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1 Pritchard, B.; Rammohan, A.; Vicol, M. 2019. The importance of non-farm livelihoods for household food security and dietary diversity in rural Myanmar. Journal of Rural Studies, 67:89-100. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2019.02.017]
Household food security ; Living standards ; Nonfarm income ; Rural areas ; Nutrition ; Dietary factors ; Food insecurity ; Land ownership ; Landlessness ; Socioeconomic environment / Myanmar / Pakokku / Yesagyo / Kyaiklet / Maubin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049133)
(1.73 MB)
Recent processes of socio-economic change in rural Myanmar are etching significant shifts to the social distribution of advantage and disadvantage, with implications for patterns of food security and dietary quality. This paper uses original repeat cross-sectional household survey data to identify emergent relationships between land and livelihoods on the one hand, and food security and dietary quality, on the other. The paper concludes that although land ‘matters’ (landholding households are more likely to be food secure and have higher dietary diversity than landless households), this association is strongly conditioned by livelihood and seasonal circumstances. Households with livelihood arrangements articulated to the non-farm economy, whether they were landholders or landless, exhibited superior food and nutritional outcomes compared to those with livelihoods only in farming. Hence, while access to arable land remains an important factor in shaping food security and dietary diversity, of greater importance is the capacity for households to supplement their land assets with livelihood activities in the non-farm economy. This finding reinforces broader arguments that emphasise the importance of the non-farm economy as a vital shaper of wellbeing for rural households in the global South.
2 Kerr, R. B.; Kangmennaang, J.; Dakishoni, L.; Nyantakyi-Frimpong, H.; Lupafya, E.; Shumba, L.; Msachi, R.; Boateng, G. O.; Snapp, S. S.; Chitaya, A.; Maona, E.; Gondwe, T.; Nkhonjera, P.; Luginaah, I. 2019. Participatory agroecological research on climate change adaptation improves smallholder farmer household food security and dietary diversity in Malawi. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 279:109-201. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2019.04.004]
Climate change adaptation ; Agroecology ; Participatory research ; Household food security ; Smallholders ; Farmers ; Nutrition ; Dietary factors ; Agrobiodiversity ; Agricultural practices ; Strategies ; Gender ; Socioeconomic environment ; Villages / Malawi
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049399)
(2.04 MB)
This study examines whether agroecological farming practices, when employed by highly vulnerable households in sub-Saharan Africa, can improve food security and dietary diversity. The research involved a four-year study with 425 smallholder households, selected purposively based on high levels of food insecurity and/or positive HIV status. The households carried out agroecological experiments of their own choosing over a four-year period. Baseline (n = 306) and follow-up (n = 352) surveys were conducted in 2011 and 2013 respectively to assess changes in farming practices, food security, crop diversity and dietary diversity. Longitudinal mixed effects models were used with 203 matched households to estimate determinants of change in food security and dietary diversity at the population level. Qualitative interviews and focus groups were also conducted to provide depth to the survey findings. The findings show that participatory agroecology experimentation increased intercropping, legume diversification and the addition of compost, manure and crop residue amendments to the soil. Intercropping was associated with food security and the use of organic soil amendments was associated with gains in dietary diversity in bivariate analysis. Household food security and dietary diversity increased significantly over a 2-year period. Importantly, multivariate models showed that spousal discussion about farming was strongly associated with increased household food security and dietary diversity. Households who discussed farming with their spouse were 2.4 times more likely to be food secure and have diverse diets. Addition of compost or manure to the soil significantly influenced dietary diversity. These findings indicate that poor, vulnerable farmers can use agroecological methods to effectively improve food and nutritional security in sub-Saharan Africa. The study also highlights how linking agroecology to participatory research approaches that promote farmer experimentation and gender equity also lead to greater health and well-being. The study sheds light on how agroecological approaches can rapidly improve food security and dietary diversity, even under conditions of acute social, health or ecological stress. It draws attention to issues of equity and farmer-led approaches in addressing food security and nutrition.
3 Nyachoti, S.; Godebo, T. R.; Okwori, O. F.; Jeuland, M. A.; Manthrithilake, Herath. 2022. Dietary exposures to metals in relation to chronic kidney disease of unknown cause (CKDu) in Sri Lanka. Exposure and Health, 14(1):63-73. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12403-021-00418-4]
Kidney diseases ; Chronic course ; Dietary factors ; Rice ; Toxic substances ; Metals ; Risk factors ; Arsenic ; Lead ; Cadmium ; Selenium / Sri Lanka
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050676)
(2.29 MB)
Exposure to metals has been hypothesized as possible cause of chronic kidney disease of unknown cause (CKDu) in Sri Lanka; however, evidence is inconclusive. We measured the concentrations of nephrotoxic metals (As, Pb, and Cd), as well as Se in rice (a staple grain in Sri Lanka) and other grains consumed in CKDu endemic and non-endemic regions using Inductively Coupled Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Our results showed comparable mean concentrations (in µg/kg) of 24.5±18, 7.3±6.4, and 14.2±15 for As, Pb, and Cd, respectively, in rice from endemic regions and 17.7±4.7, 12.7±6.8, and 17.8±16 in rice from non-endemic regions. Selenium concentrations (in mg/kg) were 0.05±0.02 in rice cultivated in both endemic and non-endemic regions. Arsenic and Cd concentrations were significantly higher in rice compared to other grains, which themselves had higher Se than rice. All samples were below the Codex standards established for Cd (400 µg/kg for rice; 100 µg/kg for cereal grains), Pb (200 µg/kg) and inorganic As (200 µg/kg) for white rice. Our findings show that dietary exposure to low levels of As, Pb, Cd, and inadequate Se in staple grains cannot be clearly linked to CKDu, suggesting that the disease could be multifactorial. Additional research is needed to determine the contribution of other risk factors such as lifestyle habits and heat stress to plan preventive strategies for reducing CKDu health cases in Sri Lanka.
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