A complex web of interactions: Personality traits and aspirations in the context of smallholder agriculture

Some recent research began to shift the focus of development efforts away from income and yield to more diverse concepts that consider people’s intrinsic drivers and values, such as aspirations and personality traits. We aim to contribute to the literature by exploring the connections between intrinsic drivers. Hence, we analyze if and how the formation of aspirations relates to personality traits against the background of different socio-economic household characteristics. This research will help us provide practical insights for the successful design of development projects specifi-cally tailored to the unique needs and aspirations of individuals and households. Our analyses are based on a primary data set of 272 smallholder farming households in rural and peri-urban Kenya. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) results show a sig-nificant positive correlation of personality traits with aspirations (openness; extraver-sion; conscientiousness), indicating that personality structures indeed correlate with the formation of aspirations in a rural, agricultural context. Furthermore, we show that household and respondent characteristics are associated with differences in edu-cation, income, and social aspirations. Considering intrinsic factors for the prediction of human behavior has the potential to increase the efficiency of agricultural development projects and policies. We conclude that a contextualized understanding of aspirations can provide useful insights for development practice aiming to support small-holder farmers’ livelihoods

Factors affecting fruit and vegetable consumption and purchase behavior of adults in sub-Saharan Africa:A rapid review

In order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, considerable dietary shifts, including an increase in the consumption of fruit and vegetables (FV) will be required. However, worldwide consumption of FV is far below international recommendations, including in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), particularly in Africa. Understanding what, where, when, and how people choose to eat requires an understanding of how individuals are influenced by factors in their social, physical, and macro-level environments. In order to develop effective interventions to increase fruit and vegetable consumption, the factors influencing consumer behavior need to be better understood. We conducted a rapid review to assess and synthesize data on individual, social, physical, and macro-level factors that enable or constrain fruit and vegetable consumption and purchase among adults living in sub-Saharan Africa. Our conceptual framework is based on a socio-ecological model which has been adapted to settings in LMICs and Africa. We systematically searched four electronic databases including Scopus, Medline (PubMed), PsycInfo, and African Index Medicus, and screened Google Scholar for gray literature. We included a total of 52 studies and narratively summarized the existing evidence for each identified factor across the different levels. We found that most studies assessed demographic factors at the individual level including household or family income, socio-economic status and education. Furthermore we identified a variety of important factors that influence FV consumption, in the social, physical, and macro environment. These include women's empowerment and gender inequalities, the influence of neighborhood and retail food environment such as distance to market and price of FV as well as the importance of natural landscapes including forest areas for FV consumption. This review identified the need to develop and improve indicators both for exposure and outcome variables but also to diversify research approaches

Increasing fruit and vegetables consumption among children: a systematic review of animated nutrition interventions

Background: Low consumption of fruits and vegetables among children can lead to deprivation of micronutrients necessary for growth and development and predispose them to NCDs later in life. Low consumption of these nutrient-rich foods is related to high consumption of nutrient-poor, high-energy foods, which leads to childhood overweight and obesity. Many children do not consume enough fruits and vegetables to meet recommendations. This review aims to assess the effectiveness of animated interventions in increasing children's fruit and vegetable consumption. Methods: Articles on animated interventions for increasing fruit and vegetable consumption among children were systematically reviewed from Web of Science, PubMed, and Google Scholar. For the literature searches, inclusion and exclusion criteria were established, and the methodology followed the PRISMA recommendations. Extracted data were synthesized to show the effectiveness of interventions. Results: Thirteen studies (2003-2017) of animated interventions targeting children (3-12 years) designed to increase their consumption of fruits and vegetables met the criteria for inclusion in the systematic review. Most of the studies (69.2%) were in the United States, with no studies in LMICs identified. The animation interventions used games (46.2%), characters (23.1%), adventures (23.1%), and comic books (7.7 %). 11 of the analysed studies revealed positive or neutral effects of interventions on fruit and vegetable consumption. Parental participation, goal setting, and rewards were identified as facilitators of success. Identified interventions were effective in the short term (follow-up <12months). The games and adventure interventions had the greatest effect, with multi-component interventions most effective in increasing fruit and vegetable intake. Conclusion: There is a need for more research to determine the effectiveness of such interventions over extended periods. Multi-component interventions especially including parental involvement, goal setting, and rewards should be leveraged in designing similar interventions in LMICs since there was a conspicuous absence of such studies found in the literature

Unintended Consequences of Location Information: Privacy Implications of Location Information Used in Advertising and Social Media

In this paper, we identify and evaluate the privacy implications caused by ourselves sharing information on social media platforms. Each day, millions of people use Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, and many other social media services and applications to stay connected with friends and family. We broadcast personal information such as our names, location, occupation, spouse’s and children’s names, personal photographs and videos, and other intimate details of our everyday lives.  Social media sites monetize this free exchange of personal information by capturing and mining this data and significant metadata for advertising and other revenue generation activities. As we have divulged more of our private lives on social websites and applications, the opportunities for criminals to victimize users by capturing and mining this same information has increased exponentially. Yet, most social media users are unaware of the dangers that exist with even their casual use of social media. We found that our privacy is not well protected by neither the social media companies nor the law as it relates to our social media activities, and, therefore, consumers must take the initiative to understand the privacy implications of their social media activities

A complex web of interactions: Personality traits and aspirations in the context of smallholder agriculture

Some recent research began to shift the focus of development efforts away from income and yield to more diverse concepts that consider people's intrinsic drivers and values, such as aspirations and personality traits. We aim to improve the understanding of the formation of aspirations by examining the influence of personality traits and socio-economic household characteristics in this process. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) results show significant positive correlations of personality traits with aspirations (openness; extraversion; conscientiousness), indicating that personality structures indeed correlate with the formation of aspirations in a rural, agricultural context. Furthermore, we show that household and respondent characteristics are associated with differences in education, income, and social status aspirations. We conclude that the understanding of aspirations, if contextualized, can provide useful insights for development practice aiming at supporting people. Including intrinsic factors for the assessment of human behavior has the potential to increase the efficiency of projects and policies

Nutritional Evaluation of Some Kenyan Pumpkins (Cucurbita spp.)

The nutritional potential of thirteen varieties of Cucurbita fruits collected from selected regions of Kenya were evaluated for their proximate values, mineral and β-carotene content. The results indicated that the moisture content was high and it varied significantly (p<0.05) among the groups. Ash values were significantly different at (p<0.05) and ranged from 0.63 to 1.67%, crude protein was low in all the pumpkin groups and varied from 0.93 to 2.09%. The pumpkins also varied significantly (p<0.05) in crude fibre content (0.47- 1.95) among the groups. Potassium and sodium were the most prevalentminerals potentially useful amounts of potassium (199-172.3 mg/100g), sodium (56.39-118.28 mg/100g) and other essential minerals. The lowest micro-elements were copper and zinc. The results indicated that there were no significant differences among the groups in the β-carotene content (p<0.05). The nutrient information presented in this report should stimulate the nutritionists and agricultural officers in Kenya to consider the question of recommending the pumpkin to be consumed by adults and children alike in Kenya, including pregnant women and others with higher than normal nutritional requirement