Assessment of Post-harvest Handling Practices: Knowledge and Losses of Fruits in Bagamoyo District of Tanzania

The harvesting practices, knowledge and post-harvest losses of fruits along the supply chain in Bagamoyo District were investigated. 142 farmers, 50 retailers and 10 wholesalers dealing with fruits were involved in the study. Data were collected using structured questionnaires. The results indicate that, 90.14%  of the respondents harvested fruits when they are just ripe and the great market losses were reported to occur due to rotting (microbial) at 63%, physiological at 20% and 17% by insects and rodents. Along the supply chain, mechanical damage was observed to be the major type of loss during harvesting (79%) and transportation (56%) while microbial damage was observed by majority (67%) during marketing. Poor infrastructure from farm to the market was observed to account for large percentage of losses in the market. The findings also shows that all farmers (100%) interviewed have no knowledge on post-harvest losses and management. In the view of the findings, it can be concluded that, post-harvest handling practices and knowledge of stakeholders involved in fruit sub sector in the country are not good enough to prevent the losses. It is therefore imperative to improve educational knowledge, skills and fruits quality from the field to reduce post-harvest losses. Keywords: Post-harvest practices, knowledge, losses, fruit

Determinants of Stunting and Severe Stunting Among Under-Fives in Tanzania: Evidence from the 2010 Cross-Sectional Household Survey.

Stunting is one of the main public health problems in Tanzania. It is caused mainly by malnutrition among children aged less than 5 years. Identifying the determinants of stunting and severe stunting among such children would help public health planners to reshape and redesign new interventions to reduce this health hazard. This study aimed to identify factors associated with stunting and severe stunting among children aged less than five years in Tanzania. The sample is made up of 7324 children aged 0-59 months, from the Tanzania Demographic and Health Surveys 2010. Analysis in this study was restricted to children who lived with the respondent (women aged 15-49 years). Stunting and severe stunting were examined against a set of individual-, household- and community-level factors using simple and multiple logistic regression analyses. The prevalence of stunting and severe stunting were 35.5 % [95 % Confidence interval (CI): 33.3-37.7] and 14.4 % (95 % CI: 12.9-16.1) for children aged 0-23 months and 41.6 % (95 % CI: 39.8-43.3) and 16.1 % (95 % CI: 14.8-17.5) for children aged 0-59 months, respectively. Multivariable analyses showed that the most consistent significant risk factors for stunted and severely-stunted children aged 0-23 and 0-59 months were: mothers with no schooling, male children, babies perceived to be of small or average size at birth by their mothers and unsafe sources of drinking water [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) for stunted children aged 0-23 months = 1.37; 95 % CI: (1.07, 1.75)]; [AOR for severely stunted children aged 0-23 months = 1.50; 95 % CI: (1.05, 2.14)], [AOR for stunted children aged 0-59 months = 1.42; 95 % CI: (1.13, 1.79)] and [AOR for severely stunted children aged 0-59 months = 1.26; 95 % CI: (1.09, 1.46)]. Community-based interventions are needed to reduce the occurrence of stunting and severe stunting in Tanzania. These interventions should target mothers with low levels of education, male children, small- or average-size babies and households with unsafe drinking water

Editorial: Achieving nutrition security in Tanzania by improving production, education and economics: Methods, tools and applications

Peer Reviewe

Exclusive breastfeeding : mothers' awareness and healthcare providers' practices during antenatal visits in Mvomero, Tanzania : a thesis presented for the partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Human Nutrition at Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand

Chronic child malnutrition is high in developing countries such as Tanzania where approximately 42% of children below five years are stunted as a result of chronic malnutrition. Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) may give the best start as an effective strategy to protect infants from malnutrition which causes 60% of infant deaths worldwide. Therefore, intentions to breastfeed, feeding practices decided and antenatal visits give a prime opportunity to provide counselling to ensure optimal practices. The aim of this study was to assess the awareness of exclusive breastfeeding among first time pregnant women attending antenatal clinics and breastfeeding counselling practices of healthcare providers in comparison with the WHO recommendations. A cross sectional study of eighty first time pregnant women attending antenatal clinics at Mzumbe Health Centre which is located in a town near main roads and Tangeni dispensary which is located in a remote area far from the main roads, and six out of eight nurses providing antenatal care in these facilities was carried out. Questionnaires were used to evaluate women’s breastfeeding knowledge and future intentions to breastfeed and nurses’ breastfeeding knowledge and counselling practices. About 94% of women intended to breastfeed, among these, only 23.8% intended to do so exclusively for six months. Women’s knowledge in EBF was generally limited; about 94% of women had never received breastfeeding counselling at the antenatal clinic, 61% received BF information from their mothers, grandmothers and mothers-in-law, 37.5% said glucose water should be given immediately after delivery. Common reasons for introducing solids were; baby will be old enough (55%), baby will be hungry (32.5%), advised by the nurse (7.5%). There were no differences in breastfeeding knowledge between the two facilities, that is being located near the main roads did not change or influence women’s knowledge in breastfeeding. Nurses had satisfactory knowledge of how to solve breastfeeding problems and breastfeeding in special situations. Much of this knowledge appeared to be based on personal and clinical experience as only nurse had received training in breastfeeding. However, nurses’ knowledge on WHO breastfeeding recommendations was limited. Only three nurses said they train mothers about exclusive breastfeeding and it is only these three who knew the recommended age for introduction of solid foods. Three nurses said they would recommend exclusive breastfeeding until four months and only two nurses were able to identify the correct picture of latching on and attachment of the baby to the breast. Generally pregnant women and the nurses had limited knowledge in EBF matters. Although the antenatal visits provide an excellent opportunity to ensure that pregnant women are aware of optimal breastfeeding practices, the nurses who provide care during these visits had limited knowledge on the recommendations. Findings highlight a need to focus on information and education to women and nurses

Determinants of household dietary practices in rural Tanzania: Implications for nutrition interventions

A household cross-sectional survey of a sample of 120 households to analyze consumption practices and determinants of household dietary diversity in rural areas of differing agro-climatic conditions in Tanzania was conducted in four villages of Morogoro and Dodoma regions. The respondent was the mother/woman or any other person responsible for food preparation and serving in the household. The inclusion criteria were those women who had given consent to participate, those from a rural area and in the age bracket 15 to 49 years. Data were collected using the Food and Agriculture Organization dietary diversity questionnaire with twelve food groups. Two independent multinomial logistic regression models were used to establish relationships between dietary diversity and categorical variables in Morogoro and Dodoma regions. The mean dietary diversity scores were 4.7 and 4.1 for Morogoro and Dodoma, respectively. The Cereals were highly consumed by all households that participated in the study during the past 24 h preceding the survey and that the consumption of animal based protein foods was below 40%. Determinants of household dietary diversity in Morogoro included literacy status of the mother and prior nutrition training/knowledge. In Dodoma, cultivated land size, literacy status of the mother and distance to a water source determined household dietary diversity. It is therefore recommended that nutrition and food security interventions should not only empower rural women but also pay special attention to differences in agro-ecological environments of the areas in determining interventions to address malnutrition and for effective successful implementation and outcomes

Anthropometrics, Hemoglobin Status and Dietary Micronutrient Intake among Tanzanian and Mozambican Pigeon Pea Farmers

Inadequate consumption of micronutrient-dense and protein-rich foods such as vegetables, legumes and meat is an important contributing cause for anemia and deficiencies of vitamin A and iron in rural communities of Tanzania and Mozambique. A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the nutritional status (anthropometrics and hemoglobin) and diets in particular micronutrient intake of female and male pigeon pea farmers from Lindi, Tanzania, and Gurué, the Zambézia province of Mozambique. A total of 1526 farmers (669 from Tanzania, 857 from Mozambique) were studied, of whom 16% were overweight and 35% were anemic. The highest prevalence of overweight and anemia, at 35% and 48%, was observed in Tanzanian and Mozambican women, respectively. Overall, only a small proportion of women and men reached the recommended daily dietary intake of vitamin A (10%), iron (51%) and zinc (44%). Multiple regression models revealed that dark green leafy vegetables (DGLVs) highly predicted vitamin A intake, whereas legumes in Tanzania and starchy plants in Mozambique were actually the dominant sources of vitamin A. Cereals covered over half of the iron and the zinc intake in both countries. An increased consumption of micronutrient-rich DGLVs and legumes, while reducing the high amounts of refined maize or polished rice, is suggested to counteract the high prevalence of anemia and overweight among smallholder farmers in East and South Eastern Africa

Indigenous knowledge in food system transformations

Indigenous food systems ensure ecological and socio-economic sustainability but remain marginalized in science and policy. We argue that better documentation, deeper understanding, and political recognition of indigenous knowledge can help transform food systems