Patrick Maundu’s research while affiliated with International Center for Tropical Agriculture and other places

Objective The aim of the study was to investigate the quantitative association between the dietary intakes of children and their caregivers. Method In this cross‐sectional study, a non‐consecutive 2‐day 24‐h dietary recall was conducted in two seasons. Participants comprised 142 pairs of 12–59‐month‐old children and their female caregivers from rural areas of Kenya. Energy and micronutrient adequacy, food group intakes and food allocation were assessed. Differences and correlations between caregiver and child diets were examined, and multiple regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship between the children's and caregivers’ dietary intakes. Results The child's diet was significantly lower in energy and higher in micronutrient adequacy than was the caregiver's diet ( p < 0.001). Specifically, the child's diet contained more fruits, dairy products, sugar and confectionaries per 4184 kj. Children were allocated relatively more dishes containing nutrient‐rich foods than staple foods. The correlation coefficients between the dietary intake of caregivers and children were stronger among 24–59‐month‐old children. After controlling with covariates, caregiver energy intake was significantly associated with child energy intake (standardised beta [ β ] = 0.512, p < 0.001), and caregiver micronutrient adequacy was associated with child micronutrient adequacy ( β = 0.679 and β = 0.262 after energy adjustment, p < 0.001). Conclusions The dietary intakes of caregivers and children were closely related. The children had a more nutrient‐rich diet compared to that of their caregivers. Differences in food group intakes and food allocation may contribute to the higher nutrient adequacy of children. There is a need to improve the diet of caregivers, which would contribute to improving the diet of children.

Background An initiative aimed at improving nutrition intervention programs by providing food consumption data for better decision-making and promoting local foods has led to the development of an application-based food assessment tool called the Agrobiodiversity and Diet Diagnosis for Interventions Toolkit (ADD-IT). A new food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was developed based on our previous study, which included 49 dishes and food items and asked about their frequency of consumption and portion size with photos. This study aimed to evaluate the validity of the FFQ. Methods We compared the estimated intake of energy, macro- and micronutrients, and food groups collected with the ADD-IT-based FFQ for one month with the estimated intake by means of nonconsecutive two-day 24-hour dietary recalls (24hDRs) of food consumption among women aged 19–70 years (mean = 33.7) in two rural areas—Kitui and Vihiga—in Kenya (N = 179). Spearman's rank correlation coefficients, cross-classification agreement, and Bland-Altman plots were used to assess the validity of the FFQ against the 24hDRs. Food consumption patterns for different communities were characterized by the FFQ and 24hDRs using the Mann-Whitney U test to ensure consistency in the results. Results The correlation coefficients ranged from low (-0.062) to moderate (0.479) between the FFQ and 24hDR. On median, approximately 71% of participants were correctly classified into the same or adjacent quartile, while 9% were misclassified by estimated nutrient intake from the FFQ. Bland-Altman plots ensured that there was no significant systematic bias for energy and macronutrients. The FFQ identified each community’s characteristic food consumption patterns as almost the same as those of the 24hDRs. Conclusions The newly developed app-based FFQ can be used to rank or classify individuals within each population according to their dietary intake and estimate the characteristics of their food intake patterns. However, selective reporting errors exist for specific foods. Several suggestions have been made to reduce such errors and improve the validation.

The present study aimed to clarify the differences in nutritional intake in relation to the consumption of local food products and dietary patterns between two rural Kenyan regions, Kitui and Vihiga, where different ethnic groups live in different agro-ecological zones. A participant observation study with weighted dietary records was conducted in August 2019. Enumerators stayed in each targeted household for approximately one week and measured the ingredients and dishes. We compared the dietary intake of farm women in charge of meal preparation (n = 21) between the two regions and examined the contribution of each dish to the intake and the degree of home production for each food item. The results showed no difference in energy intake, but vitamin B2, B12, and C intakes were significantly higher in Vihiga, influenced by their consuming small fish and a variety of homegrown leafy vegetables. The people in Kitui consumed large quantities of homegrown pigeon peas, largely contributing to their nutritional intake. Dietary patterns were similar; common staple foods and tea with sugar accounted for about 40% of energy and protein intakes and fruit consumption was low. There was no difference in foods purchased frequently. These results suggested that promoting locally available fruits and vegetables would contribute to a sustainable supply of adequate micronutrients. Further studies are required to develop strategies to promote healthy dietary habits and improve health status.

Background The current way our food systems operate does not result in healthy and nutritious diets for all, nor are we producing food in a manner that the planet can sustain. Food biodiversity, or the range of animal and plant species used for food is one solution to improve the health of both people and the planet. Scope/approach Case studies were used to illustrate current initiatives and programs aimed to bring greater food biodiversity into our food systems. Case studies were developed by subject matter experts and reviewed for demonstrated and potential impact on four food system outcomes: healthy diets and nutrition, agro-ecological resilience, livelihoods and income and socio-cultural wellbeing. Key findings/conclusion The six case study examples demonstrate that there are multiple approaches that confer benefits across a range of food system outcomes. The case studies demonstrate contributions to the body of knowledge on food composition, dietary diversification, strategies to prioritize crops that regenerate soil and purify water, require few inputs or can grow in harsh conditions, as well as provide increased income to communities and rebuild cultural knowledge. Some approaches were initiated by government and others at community level; they all demonstrate ways to achieve greater integration of food biodiversity into food systems. This collection of case studies illustrates a fraction of what is currently being done to support biodiverse food production and consumption. The evidence base for how to bring greater food biodiversity back into our food systems should be improved and should not be an isolated occurrence, but rather a continuous process.

This chapter synthesizes major findings from the eleven case studies presented in the previous chapters, offering policy recommendations arising from the synthesis. It distills key messages to address questions on the following issues: (1) how to conceptualize the nexus between biodiversity, health, and sustainable development in the context of SEPLS management; (2) how to measure, evaluate, and monitor the effectiveness of SEPLS management in regard to securing and improving both ecosystem and human health; and (3) how to address the challenges and seize the opportunities of SEPLS management in minimizing trade-offs and maximizing synergies between different efforts augmenting both ecosystem and human health, as well as well-being, so as to move towards more sustainable futures. The chapter identifies several policy recommendations to better manage the biodiversity-health-sustainability nexus in SEPLS and facilitate transformative change for sustainable development. It also revisits the concept of the biodiversity-health-sustainability nexus to offer perspectives on the complex interlinkages in the context of managing SEPLS on the ground.

Traditionally managed socio-ecological production landscapes (SEPLs) provide communities with a range of goods and services vital for livelihoods, including nutrition and health. In Kenya, many of these landscapes, encompassing the resources therein and the indigenous knowledge vital for optimising their value, are now under threat. Utilising diverse traditional foods for the benefit of local communities has often been hampered by insufficient knowledge about the foods and negative attitudes towards them. For over two decades, a team from the National Museums of Kenya, Bioversity International, and their partners has been working with local communities to find out how local food resources can contribute more to community livelihoods, especially with regard to nutrition, health, and income. Understanding local food systems is a vital step. The team developed a methodology for involving local communities, and the youth in particular, to inventory their foodways. The documentation opened opportunities for research and development interventions. This chapter highlights three development and conservation case studies founded on foodways documentation: (1) promoting African leafy vegetables in Kenya; (2) safeguarding kitete (bottle gourd) by Kyanika Women’s Group in Kitui, Kenya; and (3) utilising digital technology to educate consumers about healthy eating using local foods. All cases have shown that converting underutilised local foods into main sources of nutrition and income opportunities, as well as conserving these foods in their environment, requires foodways documentation, community participation, and multi-stakeholder and multidisciplinary collaboration. Awareness on the nutritional and health benefits of local foods was a key incentive for their conservation and a catalyst for the change in attitudes and eating habits.

In this study, we explore the global shifts in research priorities and strategies with respect to Plant Genetic Resources (PGR) over a period of nearly 3 decades and also look at changes in donor strategies over the same period, with specific reference to Japanese support to PGR work. We conducted a quantitative text analysis based on reports published by Bioversity International, a leader in PGR issues, and looked at changes in the frequency of appearance of certain terms and words over a 22-year period (1998-2020), divided into six phases. Results show that over the period, Bioversity International’s focus transitioned from an emphasis on collection of genetic resources and conservation in genebanks to conservation through sustainable use across generations. This evolved further to “food” -centered approaches. More recently, the emphasis is shifting to “food system” approaches with emphasis on the linkages between agriculture, environment and nutrition. The priority issues of the organization at the different phases are presented. Over the same period, Japanese government investment strategies have shifted from supporting PGR collection work to building capacity of researchers (in both source countries and Japan) and creating more benefits from PGR including nutrition, health and economic benefits to local societies who are the keepers of the PGR. The involvement of Japanese researchers, including the main author, in the various research activities characteristic of the different phases of the transition is presented. In the current global shift towards food systems approaches where the linkage of agriculture, nutrition, and the environment is emphasized, and the involvement of the private sector encouraged, partnerships with resource rich counters will be considered important in PGR activities in the future.