Academic article

This article, published in the Food Security journal, investigates the effect of household education attainment on food security among poor urban households, using longitudinal data collected between 2007 and 2012 in Kenya. Poverty and food insecurity continue to feature prominently in the global agenda, with particularly close attention being paid to the determinants of food insecurity. However, the effect of education is mixed and remains understudied in low income countries. »

This article provides a coherent systhesis and review of the evidence of claims of on-farm conservation land management strategies and agro-ecology. An extensive body of evidence in the field of agro-ecology claims to show the positive effects that maintenance of ecosystem services can have on meeting future food demand by making farms more sustainable, productive and resilient, which then contributes to improved nutrition and livelihoods of farmers. »

This article elaborates on the effects of pro-vitamin A maize on the visual functions in children in Zambia. With a randomized research trial the researchers found that children who ate “orange maize” showed improved night vision within six months. Their eyes adapted better in the dark, improving their ability to engage in optical day-to-day activities under dim light. Impairment of the eyes’ ability to adapt to low-light conditions is one of the few measurable signs of vitamin A deficiency at its initial stages. »

This study in the Journal of Development Effectiveness quantifies the impact and cost-effectiveness of training poor rural women in Bangladesh in home gardening and nutrition. It was found that the intervention significantly increased vegetable production, vegetable consumption and the micronutrient supply from the garden. »

This article provides a complementary method of assessing the effect of climate change on crop yields. By combining observations of current maximum-attainable yield with climate analogues, strong reductions in attainable yields of major cereal crops are found across a large fraction of current cropland by 2050. »

This paper, published in the Regional Environmental Change journal, analyzes drivers of change in farming practices in the region using data obtained from surveys of 700 farming households in five countries (Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Niger and Senegal). Agricultural practices have constantly changed in West Africa, and understanding the factors that have driven the changes may help guide strategies to promote sustainable agriculture in the region. »