote the use of gypsum in tomato production

Neglected Millets, Crop Diversity and Nutritional Security: Paradox of Millets in India

Crop diversity, millet crops and their erosion are matters of rising concern. Millets are known in several ways to various stakeholders. Some people consider millets as climate-resilient, climate-smart, eco-friendly, contingency and future crops; as nutri-cereals, nutraceuticals, smart and future foods. For some people, millets are ‘neglected millets’, ‘underutilized millets’, neglected and under-utilized crops/species; they are often undervalued as ‘minor millets’, minor crops and coarse grains. For some other, millets are stigmatized as ‘marginalized grains’, ‘marginalized millets’, ‘marginalized crops’ and crops for the poor. At the empirical dimension, on one hand, the traditional producers and consumers of millets from tribal and rural areas are losing and lacking interest in such cultivation and consumption. On the other hand, there is a reinvention of tradition, as nutritional values and health benefits of millets are realized by the urbanites and educated sections. Thus, I see a paradox of millets. Therefore, the present article studies the status of traditional and ‘neglected’ millets and also the trends of their cultivation and consumption. It identifies the opportunities, constraints and challenges for millets use for achieving sustainable food security and nutritional security and towards the Sustainable Development Goal 2.

Sustainability of the Philippine food system

Understanding the status of the Philippine food system is vital in identifying pathways to improve sustainable nutrition security in the country. In the present study, we quantitatively examined the sustainability status of the Philippine food system using the Sustainable Nutrition Security (SNS) metrics. The country’s food system obtained low scores for resilience, food nutrient adequacy, ecosystem stability, and food safety, while better scores were obtained for sociocultural wellbeing, food affordability and availability, and waste and loss reduction. The Philippine food production and supply face important challenges in diversification, coupled with socioeconomic disparities. Potential convergence points among relevant stakeholders were identified to improve the diversity of the food supply chain and to develop the overall resilience of the Philippine food system.

Growing Green: Sustainable Agriculture Meets Precision Farming: A Review

Precision farming involves the use of advanced technologies such as the global positioning system (GPS), sensors and data analytics to make informed decisions on crop management. The integration of sustainable agriculture principles with precision farming techniques offers a holistic approach to address the challenges faced by modern agriculture. This review explores the convergence of sustainable agriculture and precision farming practices, aiming to enhance the efficiency, productivity and environmental sustainability of modern farming systems. The review delves into the principles of precision farming, which involves the use of advanced technologies such as GPS, sensors and data analytics to optimize resource use and improve crop yields. The integration of sustainable practices within precision farming frameworks is a central focus, emphasizing the importance of environmental supervision, soil health and biodiversity conservation. This review also highlights the collaboration between cutting-edge agricultural technologies and environment friendly farming practices, illustrating a path forward for the agriculture industry towards a sustainable and resilient nutritional security.

Tree tomato: Underutilized vegetable for sustainable nutritional and economic security

Tree tomato is an underutilized high-value vegetable possessing high functional value to satisfy the needs of health-conscious people. Its fruits contain a diverse range of nutrients and bioactive compounds including vitamins, minerals, dietary fibers, polyphenols, anthocyanin, and carotenoids possessing potent nutraceutical properties. The presence of a wide range of bioactive compounds makes the fruits excellent antioxidative, antiproliferative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-obese food constituents. The crop has not yet been explored to full of its potential. Germplasm conservation strategies, hybridization, micropropagation, polyploidy, genetic engineering, genome editing etc. have been successfully utilized for the development of cultivars with improved traits in many crops and can be of help for the potential improvement of tree tomatoes. Nowadays, the changing food consumption patterns have resulted in an increased interest in the consumption of tree tomatoes. Advanced technologies for the development of value-added products with minimized losses, enhanced stability and bioavailability of bioactive compounds, and optimization of processes to preserve the functionality of the product need the attention of the scientific community. This paper summaries the functional characterization of major bioactive compounds, improvement strategies, and the effect of processing on quality traits along with futuristic approaches for the potential improvement of tree tomatoes.

Nutritional and health benefits of millets: a review article

Abstract This review article systematically examines the nutritional composition, health benefits, and economic significance of millets. A comprehensive search of academic databases, including PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar, was conducted to collect relevant literature from scientific journals, books, and reports. Millets are small-seeded grasses cultivated globally as cereal crops, and they are recognized for their resilience and adaptability to various climates, particularly in regions with low or erratic rainfall. India stands out as the world’s largest millet producer. This review focuses on the nutritional value of millets, which are high in dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and proteins. Additionally, millets are suitable for individuals with celiac disease or gluten intolerance due to their gluten-free nature. Moreover, millets offer several health benefits, such as preventing diabetes, cardiovascular conditions, and some types of cancer. The cultivation of millets requires relatively low inputs compared to other cereals, as they demand less water and exhibit resilience to diseases and pests. The growing season for millets is very brief. Despite their nutritional and agronomic advantages, millets have received less attention than wheat, rice, and maize. However, there is a growing interest in millets due to its potential to support sustainable agriculture, nutrition, and food security. Observations from the review underscore the importance of millets as a wholesome and sustainable food source with significant health benefits. However, further research is necessary to fully explore their potential and promote their cultivation and consumption on a larger scale.

A critical review on integrating bio fortification in crops for sustainable agricultural development and nutritional security

Numerous developing nations face epidemics that are characterized by nutritional deficiencies in both humans and animals. A further threat to nutritional quality is posed by the lack of dietary diversity, which consists predominantly of cereal-based crops lacking in essential mineral nutrients. Cereals and pulses are major food crops in backward countries; however, they often lack essential compounds, macronutrients, and micronutrients, resulting in imbalanced nutrition. Widespread malnutrition, characterized by ailments such as anemia, rickets, and scurvy, is a direct consequence of this nutritional imbalance. It is crucial to bio-fortify cereals and pulses to provide the population with balanced diets and reduce malnutrition. New breeding techniques (NBTs) such as gene editing, gene overexpression, and gene transfer from wild relatives offer alternative avenues to obtain crops with optimal nutritional profiles. This review delves into the significance of bio fortification in enhancing food crops and explores the utilization of advanced breeding methods for the development of novel bio fortified crop varieties, thereby tackling nutritional security within the realm of agriculture. It conveys a message to researchers regarding the considerable potential of bio fortification to enhance crop productivity while enriching crops with additional nutrients.

FRONT-END NUTRITION LABELING AND ECO-LABELING MODELS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PROMOTION

Creating food systems that provide healthy food for everyone without exploiting human or planetary resources, is one of the greatest challenges of this century. Front-end nutrition labeling and eco-efficiency systems have been proposed as a means of addressing health disparities and sustainable food and nutrition security. The aim of the study is the exploratory analysis of existing front-end nutrition labeling and eco-efficiency systems in order to make informed decisions about the further development of an effective labeling system. To carry out the study, the method of systematic document review and data triangulation was applied. The review provided information on the impact of color-coded labels and warnings in driving consumer purchasing behavior towards healthier products. Each labeling system had different attributes that should be taken into account when developing front-end nutrition labeling and eco-efficiency policies, depending on local contexts. However, front-end labeling is unlikely to be a panacea for changing consumer behavior but can target small incremental changes at different levels and actors in the food system.

Policy gaps and food systems optimization: a review of agriculture, environment, and health policies in South Africa.

South Africa faces the triple burden of malnutrition, high poverty levels, unemployment, and inequality. "Wicked problems" such as these require innovative and transdisciplinary responses, multi-stakeholder coordination and collaboration, managing complex synergies and trade-offs, and achieving sustainable outcomes. Through qualitative content analysis of national and provincial sector-based policies, we explored the interlinkages between the agriculture, environment, and health sectors in South Africa in the context of sustainable food and nutrition security and the extent to which these interlinkages are integrated into policy and planning. A systemic analysis of the review outcomes was performed to identify its main learning outcome, the status quo in the policy process. The nature of feedback loops was identified, and a leverage point was suggested. The review highlighted that policymakers in the agriculture, environment and health sectors are aware of, and have understood, the relationships among the three sectors. They have also made attempts to address these interlinkages through collaboration and coordination. Unfortunately, this has been met with several challenges due to fragmented sector-specific mandates and targets and a lack of resources for integrated solutions. This creates implementation gaps and unintended duplication of activities, leading to poor service delivery. Transitioning to sustainable and healthy food systems will only be possible after these gaps have been closed and implementation optimization has been achieved. Focusing on meta-level problem-framing, functional collaboration through transdisciplinary approaches, and integrated targets are critical to successful policy implementation and progressive realization of national goals related to sustainable food and nutrition security, unemployment, poverty, and inequality.

Crop diversity, sustainable food and nutritional security among smallholder farmers in Ghana

PurposeThe nexus between sustainable agri-food production and food security outcomes of farm households in sub-Saharan Africa is attracting policy attention. This study analyzes the effects of crop diversity on the incidence of food scarcity, dietary diversity, and the sale and consumption of own crops.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses panel data collected in 2015 and 2018 on a randomly selected sample of 2553 households from 49 villages in northern Ghana. The study employed a fixed effects modeling approach in the empirical analysis.FindingsThe study finds that crop diversity is positively associated with better dietary diversity, reduced hunger, lower food expenditure, and higher consumption of own produce. The results show positive effects of crop diversity on the total harvested output and sale of agricultural production. Whilst sales improved sustainable food and nutrition security by providing purchasing power to buy nutritional inputs in the market, consumption of own produce rather improved food availability by reducing food scarcity and malnutrition.Practical implicationsCrop diversity is one of the pathways for promoting sustainable agri-food production systems to ensure the food and nutritional security of vulnerable populations and promote biodiversity to achieve environmental goals in sub-Saharan Africa. Crop diversity reduces food expenditure and raises rural incomes through improved outputs and sales, which empowers farm households to diversify their dietary options to be able to overcome incidences of hunger and malnutrition in periods of food scarcity.Originality/valueThe present study improves the understanding of sustainable agri-food production through crop diversity and its implications on food and nutrition security outcomes. The panel data and fixed effects modelling approach address the endogeneity problem between crop diversity and household tastes and preferences.

Evaluation of the Effect of Foliar Nano Nitrogen and Zinc on Chlorophyll (SPAD) and Qualitative Traits of Green Chilli in Comparison with Urea and ZnSO4

The faulty and imbalanced application of fertilizers to chilli threatens the environment and affects the country's sustainable food and nutritional security. Variation in the method and quantity of N and Zn fertilizer application has a higher impact on the chilli production and quality. An experiment was carried out at AHRS, Bavikere, KSNUAHS, Shivamogga, to study the effect of foliar nano nitrogen and zinc application on green chilli's growth, yield and quality. There were eight treatments which replicated three times using the RCBD design. Treatment combinations of foliar nano nitrogen and zinc and foliar urea and ZnSO4 with different levels of RDN (75%, 100%, 125%) were tested against control (100% RDF). The results revealed that chilli quality parameters significantly varied with applying nano N and Zn compared to the control. Among the treatments, application of RDN (125%) and foliar nano N (0.4%) and Zn (0.4%) at 30 and 45 DAT registered significantly higher chlorophyll, oleoresin, ascorbic acid and TSS. T3 reported significantly superior ascorbic acid and oleoresin content to 14.94 per cent and 22.10 per cent over control.

Nutritional and nutraceutical potential of rice bean (Vigna umbellata) -a legume with hidden potential.

In the recent years there has been paradigm shift in global agriculture for the exploration of different underutilized crops as future potential crops. Rice bean [Vigna umbellata (Thunb.) Ohwi and Ohashi] one of the lesser known pulses among Vigna species has gained attention during last decade as food and nutritional security crop. Rice bean seeds are well-balanced source of beneficial constituents such as protein, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and anti-oxidants for health benefits and combating malnourishment in human. In the present investigation, seeds of 15 diverse rice bean accessions from north-western Himalayan region were analyzed for nutrients, anti-nutrients and nutraceutical traits. Significant differences were observed among genotypes for different traits. The rice bean genotypes revealed variation for major quality traits including total carbohydrates (50.56-56.87%), crude protein content (22.56-25.97%) and lipid content (1.87 to 3.17%) with the higher proportion of linolenic acid followed by linoleic acid which are nutritionally desirable PUFAs. The genotype IC-548758 revealed higher proportion of desirable quality traits. Among protein fractions, globulins and albumins constituted major seed storage protein fraction in rice bean seeds. The wide range variation was also observed for anti-nutrients like including raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs), phenolics, tannins, trypsin inhibitor (TI), phytic acid, lipoxygenase activity and saponin content among genotypes. Insignificant correlation among iron, zinc, magnesium and manganese revealed good selection accuracy for genetic biofortification program in rice bean. In summary, the genotype IC-548757, IC-548760 and IC-548770 revealed lower proportion of anti-nutrients, whereas, the genotype IC-548759 and IC-548757 revealed higher level of free radical scavenging activity indicating nutritional and nutraceutical superiority of these genotypes. Overall, the study revealed nutritional superiority of genotype IC-548770, IC-548758 and IC-548760 with balanced proportions of nutrients and anti-nutrients. Rice bean legume has the potential to support more sustainable and resilient food and nutritional security in future. Our study highlights the potential of different rice bean genotypes as functional ingredients for future food and nutritional security programmes.

Fertilizers for food and nutrition security in sub-Saharan Africa: An overview of soil health implications

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) faces chronic food insecurity associated with soil degradation and the peculiar aftermath of climate change and exacerbated by rising population and historically poor agricultural practices. Notably, use of mineral fertilizers has the potential to counteract soil degradation in SSA; it drives an increased agricultural production required to feed the rising population while sustaining the quality and health of soils. However, limited financial resources deprive SSA of the promise of fertilizers, wherein application rates are historically low, and regimes are characterized by unbalanced nutrient composition and poor fertilizer quality. Although current global fertilizer use is generally characterized by low efficiency, SSA is most affected due to the already low usage and the quality of available fertilizer products. About 70% of fertilizer-nitrogen is lost through unregulated transformation to ammonia, nitrous oxide, and nitrate that are either volatilized or emitted into the atmosphere or leached into water bodies. Similarly, the preponderance of fertilizer-phosphorus is lost via run-off and leaching, unavailing it to plants while overloading streams and rivers and, together with nitrate, causing eutrophication. These environmental problems are accentuated in SSA where fertilizer quantity and quality issues are already a limiting factor. Notably, recent advances happening outside of SSA indicate that nutrients, when strategically formulated, such as by nano packaging, (bio)polymer encapsulation, and tunable to respond to environmental cues, can provide multiple outcomes, particularly, healthy soils with higher productivity. Therefore, presumably, a proper synthesis of the gamut of soil properties influencing plant nutrient release and availability, options for plant exposure and uptake is critical for realizing these benefits in SSA. Despite these possibilities, there is a lack of deeper context on fertilizer-related issues as they affect food and nutrition security and the health of soils in SSA. This paper provides an overview of the fertilizer-nutrient and associated agronomic, food insecurity and soil environmental challenges and opportunities, which though not exclusive to SSA per se, can be reasoned with the peculiarity of the region. This provides the impetus to increase fertilizer use efficiency, improve soil and environmental health, sustainable crop production, and food and nutrition security in SSA.

Harnessing intra-varietal variation for agro-morphological and nutritional traits in a popular rice landrace for sustainable food security in tropical islands.

Rice crop meets the calorie and nutritional requirements of a larger segment of the global population. Here, we report the occurrence of intra-varietal variation in a popular rice landrace C14-8 traditionally grown under the geographical isolation of the Andaman Islands. Based on grain husk color, four groups were formed, wherein the extent of intra-varietal variation was studied by employing 22 agro-morphological and biochemical traits. Among the traits studied, flavonoid and anthocyanin contents and grain yield exhibited a wider spectrum of variability due to more coefficients of variation (>25%). The first five principal components (PCs) of principal components analysis explained a significant proportion of the variation (91%) and the first two PCs explained 63.3% of the total variation, with PC1 and PC2 explaining 35.44 and 27.91%, respectively. A total of 50 highly variable SSR (HvSSR) markers spanning over 12 chromosomes produced 314 alleles, which ranged from 1 to 15 alleles per marker, with an average of 6.28. Of the 314 alleles, 64 alleles were found to be rare among the C14-8 selections. While 62% of HvSSR markers exhibited polymorphism among the C14-8 population, chromosomes 2, 7, 9, and 11 harbored the most polymorphic loci. The group clustering of the selections through HvSSR markers conformed to the grouping based on grain husk coloration. Our studies on the existence and pertinence of intra-varietal variations are expected to be of significance in the realms of evolutionary biology and sustainable food and nutritional security under the changing climate.

Strategic business decisions of retailers in the edible insect value chain in Uganda

Edible insect value chains are expected to contribute to sustainable food and nutrition security, poverty alleviation and job creation in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, there is little empirical evidence on the strategic business decisions of midstream-actors in edible insect value chain. This study fills this knowledge gap by analysing the factors that influence retailers’ strategic business decisions, that is, choices of supplier, product to purchase, procurement strategy and the quantity of product purchased in the grasshopper value chain in central Uganda. Using a primary dataset collected from 500 randomly selected retailers from two districts in central Uganda, Cragg’s tobit alternative and binary probit models are applied in the empirical analysis. Retailers mainly procure grasshopper products from wholesalers and collectors. The study shows that demographic, economic, transactional and processing-related factors significantly influence retailers’ strategic business decisions in the grasshopper markets. Developing retailers’ human capital in business management practices and collective action is important to enable them to make informed strategic business decisions in the agrifood chain.