Improving food-system efficiency and environmental conservation using agricultural biodiversity in Busia County: a pilot study

Abstract Background Despite the abundance of edible biodiversity, both wild and cultivated, malnutrition and food insecurity persist in Busia County, Kenya, where poverty indices range from 63% to 74% and 25% of children younger than 5 years are stunted, 11% are underweight, and 4% are thin for their age. Much of this biodiversity, used in traditional food preparations, has the potential to provide access to key micronutrients for healthy and balanced diets and to act as an important source of community resilience to climate change and economic turbulence. Yet, low consumer awareness of the value of local biodiversity, poorly developed value chains, and negative perceptions of traditional foods have led to the disappearance of many nutrient-rich species and the shift to unhealthy diets. We aimed to show that heightened knowledge of the value of biodiversity and improved value-chain efficiencies can help to conserve biodiversity and improve local food systems. Methods We developed a farmer business school model and provided training to 25 farmer groups across seven sub-counties in Busia County, Kenya, on the sustainable production of traditional vegetables, post-harvest handling, contract farming, nutrition, and value addition. We also analysed selected species for nutritional content, tested a food procurement model supporting market linkages between farmers and local institutions, and carried out nutrition education activities to improve the capacity of schools and clinics to incorporate traditional foods into meals. Findings We found that traditional vegetables were rich in iron—for example, cowpea leaves contained 17 times more iron than did kales. After making the nutritional data available to all value chain actors during implementation of the food procurement model, we recorded a 12% increase in the number of households cultivating local biodiversity, both for household consumption and off-farm sales, along with a 75% increase in the plot size devoted to traditional vegetable cultivation. Furthermore, household incomes increased by a mean of 47% (SD 30) as a result of direct links with institutional markets. The effects of increased market linkages on education, economic, and health benefits will be measured in a second phase of the project to start in 2018. Interpretation The project has positively affected the abundance, composition, and distribution of species and revived interest in local food biodiversity, in addition to producing benefits around diverse diets. Experience in implementing the Busia model has been used to inform global policies that aim to mainstream biodiversity in sustainable food systems using public procurement, particularly schools, as a platform for improving nutrition. Nationally, a biodiversity policy was developed for Busia County that recognised the importance of local biodiversity, including for improved livelihoods, community resilience, and health and nutrition. Funding Global Environment Facility, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, and the MacArthur Foundation

The potential of neglected and underutilized species for improving diets and nutrition

The paper highlights the novel and ingenious approaches Brazil, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Turkey used to prioritize a rich diversity of NUS for healthier diets and improved nutrition, and how this knowledge was used to mainstream these plant species into production and consumption systems. The paper concludes with some perspectives on the way forward for NUS and the community working on them in meeting the challenges of malnutrition and environmental sustainability in the 2030 sustainable development context

Influence of native rhizobacteria co‐inoculation and formulation of bacterial inoculants on the growth and yield of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

Abstract Introduction Incorporation of inoculum in different carrier materials may increase the efficacy of bacterial inocula. Materials and Methods Field experiments were conducted using two strains of rhizobium and phosphate‐solubilizing bacteria (PSB) and their respective combinations using different carrier materials in common bean‐growing regions in three soil types in Kenya. The field experiment was laid out in a split‐plot arrangement with the strain inoculations as the main plot while the subplots consisted of the carrier materials (filter mud, peat moss and yeast extract mannitol broth [YEMB]). Each main plot included two controls: uninoculated negative control and uninoculated controls that received N and P fertilizer. The experiment was conducted for two cropping seasons. Data were collected on the nodulation, shoot and root biomass and yield. Results Co‐inoculation of the common bean with Rhizobium phaseoli + Bacillus aryabhattai strains had significantly higher number of nodules (55 nodules per plant) compared to single R. phaseoli inoculation (38 nodules). The co‐inoculation of the rhizobia and the PSB yielded statistically at par with the application of diammonium phosphate (18:46:0) across the soil types and seasons. The use of filter mud as a carrier material led to a higher number of nodules for most of the rhizobia strains inoculation and their respective co‐inoculation with the bacillus strains. Significantly higher yield was obtained with the filter mud (1.64 Mg ha−1) while there was no significant difference in the yield of common bean between peat moss and YEMB as carrier materials for the bacterial strains. Conclusion The solid carrier material, specifically filter mud, showed potential for use in the formulation of inoculants. Specific co‐inoculation of rhizobia (R. phaseoli and Rhizobium pusense strains) and PSB (Paenibacillus polymyxa and B. aryabhattai) increased the growth, nodulation and yield of common bean more efficiently than the control

The BFN mainstreaming toolkit. A roadmap to using neglected and underutilized species for food system change

This chapter describes the stepwise approach to biodiversity mainstreaming tested by Brazil, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Turkey during the implementation of the GEF-supported Biodiversity for Food and Nutrition project. Using practical examples, it captures the fundamentals steps needed to integrate neglected and underutilised species into sectoral policies and practices, including how to facilitate and align activities to support achieving national targets linked to biodiversity conservation and food and nutrition security

Local solutions for sustainable food systems: The contribution of orphan crops and wild edible species

Calls for a global food system transformation and finding more sustainable ways of producing healthier, safe and nutritious food for all have spurred production approaches such as sustainable intensification and biofortification with limited consideration of the copious amounts of orphan crops, traditional varieties and wild edible species readily available in many countries, mostly in and around smallholder farmers’ fields. This paper explores the potential role of locally available; affordable and climate-resilient orphan crops, traditional varieties and wild edible species to support local food system transformation. Evidence from Brazil, Kenya, Guatemala, India, Mali, Sri Lanka and Turkey is used to showcase a three-pronged approach that aims to: (i) increase evidence of the nutritional value and biocultural importance of these foods, (ii) better link research to policy to ensure these foods are considered in national food and nutrition security strategies and actions, and (iii) improve consumer awareness of the desirability of these alternative foods so that they may more easily be incorporated in diets, food systems and markets. In the seven countries, this approach has brought about positive changes around increasing community dietary diversity and increasing market opportunities for smallholder growers, as well as increased attention to biodiversity conservation