African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development最新文献

{"title":"Contribution of school lunch programme to intake of micronutrients among preschool children in semi arid areas of Kilifi County, Kenya","authors":"BO Mungai, A. Onyango, Mungai Beatrice, Okoth","doi":"10.18697/ajfand.132.23895","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18697/ajfand.132.23895","url":null,"abstract":"Undernutrition adversely affects the cognitive and physical development of preschool children especially in arid and semi-arid areas, with far reaching effects up to adulthood. School feeding programmes are perceived as safety measures to improve children’s health. The study assessed the contribution of school lunch feeding programmes in improving the micronutrients intake of preschool children in Kilifi County, Kenya. This quasi experimental study involved 288 children from ten Early Childhood Education Development (ECED) centers and their parents/ guardians. Five of the centers had a government sponsored school lunch programme (Lunch programme group) and the other five centers had no lunch programme (Non programme group). Data collected included types of food, frequency and quantity consumed by the children using 24 hours’ recall method and Individual Dietary Diversity Score (IDDS). The micronutrients intake was assessed through Recommended Dietary Adequacy (RDA) using NutriSurvey 2007 Program and 2009 WHO guidelines. The SPSS version 24 and SAS version 9.4 statistical software were used in data management and analysis. Inferential statistics including Chi-square, correlation and regression were used to evaluate the contribution of the feeding programme to the micronutrient intake. The threshold for statistical significance for all analysis was set at p<0.05. The results indicated a low intake of micronutrients with only 12% meeting RDA for zinc in the feeding programme and 2% for those not in the programme. For iron, 30% of those in the programme met the RDA and 16% for those not in the programme. All the children met the RDA for iodine, vitamin A and C but none met the RDA for calcium. The study suggests diversification and supply consistency of school feeding foods to boost the micronutrient intake. The community needs to be empowered in areas of nutrition education, income generation and food production to be able to cater for the children’s nutritional needs and prevent micronutrient deficiency. Key words: Dietary diversity, Micronutrient deficiency, preschoolers, recommended dietary adequacy","PeriodicalId":7710,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development","volume":"76 16","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141798363","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The growth performance, carcass characteristics and blood profile of broilers fed on yellow maize stored in polypropylene and zerofly® hermetic bags","authors":"B. Opoku, EA Osekre, K. Adomako, K. Amoah, GP Opit, A. Bosomtwe","doi":"10.18697/ajfand.132.24210","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18697/ajfand.132.24210","url":null,"abstract":"This experiment was conducted to determine the growth performance, blood profile and carcass characteristics of broilers fed yellow maize stored in Polypropylene (PP) and ZeroFly® Hermetic (ZFH) storage bags for six months. Two hundred unsexed day-old Cobb-500 broiler chicks were randomly allocated to 2 treatments (2 storage bags) with 100 chicks per treatment in a Completely Randomized Design experiment. Each treatment had four replications with 25 birds per replicate. The experimental diets were formulated using the same quantities of maize stored in the PP and ZFH bags. The study was in three phases, that is, starter, grower and finisher phases and each had 22%, 20% and 18% crude protein (CP), respectively. The experiment lasted for six weeks. Feed and water were offered ad libitum. Statistical analyses were performed with SAS Version 9.4. Effects of storage bags were assessed using a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Tukey’s Honestly Significant Difference test was used as an option in the Mixed Procedure to determine differences between means (p < 0.05). Broilers on the ZFH bag dietary treatment recorded significantly (p = 0.035) higher weight gain in grams (2395.11 ± 32.15), than their counterparts on the PP treatment (1980.30 ± 82.19). The feed conversion ratio, measured as feed: gain ratio, was better (p = 0.041) for the ZFH birds (1.74 ± 0.03) than the PP birds (2.24 ± 0.19). Birds fed the ZFH diet had higher (p < 0.05) dressing percentage (74.05 ± 0.24), percentage whole thigh (14.45 ± 0.10) and percentage drumstick (9.22 ± 0.16) than their PP counterparts. All the blood profile parameters measured were similar except total cholesterol and aspartate aminotransferase in which birds on the ZFH maize recorded higher values (p < 0.05). It was concluded that maize stored in ZeroFly® hermetic storage bags could be fed to broilers for better feed efficiency and carcass yield. Key words: Deltamethrin, grain storage technique, mycotoxin contamination, post-harvest loss","PeriodicalId":7710,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development","volume":"5 42","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141797663","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessment of market price determinants of live goats in three district municipalities of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa","authors":"S. Mthi, S. Washaya, OO Ikusika, Z. Mpisana, L. Qokweni, M. Yawa, T.L. Tyasi, F. Rumosa-Gwaze, S. Tokozwayo, V. Mabece, A. Ngonyama, S. Duda, CT Mpendulo","doi":"10.18697/ajfand.132.24490","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18697/ajfand.132.24490","url":null,"abstract":"Goat production is essential to South African rural livelihood despite being faced with numerous challenges. Goat trade is crucial for African rural households' welfare, and food security. The study aimed to assess market price determinants of live goats in three Eastern Cape Province district municipalities. A pre-tested, semi-structured questionnaire obtained information from randomly selected 210 out of 350 goat farmers. Data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science to generate means, frequency, and percentage. Pearson's chi-square test was used to analyze farmers' demographic profiles, flock structure, and price determinants of goats. The results revealed that goat farming in the study areas was dominated by men (78%), and 43% were between 41 and 60 years. More than 40% of the respondents had advanced secondary education and more than 10 years of farming experience, holding between 2-5ha land with a household size ranging from 4-6 members. Regarding flock structure, female goats accounted for a higher proportion (53.2%) than their male counterparts (46.8%). Cash income (42.3%) was the main reason for keeping goats in the study areas. This is followed by traditional ceremonies purpose, while milk purpose was the least reason goat's farmers in the study area keep goats. Findings revealed that body size (p<0.001), colour (p<0.05), sex (p<0.01), age (p<0.001), season (p<0.001), breed (p<0.05) and head type (p<0.05) were the main determining attributes for the market price of live goats in the study areas. The study revealed that most goat farmers sell live goats during December (57%) compared to other seasons (43%). This could be attributed to the many traditional ceremonies among the Isixhosa people, who comprise the study area. The desired features and attributes influencing prices should be informed and incorporated into the breeding. It could be concluded that the size of the goat and the season are the main determinants of prices for goats in the study area. Additionally, various stakeholders should create market linkages and access to market information systems to convert the system into market-oriented using a value chain framework. Key words: Income, size, colour, season, live goats, South Africa","PeriodicalId":7710,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development","volume":"87 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141797833","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Maternal nutrition knowledge and mothers ability to utilize mobile phone application for health information sharing at Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi City, Kenya","authors":"KO Obonyo, Kaindi Dwm, W. Kogi-Makau, K. O. Obonyo","doi":"10.18697/ajfand.132.24885","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18697/ajfand.132.24885","url":null,"abstract":"The prevalence of maternal undernutrition has been reduced via numerous interventions, but it remains a global public health concern in underdeveloped countries. Pregnant women are increasingly using mobile phone applications to obtain, save, and share health information. This study evaluated maternal nutrition knowledge for the purposes of developing a mobile phone application-based health information sharing platform for pregnant women attending ante-natal care at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. The study adopted cross-sectional descriptive and analytical study design. A food frequency and individual dietary diversity questionnaires were used to gather data on dietary consumption and diversity, while a semi-structured questionnaire was used to gather sociodemographic information from respondents who attended the antenatal clinic. Approximately 31.2% of respondents exhibited a high level of knowledge regarding mobile phone applications. Half of the participants (50.1%) demonstrated a moderate level of understanding, whereas 18.7% showed a low level of familiarity with mobile phone applications. About 19.9% met the minimum dietary diversity score, while 12.2% met the minimum meal frequency, and 26.7% met the minimum acceptable diet. Based on Mid-Upper Arm Circumference, 60% of the pregnant women had normal nutritional status, 36.9% moderate acute malnutrition while 3.1% had severe acute malnutrition. Significant association was observed between dietary diversity score and mobile phone application knowledge p ˂ 0.001. Additionally, nutritional status p ˂ 0.05 and level of education p ˂ 0.05, and mobile phone application knowledge of pregnant women showed significant associations. Despite the growing number of mHealth apps, the level of knowledge and usability of such apps by patients still remains relatively low. Nevertheless, the majority who used health apps found them to be beneficial, and agreed that it helped them to live a healthier lifestyle. Health apps have great potential in health promotion and therefore, to increase the use of these apps, it is necessary to first increase awareness and knowledge of these apps, both to the public and to healthcare professionals. Key words: Mobile phone application knowledge, Maternal nutrition status, Maternal Diet","PeriodicalId":7710,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development","volume":"7 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141797391","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"What is it about GLUTEN?","authors":"Ruth Oniang'o","doi":"10.18697/ajfand.62.cy030","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18697/ajfand.62.cy030","url":null,"abstract":"All of a sudden there is this craze about gluten free products. I have a friend in Africa who is allergic to wheat and so avoids wheat products and anything that has wheat in it. Then more recently as I visited the USA and Europe, I come across people who are on gluten free diets, and for no apparent reason. Many of the ones I have talked to just believe gluten is not good for them.","PeriodicalId":7710,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development","volume":"7 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140697727","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhancing agricultural cooperatives' resilience to food insecurity through cash injection: a case of the Kita circle in Mali","authors":"I. Mumararungu, G. Ca- Madeberi Ya -Bititi, E. Bisetsa, P. Burny","doi":"10.18697/ajfand.128.24280","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18697/ajfand.128.24280","url":null,"abstract":"This study assessed the impact of emergency cash injections within Project Kita III during the challenging agricultural period of 2021 in the Kita Circle. Targeting vulnerable households and agricultural cooperatives, this study investigated the multifaceted dimensions influenced by these injections, ranging from distribution processes to the overall resilience and community engagement of beneficiaries. To conduct this research, a sample of 157 beneficiaries were chosen, with a predominant representation of women at 75.80%. The study employed a dual-pronged approach, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative insights gleaned from 10 focus group discussions. The findings of this study unveiled a significant positive impact on mitigating the repercussions of the poor harvest experienced in 2021. Notably, the emergency cash injections played a pivotal role in attenuating reduced crop yields and addressing food insecurity prevalent among the beneficiaries. By extending the duration of available food stocks within households, these injections effectively reduced the dependence on harmful survival strategies that were previously employed due to scarcity. Moreover, cash injections contributed to the amplification of community engagement within agricultural cooperatives. This enhancement in participation indicated a positive shift in the involvement of beneficiaries in cooperative organizations, fostering a sense of ownership and commitment to agro-ecological practices. While the assistance was acknowledged as relevant and beneficial, concerns regarding its adequacy were prevalent among the beneficiaries. Many expressed a desire for larger amounts of cash assistance, implying a potential gap between the actual received aid and the perceived need, emphasizing the continued vulnerability and need for further support. The study underscores the critical necessity of addressing the root causes of agricultural underperformance to ensure sustainable, long-term food security within these communities. It emphasizes that while emergency cash injections proved instrumental in addressing immediate challenges, they must be complemented with strategies that tackle the underlying issues affecting agricultural productivity. Furthermore, the study highlights the potential for these injections to strengthen the sustainability of Project Kita III by bolstering cooperative organizations, promoting ecologically sound agricultural practices, and fostering enduring community engagement. However, it identifies a need to mobilize internal resources within these cooperatives to ensure sustained success beyond the scope of external aid. Key words: Agriculture Cooperatives, Food insecurity, Resilience, Cash injection, Kita","PeriodicalId":7710,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development","volume":"23 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140734486","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of COVID-19 on agri-food systems: An assessment of actors along the food value chain in Ethiopia, Uganda, Nigeria and Mali","authors":"M. Oluoch, O. Idowu, F. Nakakawa, A. Aoga, G. Minass, A. Gambo, S. Miko, J. Bbemba, R. Nyamutale, S. Dagnoko, F. Mengistu, E. Tadesse, J. Hanai, M. Kitanaka","doi":"10.18697/ajfand.128.24650","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18697/ajfand.128.24650","url":null,"abstract":"Food security in Africa was impacted as a result of supply chain disruptions and government lockdowns brought on by the Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. With participation from important actors in the agricultural value chain, the Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA) assessed the effect of COVID-19 on agri-food system in Ethiopia, Mali, Nigeria, and Uganda. Farmers, agro-processors, private service providers, off-takers and merchants, input dealers, and Ministry of Agriculture Extension service personnel are among the value chain actors that took part in the study. The survey, which was held from April 13 to April 16, 2020, used semi-structured tools and questionnaires aimed at the different stakeholders. The study used a cluster sample technique. The data were analyzed using SPSS software, which included frequency counts, percentages, rank correlation, and categorical regression. Based on the severity of the lockdowns associated to COVID-19, the survey found that the outcomes differed by country. The analysis shows a negative association between e-extension and education during the COVID-19 epidemic, but a high and positive correlation (p < 0.01) between extension services and postharvest services, as well as credit availability. Factors such as transportation, labor availability, price fluctuations, output market activity, loan availability, and food and nutrition security were significantly and positively correlated with COVID-19 awareness. Additionally, the respondents indicated that price changes were favourably correlated with labour availability and transportation, and that farming activities were significantly and positively correlated with food and nutrition security, labour availability, and the output market. According to the perspective data collected in every country during the COVID-19 epidemic, postharvest services, agricultural input activities, and food and nutrition security all heavily relied on extension services, with postharvest services having a negative correlation with extension services. The results of the analysis show that COVID-19 impacted several variables that are associated with extension services across the four countries. For instance, the R2 value of the relationship between value chain variables and extension service delivery across Mali (0.485), Nigeria (0.621), Ethiopia (0.426), Uganda (0.529), and the combined countries (0.511) indicates that the variation of the dependent variables can account for 48.5% of the variation in the values of the independent variable (extension service delivery) in Mali, 62.1% in Nigeria, 42.6% in Ethiopia, 52.9% in Uganda, and 51.1% in the combined countries. Farmers' access to agricultural labour, credit services, inputs for agriculture, and output markets was restricted by the ban on travel and social gatherings. Smallholder farmers should employ digital solutions more to strengthen the agricultural value chain's actors' resilience against potential pandemics or c","PeriodicalId":7710,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development","volume":"41 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140735379","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Intra-household gender dynamics and the adoption of best practices among teff farmers in Ethiopia","authors":"I. Lungu, J. DiGiacomo, M. Vicini, T. Ahner-McHaffie, L. Baensch, M. Muttai, B. Degie, M. Liyhe, M. Thamari, G. Minas","doi":"10.18697/ajfand.128.24295","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18697/ajfand.128.24295","url":null,"abstract":"Teff farming in Ethiopia is commonly seen as being dominated by men, with women playing supporting roles on some aspects of the growing process. This study is rooted in existing literature on drivers of Best Practices (BP) adoption and decision-making theory and is unique in that it focuses primarily on understanding how gender-specific factors influence decision-making on the adoption of BPs. To this end, the study assessed the intra-household gender dynamics at play within farming households in Amhara, Ethiopia, and their influence on deciding whether or not to adopt agricultural best practices for teff farming. These gender dynamics include the division of labor between women and men, intra-household decision-making processes, social and cultural norms and access factors (such as access to information, training, credit and control over income). Using data from a three-round quantitative survey with one woman and one man in 555 households, as well as focus group discussions and in-depth interviews, this study is uniquely placed to assess the impact of these gender-specific and intra-household factors on the adoption of best practices. The findings show that households where women are more involved in teff farming, have less input into decision-making, less control over income, and more access to information and adopt on average more best practices. However, there is significant heterogeneity when looking at individual best practices, with women’s decision-making power or access to resources particularly important for specific practices such as sowing in rows. This study implies that designing more gender-sensitive agricultural programs and extension services in Ethiopia – specifically on practices relevant to women and men – can increase best practice adoption, with the ultimate aim of increasing productivity and income for teff farming households, and empowering women. Since male and female farmers are involved in different practices, access to resources and decision-making power have different impacts depending on the gender of the respondent and the practice analyzed, and there is no “one size fits all” solution to improve teff farming productivity. Key words: intra-household dynamics, decision-making, gender roles, best practice adoption, teff","PeriodicalId":7710,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development","volume":"15 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140735729","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The certified sweet potato seed system evolution process: A case of Omoro and Mpigi districts in Uganda","authors":"C. Musoke, FB Kyazze, P. Kibwika, S. Kyamanywa, SB Mukasa","doi":"10.18697/ajfand.128.24305","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18697/ajfand.128.24305","url":null,"abstract":"Opportunities for Ugandan farmers to undertake the production of sweet potato have resulted in certified sweet potato seed (CSS) innovations being pursued in recent times. The CSS and farmer-saved vine sources co-exist with the latter still predominant despite the formers’ on-farm superior performance as regards yields, disease reduction and promotions. Information on the evolution process is missing, leading to ambiguous interpretations of its impact on uptake. This study described the evolution stages, emerging delivery structure and actor interactions during the CSS development process in Uganda. A case study design was employed, and data were collected through focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews (KIIs), and anchored into actor-network theory (ANT) to generate actor actions and interrelationships. Transcripts were analyzed using the thematic analysis approach by Braun and Clarke. Network analysis was done using UCINET6 V6.759 and a Network visualizer (Net Draw 2.179). Results depicted a six-stage evolution process with most actors having multiple roles, business actors involved at utilization stage only and each stage being triggered by an event. During the process, an integrated CSS system emerged with only 35.6% of the potential direct links between actors being present. The major central actors that had closer interactions with farmers and seed growers were largely public sector, with private sector coming in late. Actors were location-specific with those of Mpigi being many, more interactive (average degree of 7.8) compared to Omoro (average degree of 4.5), and high average path lengths (1.7) implying actors are remotely connected with farmers and vine multipliers being most influential. It is envisaged that the involvement of business actors in product innovation stages and imparting entrepreneurial skills to key farmer groups and vine multipliers will spur the CSS system. Future research into CSS systems should focus on building business ecosystems. Key words: Certified sweet potato seed, Evolution process, Delivery structure, Actor interactions","PeriodicalId":7710,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development","volume":"13 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140735875","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Introduction of Smallholder Horticulture Empowerment and Promotion (SHEP) approach as an innovative agricultural extension model","authors":"H. Kitajima","doi":"10.18697/ajfand.128.24330","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18697/ajfand.128.24330","url":null,"abstract":"Agricultural extension in developing countries faces many challenges. The main challenge for public institutions, the implementers of agricultural extension services, is that they have weak implementation systems to support farmers. On the other hand, the main challenge faced by beneficiary farmers is low agricultural productivity and income. Against this backdrop, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) launched an initiative to promote “agriculture as a business” by strengthening the agricultural extension systems of developing country governments, beginning with a technical cooperation project implemented in Kenya from 2006 to 2009. The agricultural extension method developed in this project is the Smallholder Horticulture Empowerment and Promotion (SHEP) approach. The SHEP approach is supported by two theoretical pillars: promoting farming as a business (economics) and empowering and motivating people (psychology). A series of activities fulfilling these two pillars is the innovative originality of the SHEP approach. These activities are practiced according to four steps to promote market-oriented agriculture while motivating smallholders to improve their farming operations. In Kenya, horticultural income of target farmers increased through the practice of “grow to sell.” Following this result, the SHEP approach has spread across Africa through the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), benefitting 256,546 small-scale farmers in 30 countries to date. In countries where the SHEP approach was implemented, in addition to the outcomes of increased horticultural productivity and income, many impacts were identified that contributed to improved farmers’ livelihoods, including repairing or building houses, purchasing mobile phones and vehicles, installing electricity in homes and funding children’s education. Since TICAD VII in 2019, JICA has been working with African governments, development partners, private companies and relevant organizations to promote the transition to profitable agriculture through the SHEP approach with the goal of achieving better lives for one million smallholders by 2030. This has led to the utilization of the SHEP approach in various forms, and its effectiveness and versatility has been recognized. However, inadequate government agricultural extension budgets and farmers’ high expectations for the provision of agricultural inputs raise the bar for intervention in the SHEP approach. The SHEP approach, however, is not a “panacea” that can solve all agricultural extension challenges in developing countries. Nevertheless, in order to continue agricultural and rural development programs/projects that promote farmers’ self-reliance, it is essential to continue to extract the outcomes and impacts of the SHEP approach at the field level and disseminate the effectiveness of the approach widely. Key words: agricultural extension, market-oriented, SHEP approach, smallholder, JICA, technical coopera","PeriodicalId":7710,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development","volume":"26 17","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140735384","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}