Platform for African – European Partnership in Agricultural Research for Development

Friday, May 3, 2019

The link between agrobiodiversity and dietary diversity

Published online 2019 Jan 18. Empirical evidence on the link between agrobiodiversity and dietary diversity appears to be inconclusive. Thus, there arises a need to determine other factors that could significantly influence dietary diversity in different agro-ecological zones, as factors may vary from region to region.


The objective of the study Determinants of dietary diversity among women of reproductive age in two different agro-ecological zones of Rongai Sub-County, Nakuru, Kenya  (Food Nutrition Research2019; Maureen Wanjiru GitagiaRose Chepchirchir RamkatDorothy M MitukiCeline TermoteNamukolo Covic, and Maureen Jepkorir Cheserek) was to document the status of agrobiodiversity and dietary diversity and to assess the determinants of dietary diversity among women of reproductive age in two different agro-ecological zones of Rongai Sub-County in Kenya.

Popular scientific summary
  1. This study demonstrated that the diets of women were of poor quality despite the differences in agro-ecological zones and availability of food from the farm.
  2. Education level influenced women’s dietary diversity positively in low agricultural potential areas while household gender, education level, age and family size were important determinants in high potential areas.
  3. Nutrition interventions focusing on improving dietary quality of women should therefore pay special attention to developing region-specific interventions instead of generalizing interventions.
Related:
25 April 2019. Gent, Belgium. With the Global Minds Fund, allocated by the federal government,
Ghent University wishes to further develop and expand its University Development Cooperation (UDC) capacity and to sensitize its community to International Development and the Sustainable Development Goals.

This year, several lectures are organized on the SDGs and the Global South. With this initiative Ghent University hopes to reach students from all faculties to join and learn about global challenges and opportunities we face and to stimulate them to engage in finding solutions.

Sustainable Development Goals, nutrition and health: where are we now? 
SDG 2 and 3


Backgound
Dr. Habiba Hassan-Wassef, a graduate of Cairo University Medical school, obtained high quality training in clinical, laboratory as well as public health nutrition research in Egypt, before further developing her academic career in France and the United States where she was a Whitehall Research Fellow at Columbia University. Policy related aspects of her career were developed through twenty years of service with the World Health Organization. Dr. Hassan-Wassef’s knowledge and expertise was further strengthened through continued national and regional research and expert services in Europe, the Middle-East, and Africa. 

Dr. Habiba is an Africa Nutrition Society Trustee, a Council Member of the Federation of African Nutrition Societies, and vice-President of the African Society of Mycotoxicology. She is a member of regional and national think tanks and technical advisory groups in her fields of expertise and is author of several scientific publications. Dr. Hassan-Wassef received a number of national and international awards in recognition of her contribution to health and nutrition that include the Gold Medal of the “Académie d’Agriculture de France“ (2008); the Africa Award for Distinguished Services to Nutrition (2016); and the RUFORUM 2018 Prize to Individuals Making Impact for Africa’s Development.

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