Food Security in Kenya

Food insecurity in a Kenyan Fishing Community

The enigma of protein deficiency among fishing families around Lake Victoria

Food Insecurity → Malnutrition

• An interaction: politics, economics, geography, climate, culture, gender disparity, disease, poor diet and physiology

1. Understand the nutrition and food security situation in the community

2. Identify existing constraints to food security

3. Prioritize existing problems

4. Identify resources available

5. Select and implement activities

6. Monitoring and evaluation

Nutrition Intervention – the process

Protein Availability Per Person

Kenya

61 g/day

Lake Victoria, Kenya

Jaboya

Jaboya – “Fish for Sex”

• the trade of sex for the ability to obtain fish to sell

• men catch fish; women sell fish

• multiple relationships

• women widowed by HIV+ fisherman

Politics – Kenyan gov’t’s desire for foreign exchange led to large scale commercial fisheries on Lake Victoria for export (overfishing); introduction of Nile perch

Economics – people have few other ways to earn cash so they sell fish instead of eating it

HIV/AIDS and household food security

• originated in Central Africa

• decimates adults 15-45; loss of working adults

• cultural practices increase risk

Impact of HIV/AIDS on household food security

• large numbers of orphans

• increase in household size

• children caring for children

• loss of traditional nutrition knowledge

Climate and Geography

• drought and flooding • soil is poor/lack of arable

land• maize, millet and

sorghum (~10% protein) do not grow well

• cassava (1-2% protein) does

Other Agricultural Issues

• soil degradation

• crop diseases

• desertification/climate change

Economic Constraints• lack of employment or income generating opportunities• lack of female education or training programs• cultural restrictions on the type of work women can do

“Give a woman a fish and you feed her for a day.

Teach a woman to fish and you feed a woman for a

Lifetime.” Adapted from Chinese Proverb

1. Understand the nutrition and food security situation in the community

2. Identify existing constraints to food security

3. Prioritize existing problems

4. Identify resources available

5. Select and implement activities

6. Monitoring and evaluation

Nutrition Intervention – the process

Adrienne Barcket

Nutrition and Food Security Survey: 168 Luo women/Nov 2007

Purpose – to establish baseline data on:

• current food intake

• nutrition knowledge (e.g. protein, iron, iodine, vitamin A)

• infant, child and perinatal feeding practices

• food habits/cultural beliefs

• ht & wt (BMI)

• food availability and costs

Household Characteristics

N Range MeanAge (yrs) 163 19-80 42.6

Number in Household165 1-15 6.0

Years Attended School 164 0-12 4.4

# of own children165 0-11 4.0

# of orphan children164 0-7 1.6

• 24 hour food diversity instrument

FOOD OR BEVERAGE CHILD MOTHER

1. Milk – fresh, tinned or powdered Y N Y N

2. Tea or coffee Y N Y N

3. Coke, Sprite, Fanta or other soft drink Y N Y N

4. Juice Y N Y N

5. Beer or other alcoholic beverages Y N Y N

6. Any other liquids (e.g. broth or soup) Y N Y N

7. Maize (ugali), rice, noodles, bread Y N Y N

8. Pumpkin, yellow sweet potatoes (yams), squash or carrots Y N Y N

9. White potatoes, cassava or white sweet potatoes (yams) Y N Y N

10. Any dark green leaves (e.g. sukuma wiki) Y N Y N

11. Ripe (orange) mangoes or papayas Y N Y N

12. Any other fruits or vegetables (e.g. tomatoes, onions, bananas, cabbages, pineapples, lychee)

Y N Y N

13. Liver, kidney, heart, blood, intestine or other organs Y N Y N

14. Meat such as pork (pig), cow, chicken, goat or duck (other fowl) or other animal flesh

Y N Y N

17. Eggs Y N Y N

18. Fresh or dried fish or shellfish Y N Y N

19. Beans or foods made from beans, lentils, other pulses or nuts (e.g. cashews or peanuts)

Y N Y N

20. Any oil, fats, butter (including foods made with any of these)

Y N Y N

21. Red palm oil, palm nut oil Y N Y N

21. Sugar or sugary foods such as sweets, candies, cakes, or biscuits

Y N Y N

22. Any condiments (e.g. ketchup) Y N Y N

23. Any other solid or semi-solid food Y N Y N

List other if yes to #23

Food Intake

Available Foods (% yes)

• Yellow sweet potatoes, ripe mangos, papayas, kale, ododo, cowpea leaves, spider flower, black night shade (87%)

• Maize, rice, noodles, bread (91%)• Cassava, white potatoes (57%)• Intestine, blood, liver (35%)• Cow, goat, chicken, pork, duck (46%)• Bananas, tomatoes, onions, cabbage, oranges (81%)• Eggs (36%)• Fish - fresh and dried (62%)• Beans, lentils and groundnuts (57%)• Milk (in tea) (81%)• Oil (92%)

Household Food Security3. Did you or any household member eat just a few kinds of food

day after day due to a lack of resources?

6. Did you or any household member eat fewer meals in a day because there was not enough food?

7. Was there ever no food at all in your household because there were not resources to get more?

9. Did you or any household member go a whole day without eating anything because there was not enough food?

NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES OFTEN

Traditional vs ‘Western’ Vegetables

Characteristics Dodo Cabbage

Iron (mg) 8.9 0.7

Beta-Carotene (µmol) 5716 100

Protein (g) 4.6 1.7

“The hyena cries and still leaves are untouched.”• Some vegetables are considered food for the poor

Cultural Constraints

• Gender - not acceptable for men to gather vegetables or prepare them– men who cook are referred to as “half or

lesser men”

• Food can’t be gathered from deserted homesteads due to the presence of malevolent spirits

• Menstruating women can’t enter gardens as the vegetables may whither

• Men are given protein rich foods before women and children

• Women should not eat organ meats

• Children fed mainly on porridge

Nutrition Knowledge• Have you heard of anemia or iron

deficiency?

82% Yes

• If yes, do you know what foods can help to prevent or treat iron deficiency?

– blood, liver, beans– cabbage, oranges, papaya

• Do you know of any foods that are good sources of protein?

58% yes

• List those foods

– meat, fish, chicken

– grains and beans mixed (2)

– cabbages, white potatoes

Constraints to Nutrition Knowledge

Constraints to Food Preparation

• Firewood or coal

• Water

Lack of Health Care • infection/malnutrition

cycle• HIV/AIDS, malaria,

hookworms• maternal/infant

feeding practices• 23% stunted (low ht

for age)• kwashirokor and

marasmus

New Constraints – Security Risks

1. Understand the nutrition and food security situation in the community

2. Identify existing constraints to food security

3. Prioritize existing problems

4. Identify resources available

5. Select and implement activities

6. Monitoring and evaluation

Nutrition Intervention – the process

Prioritize existing problems

• People are unable to grow, produce, preserve or purchase adequate amounts of culturally acceptable, nutritionally adequate food

• People lack sufficient knowledge of the nutritional qualities of the food that is available and who needs certain foods the most (e.g. iron rich foods)

• Culture limits women’s ability to provide for their families

• Purpose - To develop a participatory, community based nutrition intervention program for the Kanyawegi region in Kenya to help reduce the high incidence of protein/energy and micronutrient malnutrition.

• Challenge: Recommendations must be culturally appropriate, nutritionally adequate, sustainable, affordable and agriculturally viable.

Nutrition Intervention Project (GSI)

Possibilities• School

– Garden– Education – School feeding program– Nutrition/agriculture club

• Nutrition Information, Assessment and Training Center– Distribute information, visual and audio aids– Anthropometry, dietary evaluation (refer)– Train community nutrition workers (level 1 & 2)– Provide supplements and other nutritional support

(Sprinkles, RTUF ?)

• Community– Outreach to the most at risk (orphans, elderly,

HIV/AIDS)– Demonstration garden– Nutrition fair/days– Workshops– Small scale agriculture projects to increase

yields

OTHER???