Enset‐based agricultural systems in Ethiopia: A systematic review of production trends, agronomy, processing and the wider food security applications of a neglected banana relative

Enset (Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman) is the major starch staple of the Ethiopian Highlands, where its unique attributes enhance the food security of approximately 20 million people and have earned it the title “The Tree Against Hunger”. Yet enset‐based agriculture is virtually unknown outside of its narrow zone of cultivation, despite growing wild across much of East and Southern Africa. Here, we review historical production data to show that the area of land under enset production in Ethiopia has reportedly increased 46% in two decades, whilst yield increased 12‐fold over the same period, making enset the second most produced crop species in Ethiopia—though we critically evaluate potential issues with these data. Furthermore, we address a major challenge in the development and wider cultivation of enset, by reviewing and synthesizing the complex and fragmented agronomic and ethnobotanic knowledge associated with this species; including farming systems, processing methods, products, medicinal uses and cultural importance. Finally, we provide a framework to improve the quality, consistency and comparability of data collected across culturally diverse enset‐based agricultural systems to enhanced sustainable use of this neglected starch staple. In conclusion, we discuss the challenges and opportunities for enset cultivation beyond its restricted distribution, and the regional food security potential it could afford smallholders elsewhere in Southern and East Africa

Probabilistic Decision Tools for Determining Impacts of Agricultural Development Policy on Household Nutrition

Governments around the world have agreed to end hunger and food insecurity and to improve global nutrition, largely through changes to agriculture and food systems. However, they are faced with a lot of uncertainty when making policy decisions, since any agricultural changes will influence social and biophysical systems, which could yield either positive or negative nutrition outcomes. We outline a holistic probability modeling approach with Bayesian Network (BN) models for nutritional impacts resulting from agricultural development policy. The approach includes the elicitation of expert knowledge for impact model development, including sensitivity analysis and value of information calculations. It aims at a generalizable methodology that can be applied in a wide range of contexts. To showcase this approach, we develop an impact model of Vision 2040, Uganda's development strategy, which, among other objectives, seeks to transform the country's agricultural landscape from traditional systems to large-scale commercial agriculture. Model results suggest that Vision 2040 is likely to have negative outcomes for the rural livelihoods it intends to support; it may have no appreciable influence on household hunger but, by influencing preferences for and access to quality nutritional foods, may increase the prevalence of micronutrient deficiency. The results highlight the trade-offs that must be negotiated when making decisions regarding agriculture for nutrition, and the capacity of BNs to make these trade-offs explicit. The work illustrates the value of BNs for supporting evidence-based agricultural development decisions

Household Food Processing Strategies to Improve Iron and Zinc Bioavailability in Ethiopian Dishes Based on Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) and Dry Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

Pulses are major constituents of the human diet. Dry bean and chickpea, commonly grown in Ethiopia, are among the pulses that serve as important sources of energy and nutrients, particularly protein, minerals and folate. However, pulses also contain anti-nutrients which bind minerals, mainly iron and zinc, rendering them less bioavailable or unavailable for absorption. These anti-nutrient contents of pulses are a particular problem in Ethiopia, where the population consumes a plant-based diet and a large percentage of young children and women are affected by micronutrient deficiencies. The nutrient and anti-nutrient contents of raw, cooked, soaked-cooked, germinated-cooked and fermented dry bean (Hawassa Dume, Nasir and Red Wolaita) and chickpea (Habru, Mastewal and Local) varieties grown in Ethiopia were determined with the hypothesis that the iron and zinc bioavailability can be enhanced through processing methods applicable at household scale. In addition, the effect of soaking and germination on cooking time and the acceptability of dishes prepared from dry bean and chickpea were determined. Ferritin formation in the Caco-2 cell intestinal absorption model was used as a proxy for iron bioavailability. Fermentation of dry bean and chickpea flours significantly reduced the contents of anti-nutrients (phytate, tannin and polyphenols), as well as the phytate:iron molar ratio compared to unfermented samples. For most dry bean and chickpea samples, germination-cooking yielded superior results in terms of reducing cooking time, phytate, tannin, and phytate:iron and phytate:zinc molar ratios compared to cooking and soaking-cooking. Polyphenol contents were lower for soaking-cooking than for germination-cooking. With a few exceptions, the scores for sensory attributes of bean-based and chickpea-based dishes prepared from soaked or germinated samples were not significantly different than those of dishes prepared from untreated bean and chickpea. Among the unprocessed dry bean and chickpea varieties, there was significantly higher ferritin formation (better iron bioavailability) in Caco-2 cells exposed to Habru compared to the other samples of dry bean and chickpea varieties used in the study. Overall, soaking (18 h)-cooking resulted in higher ferritin formation for the dry bean samples. On the other hand, soaked (12 h)-cooked and germinated (72 h)-cooked in Habru, soaked (12 and 18 h)-cooked and germinated (72 h)-cooked in Local and germinated (72 h)-cooked in Mastewal chickpea resulted in higher ferritin formation compared to samples cooked without pre-treatment. Fermentation for 72 h was effective in increasing ferritin formation in all dry bean samples, but not in chickpea samples, with the exception of Habru. Although the expected improvements due to the reduced anti-nutrient contents were not confirmed by high ferritin formation in Caco-2 cells or by lowering molar ratios below critical values in all samples, soaking-cooking, germination-cooking and fermentation will still be effective with regards to lowering the total anti-nutrient contents

Estado nutricional y dieta de los niños y niñas en edad escolar de la región de Amhara (Etiopía)

Una nutrición adecuada es esencial durante la infancia para asegurar un crecimiento sano, la formación de los órganos, un sistema inmunológico fuerte y el correcto desarrollo neurológico y cognitivo del niño. El estado nutricional tiene además un impacto importante en la supervivencia de los niños, principalmente debido a las relaciones sinérgicas entre la desnutrición y las enfermedades. En África oriental y meridional, la desnutrición es una de las principales causas subyacentes de la persistencia de una elevada mortalidad infantil, contribuyendo a más de un tercio de todas las muertes entre los niños menores de 5 años [1]. La desnutrición abarca la malnutrición crónica (MC), la malnutrición aguda (MA) y los déficits de vitaminas y minerales esenciales (denominados colectivamente como micronutrientes). La MC y MA se producen a raíz de diferentes historias de carencias nutricionales para el niño. La MC se asocia frecuentemente con la exposición repetida a condiciones económicas adversas, la falta de saneamiento, los efectos interactivos de una pobre ingesta de nutrientes y la presencia de infecciones repetidas. La MA o el bajo índice de masa corporal (IMC) se relaciona por lo general con el padecimiento de una enfermedad y/o un estado de privación de alimentos reciente. A nivel mundial, en 2012, 162 y 51 millones de menores de cinco años presentaron MC y MA, respectivamente [2]. El déficit de micronutrientes (DM) constituye uno de los principales problemas nutricionales, y contribuye de manera significativa a la morbilidad y mortalidad infantil en el mundo, aunque este hecho solo ha comenzado a ser reconocido recientemente por parte la comunidad de expertos en nutrición..

Development of contextualised food-based strategy to improve the dietary diversity and nutritional status of children aged 12 to 36 months in rural farming households in central Uganda

Global Health: Human Nutritio

Digital Innovations for a Circular Plastic Economy in Africa

Plastic pollution is one of the biggest challenges of the twenty-first century that requires innovative and varied solutions. Focusing on sub-Saharan Africa, this book brings together interdisciplinary, multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder perspectives exploring challenges and opportunities for utilising digital innovations to manage and accelerate the transition to a circular plastic economy (CPE). This book is organised into three sections bringing together discussion of environmental conditions, operational dimensions and country case studies of digital transformation towards the circular plastic economy. It explores the environment for digitisation in the circular economy, bringing together perspectives from practitioners in academia, innovation, policy, civil society and government agencies. The book also highlights specific country case studies in relation to the development and implementation of different innovative ideas to drive the circular plastic economy across the three sub-Saharan African regions. Finally, the book interrogates the policy dimensions and practitioner perspectives towards a digitally enabled circular plastic economy. Written for a wide range of readers across academia, policy and practice, including researchers, students, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), digital entrepreneurs, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and multilateral agencies, policymakers and public officials, this book offers unique insights into complex, multilayered issues relating to the production and management of plastic waste and highlights how digital innovations can drive the transition to the circular plastic economy in Africa. The Open Access version of this book, available at https://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license