The effect of land tenure across food security outcomes among smallholder farmers using a flexible conditional difference-in-difference approach

The paucity of literature on the influence of land tenure across a range of food insecurity outcomes may impede a complete analysis in developing countries. This paper examines the association between land tenure and food security among 1434 sampled smallholders from the Nigeria Living Standards Measurement Study-Integrated Surveys on Agriculture (LSMS-ISA) three-round panel dataset. The data were analyzed by a flexible conditional difference-in-difference model and a generalized ordered logit regression. The regression results showed that smallholders who owned land and acquired plots for free were less likely to have high Household Dietary Diversity Scores (HDDS). On the other hand, owners of family-inherited plots were more likely to consume diverse diets and hold more assets. Holders of informal land documents were more likely to be food secure by having a low food expenditure share, high HDDS and Livelihood Coping Strategy (LCS). Meanwhile, perceived rights to mortgage land for a loan may be enhanced with having formal land certificates than informal land documents. The study concluded that formal land governance should recognize land ownership via family inheritance and holding informal land documents to support smallholder food security by increasing their dietary diversity and lowering their food expenditure shares

The nutrient composition of South African mutton

Dorper and Mutton Merino carcasses of the C age group with a fat code 2 (±7% SCF) from three main production areas (Karoo, Kalahari and Ermelo) in South Africa were analysed in this study. The physical composition of each cut differed dramatically from the other cuts. The differences between the ten wholesale cuts when comparing the two breeds, are small, and only five cuts differed significantly on one trait. The right sides of the carcasses were used to determine the nutrient and physical (carcass) composition of each raw cut as well as for the whole carcass by calculation. Three cuts (shoulder, loin and leg) from the left side were cooked in order to determine the nutrient composition thereof. Cooking increased the protein and cholesterol concentrations of the cooked cuts. Iron content was higher in the cooked loin and leg but decreased in the cooked shoulder during cooking. According to nutrient density, mutton is a good source of protein, iron and B vitamins and supply more than 25 % of RDA/100 g of vitamin B12 when cooked.Red Meat Research and Development Trust of South Africa (RMRDT) and the Agricultural Research Council (ARC–ANPI), Irene.http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jfcanf201

The nutrient content of five traditional South African dark green leafy vegetables—A preliminary study

The nutrient content (proximate composition, vitamin B2, ß-carotene, iron, zinc, magnesium, calcium and phosphorus) of 5 traditional dark green leafy vegetables, traditionally consumed by rural inhabitants of South Africa (SA), was determined in this study. The nutritional dilemma in SA, with many children and adults suffering from micronutrient deficiencies, is a strong motivation for determining the nutritional composition of traditional foods. The moisture, protein, ash and fat content in the raw leaves per 100 g ranged from 81.0 to 89.9 g/100 g, 3.49 to 5.68 g/100 g, 1.42 to 3.23 g/100 g and 0.12 to 0.36 g/100 g respectively. There was an increase in moisture content in the cooked leaves, while the protein, fat and ash decreased during the cooking process. Raw misbredie (Amaranthus tricolor), pumpkin leaves (Curcubita maxima) and cat's whiskers (Cleome gynandra) had a high iron content compared to cowpea leaves (Vigna unguiculata) and wild jute (Corchorus olitorius), which in nutritional terms might play a role in combating iron deficiency in SA. The zinc content ranged from 0.5 to 1.0 mg/100 g, while the magnesium ranged from 54.7 mg to 146 mg/100 g. As expected, the minerals decreased during cooking. Cowpea leaves was the poorest source of minerals compared to the other leafy vegetables but had a good index of nutritional quality for protein. Raw and cooked pumpkin leaves had the highest index of nutritional quality for protein. Both raw and cooked leafy vegetables contained high levels of beta-carotene (with total beta-carotene levels in the range of 796–6134 μg/100 g) but low levels of vitamin B2 (0.01–0.12 mg/100 g).ARC – Roodeplaathttp://www.elsevier.com /locate/jfcanf201

Composição tecidual e centesimal e teor de colesterol da carne de cordeiros terminados em confinamento com dietas contendo níveis crescentes de resíduo úmido de cervejaria Tissue and centesimal composition and cholesterol of the meat of lambs feedlot with diets with different levels of brewery's residue

Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a influência de diferentes níveis de substituição do alimento concentrado por resíduo úmido de cervejaria sobre a composição tecidual, a composição centesimal e o teor de colesterol da carne de cordeiros terminados em confinamento. Foram utilizados 25 cordeiros, machos, não-castrados, da raça Texel, distribuídos aleatoriamente em cinco tratamentos compostos por níveis de substituição do alimento concentrado por resíduo úmido de cervejaria, sendo: 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% e 100% de substituição. Foram utilizadas uma dieta composta de feno de Tifton-85 e uma mistura concentrada em uma relação volumoso: concentrado de 40:60, com base na matéria seca (MS). O alimento concentrado foi constituído por milho desintegrado, farelo de soja, mistura mineral e resíduo úmido de cervejaria, sendo que suas proporções variaram de acordo com os tratamentos. As dietas foram formuladas para serem isoprotéicas, baseados no teor de proteína bruta (PB) do tratamento com maior nível de resíduo. Os cordeiros foram abatidos após um período experimental de 77 dias. Observou-se, na secção entre a 9&ordf; e a 11&ordf; costelas, que os pesos de osso, músculo e gordura diminuíram linearmente e a proporção de músculo aumentou linearmente com o incremento do nível de resíduo. Verificou-se aumento linear na proporção de umidade no músculo Longissimus dorsi com o aumento do resíduo úmido de cervejaria nas dietas dos cordeiros.<br>The purpose of this experiment was to evaluate the influence of different levels of substitution of the concentrate by brewery's residue on the tissue composition, centesimal composition and cholesterol content in the meat of lambs finished in feedlot. Twenty-five male, non castrated Texel lambs were used, distributed in five treatments, which consisted in the levels of brewery's residue replacing concentrate, being 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of substitution. Diet's composition was Tifton-85 hay and concentrate mixture, in a relation roughage:concentrate of 40:60, on dry matter (DM). The concentrate was composed of corn ground grain, soybean meal, mineral mix and brewery's residue, and its proportion varied in accordance with the treatments. The diets were formulated to be isoproteics, based on the crude protein (CP) level of the treatment with the higher level of residue. The lambs were slaughtered after 77 days of experiment. It was observed, in the section between 9th and 11th ribs, that the weights of bone, muscle and fat had linearly decreased, and the proportion of muscle had linearly increased with the increase of the level of the residue. There was a linear increase in the proportion of humidity in the Longissimus dorsi muscle with the increase of the brewery's residue on the lamb's diets

Efeitos do sexo, do grupo racial e da idade ao abate nas características de carcaça e maciez da carne de caprinos Carcass and meat tenderness of goats according to age, breed group and age at slaughter

Este trabalho foi realizado com os objetivos de quantificar e qualificar a carcaça e os cortes cárneos de cabritos de dois sexos (machos e fêmeas) e três grupos raciais - Alpino; ½ Boer + ½ Alpino (½ BA); e ¾ Boer + ¼ Alpino (¾ BA) - abatidos em três idades (aos 60, 90 e 120 dias de confinamento), visando avaliar o aproveitamento de cabritos provenientes de rebanhos leiteiros. As carcaças foram avaliadas pelas características de peso, rendimento, conformação, gordura de cobertura, comprimento interno e externo, comprimento da perna, perímetro da garupa, profundidade torácica, largura da garupa, compacidade, rendimento dos cortes cárneos e proporção dos tecidos. Os dados foram analisados em delineamento inteiramente casualizado, em esquema fatorial incompleto 2 X 3 X 3 (2 sexos X 3 grupos raciais X 3 idades de abate). O aumento da idade dos animais promove aumento do peso e das medidas da carcaça, assim como dos componentes comestíveis da carcaça e do rendimento comercial. Mestiços Boer apresentam maior compacidade de perna e menos osso em relação aos Alpinos. O grupo racial, a idade de abate e o sexo não influenciam a maciez da carne.<br>The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the yield and quality of the carcass and meat cuts from kids of both sexes, slaughtered at three different ages, aiming to use animals from dairy herds. Forty-one kids were used, from three breed groups: Alpine, ½ Boer ½ Alpine (½ BA) and ¾ Boer ¼ Alpine (¾ BA), which were slaughtered at 60, 90 or 120 days of slaughter age. The animals were raised in a feedlot system. The following carcass traits were evaluated: carcass weight, commercial yield, conformation, subcutaneous fat, internal and external length, leg length, rump perimeter, thoracic depth, rump width, compactness, meat cut yield and tissue proportion. Meat tenderness was evaluated by means of the Warner-Bratzler shear force. Data were analyzed as an incomplete factorial arrangement (2 sexes X 3 breed groups X 3 slaughter ages), in a complete randomized design. As age increased, so did carcass weight and characteristics, as well as the weight of edible carcass components and commercial yield. The Boer crossbreds showed higher leg compactness and less bone compared to the Alpines. No difference in meat tenderness was observed for breed group, age or sex