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Food production and consumption in Bamyan Province, Afghanistan: the challenges of sustainability and seasonality for dietary diversity
In Asia, high levels of malnutrition threaten the health and livelihoods of millions of households. This paper concentrates on linkages between agriculture and nutrition in Afghanistan where food and nutrition insecurity are increasing and agricultural sustainability is increasingly compromised by climate change. We explore seasonal patterns of food production and consumption in the remote and robust ecological environment of Shah Foladi, Bamyan Province. Analysis of qualitative data from household interviews in eight villages has provided a wealth of insights into the seasonality of diets. Even within a broadly homogeneous environment, households
were found to be markedly heterogeneous in respect of their assets, production, market, finance and employment strategies. The so-called ālean seasonā was found to
vary accordingly. Nevertheless, a general lack of dietary diversity during much of the year is likely to cause micronutrient malnutrition, especially for the vulnerable groups of children, adolescent girls and women. Potential interventions are proposed which need to account for the local context in order to overcome the natural and political constraints. These strategies include agricultural innovation and multi-sectoral policy
approaches. In the end, reducing national insecurity is a pre-requisite for sustainable improvement in nutrition-sensitive agricultural development
The relevance of market prices for the design of transfer programs in response to food insecurity
This paper focuses on the use of market prices as discriminatory factors for the selection of strategies in response to conditions of food insecurity according to the comparative efficiency of different strategies. A classical production model has been used to define the conditions of relative advantage of different response options and to capture the effect of some contextual variables on such conditions. This type of approach can be quite useful when trying to optimize response strategy through its geographical diversification or adjustment over time. While such analytical approach reflects mainly a static cost-efficiency perspective, it can be sharpened through the partial inclusion of an effectiveness perspective
Efficiency, food security and differentiation in small-scale irrigation agriculture: Evidence from North West Nigeria
Ambiguity over the effectiveness of agricultural intervention is more
pronounced in rural areas where the majority of North West Nigeriaās poor population, and those involved in agriculture, reside. Further characterising these areas is
the paucity of research on the issue of differentiation within the smallholder community. Specifically, definite classification of households based on efficiency, food
security and income status remains inadequate. The study explores smallholder
householdsā differentials on the basis of these three phenomena, and other factors
that affect smallholder typologies. Data was collected from 306 randomly selected
smallholders involved in the Middle Rima Valley Irrigation Project, Sokoto State,
Nigeria. Smallholdersā technical efficiency and householdsā Food Consumption Score
(FCS) were assessed. Also, Pearson correlation analysis, a segmentation approach
using cluster analysis and multinomial regression model were used for the study.
The study showed that the mean efficiency level of smallholder farms was 85.9%
and that the majority of the households were food insecure
Assessing the impact of microfinance programming on children: an evaluation from post-tsunami Aceh
This paper presents an evaluation of the longāterm impact of microfinance programmes on Acehnese children during the postātsunami recovery. The study, conducted from June to August 2010, examined the impact of microfinance programming six years after the tsunami. The sample consisted of 185 microfinance participants, with a comparison group of 192 individuals who did not participate in microfinance programmes. All respondents were parents, interviewed through a structured survey. The study used four child protection indicatorsādiet, health, childcare and educationāin contrast to traditional repayment rate indicators. The primary results were insignificant with respect to all four child protection indicators, suggesting that, with respect to these indicators, there was no longāterm difference between the impact of microfinance on beneficiaries' children and nonābeneficiaries' children. These findings signify a need for microfinance actors to move beyond traditional indicators of economic success to evaluate the social changes microfinance programmes are presumed to effect
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