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Seasonality and nutrition-sensitive farming in rural Northern Ghana

Food Security · 4 authors, 2 centres

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TL;DR

The model was based on a local, feasible nutritious diet and accounted for seasonal variations.

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The model was based on a local, feasible nutritious diet and accounted for seasonal variations. While increasing staple crop yields can free up land for other nutritious foods, small farms (less than 1.4 ha) cannot produce sufficient food to meet their needs.

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other

SPECIALTY

nutrition

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ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10066165

Seasonality and nutrition-sensitive farming in rural Northern Ghana

Food Security

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ABSTRACT

Abstract In rural sub-Saharan Africa, where malnutrition in all its forms is rife, the greatest gap between the availability of foods and the foods needed for a nutritious diet are faced during the ‘hunger season’. We investigated what rural households in Northern Ghana would need to grow to ensure year-round availability of a nutrient adequate diet or the income required to fulfil their dietary needs. We applied linear programming to model different scenarios and interventions. Our results provide three major insights. First, considering seasonality is crucial in nutrition-sensitive farming. Ensuring a nutritious diet year-round requires enhanced availability of vegetables and fruits throughout the year. Second, although staple crops do not provide the full range of essential nutrients, increasing their yields allows for a reduction of field size, freeing up space for the production of other foods belonging to a nutritious diet, such as vegetables. Third, small farms are unable to produce sufficient food to cover their needs. They depend on income both from agriculture and other sources, and the availability of types of foods on markets to meet their dietary needs. Our study shows the value of modelling the range of dietary effects from agricultural interventions in a specific context, using a local feasible nutritious diet as a starting point and taking seasonality into account. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12571-022-01325-5. Keywords: Nutrient adequate diet, Linear programming, Food availability, Food affordability, Household

CITATION EXPORT

Ilse de Jager, Gerrie W J van de Ven, Ken E Giller et al.. Seasonality and nutrition-sensitive farming in rural Northern Ghana. Food Security. (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-022-01325-5

AUTHORS

4 · 2 CENTRES

Ilse de Jager, Gerrie W J van de Ven, Ken E Giller, Inge D Brouwer

1Division of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 17, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
2Plant Production Systems Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 430, 6700 AK Wageningen, The Netherlands