Oranje cassave tegen ondervoeding

De halve wereldbevolking krijgt te weinig vitaminen en mineralen binnen. Internationaal proberen wetenschappers in basisgewassen als rijst, maïs en cassave het niveau van vitamine A, zink en ijzer te verhogen. Wageningse onderzoekers kijken naar de opname van de stofje

Consumption of, and beliefs about fonio (digitaria exilis) in urban area in Mali

The study sought to determine beliefs and practices about neglected crops in West Africa, using fonio (Digitaria exilis) as a model to understand how obstacles impede the consumption of this cereal in Bamako, the capital city of Mali. This was a crosssectional study on food ethnography in three steps: a market survey on availability of fonio, a food consumption survey on utilisation of fonio, and on beliefs on and attributes of fonio. The study covered the pre-harvest and post-harvest periods and involved key informants, food vendors, and women of reproductive age in households. Fonio, as all cereals, is available year-long on markets in Bamako, and is abundant from September to May before most of the common cereals mature. More than two-thirds (68%) of the women reported having consumed fonio one to three times a month. Fonio was more consumed as snack (djouka) on working days (62%) than on weekend and special event days, suggesting that encouraging the development of ready-to-serve fonio-based products would help increase the consumption of fonio among women in urban area. The average individual portion size of fonio was 152g/day, and the contribution to daily energy intake was 16%. A large share of the women was convinced that eating fonio was good for them (95%) and their family members (94%). Also, most of them thought that fonio had good cooking, organoleptic and nutritional qualities and could contribute to diet’s variation (91% to 100%). Decision by the women to purchase or prepare fonio in the household could be favourably influenced by factors such as media, household members suffering from anaemia, neighbouring people buying fonio and shortage of other cereals; whereas shortage of fonio products (77%), high cost of fonio products (69%), difficult cooking process (51%), and lack of knowledge about processing and cooking fonio (43%) were likely to limit fonio consumption among the women. Also, in the present study, fonio was perceived to be for rich people by more than half (58%) of the women. Improving cooking process and knowledge of the women about fonio cooking, as well as creating a demand for the women with the household’s head and others through media, social and health care services would help increase fonio consumption in Bamako. Key words: beliefs, fonio, women, Mali, ethnograph

Food and fuel : a hidden dimension in human nutrition : a study on the relationship between nutrition security and fuelwood availability in Ntcheu District, Malawi

Fuelwood is the main source of energy for rural households in developing countries and is predominantly used for food preparation and processing. Due to rapid deforestation, the supply of fuelwood is threatened. Many factors influence household food and nutrition security, but so far the role of fuelwood shortages has received little attention. Nutrition security has three main aspects (food security, care and health conditions); it is a prerequisite to the nutritional security of the individual, that these are favourable. The relationship between fuelwood availability and nutrition security is determined by the coping strategies chosen. These may comprise increase in collection time, reduction in amount of fuelwood used and switch to alternative fuels (Chapter 1). These strategies may affect food supply, food preservation, preparation and distribution, income generation and food consumption, all of which may result in a decrease in quality and quantity of the food consumed (Chapter 2). However, most of the existing literature is based on limited research or anecdotal evidence, and scientific evidence for these propositions is still scarce.The purpose of this research was to describe and analyse the relationship between fuelwood availability and nutrition. The study was a joint project of the Department of Human Nutrition, Wageningen Agricultural University, and the African Studies Centre, Leiden, and was affiliated with the Centre for Social Research, Zomba. Field work was carried out among the Ngoni population in Ntcheu District, Central Region of Malawi, from 1990 to 1992. Study households originated from four villages selected on distance from woodlands, being less than 1.5 km, (Muuso), 2.5-3 km (Kachinjika), 4-6 km (Chimpuza) and more than 6 km (Magola). The area was characterized by nutrition insecurity (Chapter 3), overwhelming dependence on cereals for energy intake (Chapter 7) and moderate fuelwood scarcity (Chapter 4).With increasing distance from woodlands, households initially collected further away, spending more time on collection (Chapter 4). When woodlands had to be reached much further away, they returned to nearby places needing less time and switched to lower- quality wood. Households within the same village differed in collection strategies particularly as regards collection distance and collection frequency. These strategies determined collection time, type of fuel used and amount of wood collected, which factors were highly interdependent. Female labour availability was a strong determinant of the strategy that was followed and especially households with a labour deficit economized on collection time, reduced the amount of wood collected and switched to inferior fuels.In the following chapters, studies on the relationship between the three main strategies (switch to alternative fuels, increase in collection time, reduction in fuel use) and nutrition are described. Chapter 5 reports on a study of wood quality and preferences for types of wood in relation to food preparation and diet composition. Women preferred splitwood and branches and were reluctant to use twigs and maize stalks because, among others, the former yield more charcoal of better quality with a longer burning time. Preparing dishes with splitwood and branches require less time and fuel. Time studies, however, showed that the use of twigs did not prolong cooking time. However, the use of twigs prohibited women from doing other household chores as twigs need close attention to maintain the fire. Twigs cannot serve as fuel for dishes needing long cooking times (such as beans) so that, as a consequence, these are dropped from the dietary pattern. The dish nsima accompanied with relish was the mainstay of the diet, and was hardly left out.Chapter 6 shows that the impact of an increase in time spent on fuelwood collection is seasonal and depends on the presence of other labour constraints. Women gave priority to food production and labour input in agriculture was never reduced, but time for resting, food processing, and, during the rainy season, for food preparation and food purchase was decreased. No evidence was found that women spent more working hours, omitted activities from their daily pattern or received more help from others during fuelwood collection days. This suggests that women were just more busy during fuelwood collection days. The increase in wood collection at the expense of resting may imply an increase in energy requirements of women. A reduction in time spent on food-related activities may affect household food availability.Chapter 7 deals with the relationship between fuel use and food consumption. A decrease in fuel use is associated with a reduced intake of cooked cereals in the form of a decrease in snacking or in the amount of cereals cooked, and with a reduced bean intake. This effect is mainly visible in the post-harvest season, when fuelwood forms a determinant for food intake. In the rainy season, this association is mainly determined by the relatively low food availability. Especially the reduction of bean intake is a point of concern in view of the already overwhelming dependence on cereal and the relatively marginal quality of the food.In Chapter 8 the relationship found between a decreasing fuelwood availability and nutrition security are discussed according to the different aspects mentioned in the model introduced in Chapter 1. The results clearly show that already under conditions of moderate fuelwood scarcity a decreasing fuelwood availability affects nutrition security. The impact is highly dependent on other factors such as food availability, labour availability and labour constraints emerging from other problems than fuelwood shortage. The results of the present study give several starting points for methodologies to be used in future research and for development efforts intended to promote both fuelwood supply and nutrition security. More information is needed on the relationship between food and fuel in urban areas and in rural areas with different agro-ecological, dietary and anthropometric characteristics. Methodologies to be used in such studies are suggested. In view of the interrelationship between fuelwood, food and labour the effects of a decreasing fuelwood availability should not only be a point of concern for nutrition and health projects but also for rural development efforts in general concerning reforestation, agriculture and labour. Fuelwood shortage means that a compromise has to be made between agricultural, ecological, nutritional and women's aims

Weight status and iron deficiency among urban Malian women of reproductive age

The present study investigated the association between weight status and Fe deficiency (ID) among urban Malian women of reproductive age. Height, weight, serum ferritin (SF), soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations were measured in sixty apparently healthy women aged 15-49 years old in Bamako, Mali. Prevalences of overweight and obese were 19 and 9%, respectively. SF was non-significantly different between overweight (84 mu g/l) and normal-weight women (52 mu g/l). The prevalence of ID (SF 8.3 mg/l) cases were recorded in the overweight and obese groups. The prevalence OR of ID (SF <12 mu g/l) in the overweight group was NS (OR = 0.3; P=0.363). Conversely, the chronic energy deficiency group was at a significantly higher risk of ID than the normal-weight group, adjusting or not for CRP (OR = 7.7; 95% CI 1.49, 39.96; P=0.015). The lack of association between overweight and ID in the present study could be due to the fact that the excess of body fat of the women might not be critical to induce chronic inflammation related to reduced Fe absorption. Future research based on a larger convenience sample should be designed to further investigate associations between overweight, obesity and ID in developing countries

When households run out of fuel: responses of rural households to decreasing fuelwood availability, Ntcheu District, Malawi

This paper examines strategies used by rural households in Ntcheu District, Malawi, to cope with a decreasing fuelwood availability. Fieldwork was carried out in 1990 and 1991. With increasing distance to woodlands, households initially collected further away, spending more time on collection. But when distance to woodlands increased further, households returned to nearby places using less time for collection and switching to lower quality woods. Results indicate that distance to collection place and collection time are not reliable indicators of fuelwood shortages. Households within the same village differed in collection strategies particularly as regards collection distance and collection frequency. Households that tended to collect further away and more frequently were large in size with more female adults. These households also collected more wood, even per capita, compared to smaller households, suggesting that smaller households economized on fuelwood use. This paper supports the idea that level of fuelwood used is not only determined by fuelwood availability, but more by labour availability. ASC – Publicaties niet-programma gebonde

Cowpeas in Northern Ghana and the Factors that Predict Caregivers’ Intention to Give Them to Schoolchildren

Background Cowpeas are important staple legumes among the rural poor in northern Ghana. Our objectives were to assess the iron and zinc content of cowpea landraces and identify factors that predict the intention of mothers/caregivers to give cowpeas to their schoolchildren. Methods and Findings We performed biochemical analysis on 14 landraces of cowpeas and assessed the opinion of 120 caregiver-child pairs on constructs based on the combined model of the Theory of Planned Behaviour and Health Belief Model. We used correlations and multiple regressions to measure simple associations between constructs and identify predictive constructs. Cowpea landraces contained iron and zinc in the range of 4.9–8.2 mg/100 g d.w and 2.7–4.1 mg/100 g d.w respectively. The landraces also contained high amounts of phytate (477–1110 mg/100 g d.w) and polyphenol (327–1055 mg/100 g d.w). Intention of mothers was strongly associated (rs = 0.72,

Community assessment of availability, consumption, and cultural acceptability of food sources of (pro)vitamin A: Toward the development of a dietary intervention among preschool children in rural Burkina Faso

Vitamin A deficiency remains a public health problem in Burkina Faso and elsewhere in the developing world. Dietary diversification is a promising strategy that needs to be explored to strengthen the country's ongoing supplementation program. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to identify locally available and acceptable (pro)vitamin A-rich foods to be included in a dietary intervention addressing vitamin A deficiency in children aged six months to three years. METHODS: A food ethnographic study combining recall methods, observation, and focused group discussion was conducted in the dry and rainy seasons. Thirty-five mother-child pairs were randomly selected and included in the study. RESULTS: The dietary pattern of children was characterized by low diversity with extremely low energy and vitamin A intake in both seasons. The study identified the availability of numerous (pro)vitamin A-rich foods, but these foods are either not consumed or consumed by few in low amounts and/or in low frequencies. The main constraining factors identified are related to financial accessibility (for liver), seasonal availability (for egg, milk, mango, papaya, and green leafy vegetables), and beliefs related to consumption and preparation (for green leafy vegetables). However, the study also revealed that the study population associated all identified (pro)vitamin A-rich foods with positive attributes such as health, strength, and vitamin richness, which might offer an entry point for designing and implementing dietary interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the findings of this formative research, intervention strategies with mango and liver are proposed to improve the vitamin A intake and status of children in the rural areas of Burkina Faso

Quantum dots based on spin properties of semiconductor heterostructures

The possibility of a novel type of semiconductor quantum dots obtained by spatially modulating the spin-orbit coupling intensity in III-V heterostructures is discussed. Using the effective mass model we predict confined one-electron states having peculiar spin properties. Furthermore, from mean field calculations (local-spin-density and Hartree-Fock) we find that even two electrons could form a bound state in these dots.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures. Accepted in PRB (Brief Report) (2004

Biofortified Cassava with Pro-Vitamin A is sensory and culturally acceptable for consumption by primary school children in Kenya

Background: Biofortification of cassava with pro-vitamin A can potentially reduce vitamin A deficiency in low-income countries. However, little is known about consumer acceptance of this deep yellow variety of cassava compared to the commonly available white varieties. We aimed to determine the sensory and cultural acceptability of the consumption of pro-vitamin A rich cassava in order to identify key factors predicting the intention to consume pro-vitamin A rich cassava by families with school-aged children in Eastern Kenya. Methods: Sensory acceptability was measured by replicated discrimination tests and paired preference tests among 30 children (7-12 yr) and 30 caretakers (18-45 yr) in three primary schools. Cultural acceptability was assessed with a questionnaire based on the combined model of The Theory of Planned Behavior and The Health Belief Model in one primary school among 140 caretakers of children aged 6 to 12 years. Correlations and multivariate analyses were used to determine associations between summed scores for model constructs. Results: Caretakers and children perceived a significant difference in taste between white and pro-vitamin A rich cassava. Both preferred pro-vitamin A rich cassava over white cassava because of its soft texture, sweet taste and attractive color. Knowledge about pro-vitamin A rich cassava and it's relation to health ('Knowledge' ((beta = 0.29, P