Agroecology, Food Security, and Nutrition in the Highland of Thailand

Malnutrition and food security remain serious problems in Thailand, particularly amongst ethnic minorities living in remote, upland areas. Sustainably improving local food availability through improved agricultural production has the potential to address these issues. Four Karen and 4 Lawa hill-tribe villages in Mae Chaem district, Chiang Mai, Thailand, have been investigated for their food security and nutrition status in order to formulate nutrition-sensitive agricultural interventions. A total of 172 households (98 HHs of the Karen tribe and 74 HHs of the Lawa tribe) were surveyed for their situations on food security, dietary diversity, and child-feeding practices, using household questionnaires. Focus group discussions (FGD) and in-depth interviews (with village representatives and local authorities) on agricultural and food-security issues were also done. The FGDs were done in male and female groups of both tribes. For the first (out of 3) year, it has been found out that they practice both shifting cultivation and permanent-field agriculture, with rice as the main crop. Food is locally grown, bought from the market, and gathered from the vicinity of the villages. The studied population is 50% food secure, and their dietary diversity was about 40%. Only 4 % of 209 children aged 0-5 years old had a minimum acceptable diet. Results of the FGDs showed that the female and the males managed their food systems differently. Potential interventions have been formed based on ideas from local stakeholders and international research partners in order to be tested in the second year of the project, and it will be concluded whether the interventions work or not, in the third year.

Addressing constraints in promoting wild edible plants’ utilization in household nutrition: case of the Congo Basin forest area

It is worth raising the question, why are wild edible plants (WEPs) which are rich in diverse nutrients and widely abundant underutilized despite the increasing rate of undernourishment in poor regions One reason is that their culinary uses are not quantified and standardized in nutrition surveys, and therefore, they are not properly included in household diet intensification and diversification across regions and cultures. Active steps are needed to bridge this gap. This paper outlines the constraints to including WEPs in nutritional surveys as the lack of standard ways of food identification of diverse WEPs, lack of specific food categorization and therefore difficult dissemination across regions and cultures. As a way forward, a functional categorization of 11 subgroups for WEPs is introduced and discussed. In labeling these sub-food groups, the paper advocates that more WEPs food items and culinary uses should be enlisted during household nutrition surveys. Food researchers could then capitalize these enlisted species and disseminate them to promote diverse food use of WEPs in other regions where they exist but are not utilized as food. © 2017 The Author(s).

Biodiversity and nutrition

Malnutrition remains one of the greatest global health challenges we face and women and children are its most visible and vulnerable victims. Agricultural production is theoretically able to feed the world’s population in terms of calories (FAOSTAT, 2014), yet it is estimated that half the world’s population still suffers from one or more forms of malnutrition. In all its forms, malnutrition is closely linked to disease – as both a cause and effect – and it is the single largest contributor to the global burden of disease (WHO 2012a).Countries are increasingly facing complex multiple burdens of malnutrition, with undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies coexisting with overweight and obesity in many parts of the world, often even within the same population or family (Shrimpton 2013). Based on data released in 2014, 161 million children under the age of five are estimated to be stunted, almost 1.5 billion people are estimated to be overweight, over 600 million to be obese (Ng et al. 2014) and two billion are estimated to be deficient in one or more micronutrients, a phenomenon referred to by some as “hidden hunger”. These conditions all have severe consequences for survival, for morbidity, and for the ability of individuals, the economy and society to thrive (IFPRI 2014)

Prevalence, correlates of undernutrition and intestinal parasitic infection among children below 5 years living in the forest community of Ndelele, East Region of Cameroon: A cross-sectional assessment

In low- and middle-income countries, undernutrition often co-exists with intestinal parasites, especially Soil Transmitted Helminth (STH) infections in children. The collective impact of both conditions result in undernutrition and can exacerbate the general poor health status of children. A cross-sectional survey of 422 mother-child (12–59 months old) pairs from 14 villages in the District of Ndelele, East Region of Cameroon, was carried out to assess the magnitude and correlates of undernutrition and intestinal parasites. Socio-demographic data were collected from mothers and anthropometric data were collected from children. Parasitological assessment was performed using a combination of direct microscopy flotation, sedimentation and centrifugation techniques. Correlates of undernutrition and intestinal parasites were identified using multinomial logistic regression at individual and household levels. 83.77% of the children assessed for undernutrition were undernourished and 66.82% were positive for one or more intestinal parasites. It was not uncommon for the study participants to be concurrently infected with two or more intestinal parasites. The most common intestinal parasitic infections detected in the study were A. lumbricoides, E. histolytica/dispar and Hookworm infection. Multinomial logistic regression using Nutritional status as outcome showed that, children who were not exclusively breastfed were 106% (RR = 2.06; C.I = 1.12–3.80) more likely to be underweight compared to those who were exclusively breastfed. The household size of 4 to 6 persons also significantly impacted wasting (p-value = 0.007) at 7% (RR = 1.07, C.I = 0.49–2.32). Analysis by a logistic regression model with STH infection as outcome revealed that, Fingernail cleanness (p-value = 0.044; AOR = 1.75; CI = 1.09–2.78) and household size (p-value = 0.038; AOR = 0.55; CI = 0.32–0.92) were positively associated with intestinal parasite infection at the 5% significant level. This study reveals that intestinal helminthic parasitic infections (STH) and undernutrition are serious health problems in children below five in the study area. To address this dire situation, concerted efforts are needed to improve sanitation, hygiene education access, community deworming programs, and improve diets.

Conceptual Links between Landscape Diversity and Diet Diversity: A Roadmap for Transdisciplinary Research

Malnutrition linked to poor quality diets affects at least 2 billion people. Forests, as well as agricultural systems linked to trees, are key sources of dietary diversity in rural settings. In the present article, we develop conceptual links between diet diversity and forested landscape mosaics within the rural tropics. First, we summarize the state of knowledge regarding diets obtained from forests, trees, and agroforests. We then hypothesize how disturbed secondary forests, edge habitats, forest access, and landscape diversity can function in bolstering dietary diversity. Taken together, these ideas help us build a framework illuminating four pathways (direct, agroecological, energy, and market pathways) connecting forested landscapes to diet diversity. Finally, we offer recommendations to fill remaining knowledge gaps related to diet and forest cover monitoring. We argue that better evaluation of the role of land cover complexity will help avoid overly simplistic views of food security and, instead, uncover nutritional synergies with forest conservation and restoration.

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