Linking Agriculture with Early Childhood Development:The case of Gandini Community

Photo: Development Horizons

Child malnutrition remains a big problem for children in Kwale County and despite the statistics on the same lacking, areas like Kinango, Samburu and Gandini seems worst hit. Poor nutrition affects both the physical and  intellectual development of the child concerned. By malnutrition in this case, i look at the lack of vital vitamin and mineral nutrients in a diet as opposed to the Protein-energy malnutrition. Read more on the difference here 

Having worked in the area for quite some time, i noted that consumption of greeny vegetables was not considered of paramount importance in the county. The most valued food stuff was maize. With a harvest of maize crop everyone is considered full and satisfied and its no shock to realize that the stew that goes with it is a mixture of table salt and water. Well in terms of quantity, these ECD going children are getting filled but quality wise, their bodies are just being fed regularly with only carbohydrates.

Its because of these reasons that i thought of introducing the aspect of sack gardening to the Gandini community. It happens to be one of the worst poverty hit areas. Notwithstanding is the fact that the area is adjacent to Moi International Airport. While taking off from the airport,its the area you mostly see with mud-walled makuti houses. I chose sack-gardening bearing in mind that the area gets quite dry and water scarcity isn't a once in a lifetime issue. And sack/container gardens happen to be the least consumers of water.With the help of Plan Kwale education program, i set out to train them on how to go about preparing the sacks and the containers to make them suitable for planting vegetables. The first crop selection was kales, Amaranthus and spinachs. To inculcate the gardening culture, we preferred to have the sacks placed near the nursery school.

The initial demonstration plot.
This we chose to be in the homestead of the chairperson of the Gandini village elders. A sample of kales and spinaches were prepared in the nursery bed and later transplanted  to help convert the theory into practice.

The preparations stage

My colleagues, the chairman  and i (Photographer) inspecting the sacks.

The sample demo plots
Notice the yellowed leaves where there was over-watering in this case.

The results
I left the organization i was working with then and i happen to be getting the progress of the project via twitter and phone calls.To my knowledge as of now, the project has spread to neighboring school and hopefully by mid next year, we will have substantive data to give a success story of how agriculture can be interlinked with Nutrition.

cc @emmiewakio your project is doing really well...wish you were still around pic.twitter.com/1ubKHw8Ygf
— Joy Nafungo (@maben12) August 22, 2013

The buck doesn't stop there. The aspect of consuming vegetables for their nutrient value is still minimal in the area. Hence the vegetables farming and consumption gospel has to be preached continuously as  having the vegetables and not consuming brings no difference in the lives the ECD children and their families.

PS:
Have a look at the average nutrient contents in various indigenous vegetables......

The Future of Farming expressed via Social Media

Photo Credit: @Farming_bants 

As the whole world got round to celebrating  the World Food Day week, groups gathered everywhere from the global movements,to regional, national and even local levels to celebrate the progress they had achieved in reducing the effects of the never ending problem of hunger and poverty and the subsequent challenges encountered on the same journey. The World Food Day celebration designated by FAO for October 16 targets to increase awareness of the problem of hunger  in the world, promote transfer of technologies in the world  while strengthening both international and national struggle against hunger, poverty and malnutrition. Read on the objectives of the World Food Day HERE.

World Food Day isn't about 1 day, 1 week or even 1 month, as events take place thru the year. Here's what's going on: http://t.co/KsAJFhFKWr
— World Food Day (@FAOWFD) October 31, 2013

In line with the 2013 theme on Sustainable Food Systems for Food Security and Nutrition, European Twitter chat groups led by @agrichatUK brought together farmers from all over the world in a closely coordinated twitter chat to discuss and share their experiences as pertains their producing food for the global population. The event attracted participants from USA, UK, Netherland, Australia, Kenya, Canada and EU culminating to a total of 3664 tweets,890,282reach from 632 contributors(Source:AgrichatUK) This was held under the guidance of six questions that follow thus:

• Q1a : Please introduce yourself by saying who you are,where you are from and what food you produce and share any farm pictures! #AgriChatWorld
• Q1b : Tell us about Agriculture in your country.What is your country famous for and what are you most proud of?  #AgriChatWorld
• Q2 : What is the biggest challenge and/or opportunity facing you as a farmer in your country? #AgriChatWorld
• Q3 : As a farmer or consumer, do you feel the effects of globalisation? What are the local or global aspects of farming? #AgriChatWorld
• Q4 : How do you think farming and our food system will change in the future? #AgriChatWorld
• Q5 : Do you think farmers around the world can work together? If so, how and why? #AgriChatWorld
• Q6 : What would be your number 1 wish for the future of food and farming in the world?

Two questions grabbed my attention (question 2 and 6) as they provided insight on whats happening in the field of farming globally and presented an uniform view around the same.Some of the challenges farmers face turned to be similar and at the same, some challenges presented an opportunity in themselves.As reported during the chat,these challenges included:

*Tuberculosis
*Lack of local slaughter facilities. Can't get sheep processed in time
*One of our biggest challenges in many parts of the USA is water issues (too much or too little)
*High land prices and slipper farming (claiming subsidy but not actively farming)
*Biggest challenge for NZ is market access and dispelling the myth of the footprint
* Large problem is having all sectors constantly placed in competition with each other.Need to begin to work together more
*Biggest challenge in my mind is educating the public about where their food comes from, it's scary how many have no idea
*Biggest challenge is competition for land
*Problems? Changing, extreme weather and constantly evolving rules probably top of the list.
*Maintaining a diverse, sustainable agricultural base in face of mono-culture commodity farming has to be common challenge
* Biggest challenge is to feed the world using sustainable production methods
(Find a continuation of the challenge/opportunity tweets  HERE)

The other question looked at the future of farming where participants expressed their wish for agriculture.These included;

*To preserve the earth we have and still feed the mouths that need to be fed.
*That everyone would have enough nutritious food to eat while preserving a sustainable world
*More small farms = more farmers = system for food resilience
*Top quality food at a fair price for consumer, producer and farmer
*I wish we could all be #Agvocates and tell our story to all!
*That people would appreciate the real value of food. If we do that everybody including the environment will benefit.
*My one wish would be reduced food waste - so much work goes into its production - more respect for food and farming
*Healthy farms, healthy environment, healthy farmers
*That I leave my soil for the next generation capable of sustainable production
*That we could manage as farmers to feed the already 842 million people going hungry globally
*I wish the weather could learn to behave itself & do as its told.
*That we pull off the miracle of feeding everyone over the next 40 years. I really hope we make it.
*That farmers got the respect they deserve & bad farmers disappear
* Profitably produce highly nutritious food at a level that is globally abundant and affordable
*That I leave my soil for the next generation capable of sustainable production
*Sorry I've got 3: educated buyers, sustainable farming systems, closer farming community
*My #1 wish is for consumers to learn everything about where how their #steak and other food gets to their plates
* That everyone is educated on the power of ag & the necessity to support our farmers in sustaining our world
( Find the whole set of the wishes from farmers HERE )

Farming is the big thing almost happening. What is your one wish for the same?What challenges do you face as a farmer? And its my hope that as we set on the path of producing food for millions of people, Chief Seattle words will constantly echo in our minds ;  that we do not inherit the earth from our ancestors but rather we borrow it from our children.

Mending the broken link: Agriculture and Health Nexus

For the Chicago Council Global Food Security Symposium 2013

One of the panelist: Dr. Howard-Yana Shapiro,

“Finally! Finally! Finally! ” Cries a woman. “Nutrition is now part of Food security discussions “ She continues. 

Later on we come to discover she is no other than Prof Ruth Oniang one of the panelist at the Agriculture and health nexus discussion panel at the Chicago Council Global Food security symposium 2013 and a founding CEO of Rural outreach Africa and African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development; . Other panelists included:

Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, the co-director of the Program in Cardiovascular Epidemiology and associate professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School; and associate professor of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. He also doubled as the moderator.

Dr. Subbanna Ayyappan, secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education, Government of India; director general, The Indian Council of Agricultural Research

Dr. Howard-Yana Shapiro, chief agricultural officer, Mars, Inc.; senior fellow, plant sciences, University of California, Davis; distinguished fellow, World Agroforestry Centre

How many times has the thought of nutrition crossed your mind while enjoying that sumptuous meal over dinner, lunch or breakfast? Have you ever thought of where you would get those vitamins you badly need if the smallholders farmers in the world went on a strike say for a day, or for a week? 

These are just some of the many questions that arose in the on the Agriculture and the Health nexus discussion whose aim was to provide new thinking on how current agricultural activities could interplay with health and nutrition objectives.

Earlier on, Rajiv shah, the USAID administrator in his address noted that to end hunger effectively, people need to work from farm to market to table. High nutrient levels are needed at all these stages the produce passes be it in production, processing and finally consumption. This brings to fore the interrelatedness of food security and nutrition security. There cannot exist one without the other.

Sharing her experiences working amongst rural women in Kenya, Prof Ruth noted that if we have to build a solid foundation on nutrition security, then we need to empower women as they are the majority of smallholder farmers and hence determine what is consumed. Being decision makers ,its becomes important for them to know that having or growing  food is not enough rather focus should be on growing and consumption of  nutrient rich food. She pointed out critical issues ailing nutrition security the likes of gender mainstreaming, lack of funding, food insecurity at the household level and a case of aging agricultural scientists with no young people to replaced. She feared for Africa’s case being like Guatemala‘s where for every one hundred agricultural scientists they had, only eight are left. Tackling these setbacks could possibly set Africa as the global food basket in the near future.

“Africa might be looking like this abandoned child but she might feed the whole world in the near future” she optimistically stated

Dr. Mozaffarian emphasized that as we align ourselves in the nutritional security thinking, we need to keep in mind the core goals of nutrition, which are reducing malnutrition and under nutrition. Across the globe, approximately 2 billion people lack access to nutrients needed for their bodies to healthy. Every five minutes a child dies from hunger related diseases.

“We need to have a global view of health from utero to the elderly” emphasized Dr. Mozaffarian

On the other hand, Dr Shapiro stressed on the importance of knowledge sharing. He called out to private organizations to make nutrition segments of plant genes public so crops can be improved through research leading to better and nutrient full varieties.

“It was right to go after agricultural productivity early on, but now have to shift from calories to nutrient-dense foods” he insisted.

Dr Ayyappan shared his insights on dietary changes and the resultant ailments in India. He shared his views of encouraging gardening in both schools and at homes as a way of promoting food security and hence subsequently improving nutrition. 

Summing up the discussion, Dr Shapiro acknowledged his shock at the optimism expressed at the symposium and stated that feeding the world is indeed a huge challenge.

Do you think so?

  PS: Short summary of tweets for The Agriculture and the Health Nexus Discussion

They Gave A Shit, Got Awarded

#IGiveAShit     #WTD2012

In 2001, a Singapore businessman Jack Sim, toyed around creating an organization that would address the issues that every human passes around in their lifetime. It wasn’t that of hunger or access to water which are claiming lives globally but that of sh*t.  Yes, human shit. He founded the World Toilet Organization with the aim of bringing to light issues affecting sanitation in developing countries. Eleven years on, his efforts seems to be bearing fruit.

More than 2.5 billion people in the world don’t own a toilet. This means that they defecate in the open and during heavy downpours, their shit gets drained in to the all available water sources resulting water pollution, spread of waterborne diseases and subsequent deaths. This is what led to the creation of World Toilet Day celebrated on 19^th November   by close to 19 counties with the aim of raising global awareness on the struggles facing the area of sanitation.  This year’s theme seems so straight to the point, I Give a Shit do you?

          

Closer home sanitation is still a big issue we have to deal with.  Only 74% of households in Kenya have toilets, 62% being in the coast region with 40% of these households being in Kwale. Taita Taveta happens to take lead with 95% households having toilets.

This has resulted to increased awareness creation by Plan international Kwale in partnership with the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation Kwale. Through their Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) model which is founded on three key words Shame, Fear and Disgust, they have managed to trigger – villages in Kwale County. Nevertheless, some villages are yet to be declared Open Defecation Free (ODF).

But that isn’t the case with Mrihi wa Bibi and Mtasyvani villages

                                    Mrihi wa Bibi one of the ODF certified villages

In 2010, these villages became ODF under certification of Government officials’ and Plan staff from Uganda, Zambia and Ethiopia. You wonder how they achieved such a hefty goal.

“We helped each other in building of toilets” recalls one of the villagers

This helped them pool up their energies which in turn ensured all village members had latrines to dispose their waste

Two more years down the line 6 more villages (Kivingoni, Makombe, Mkandamuzo, Tuu, Vuzo and Mazimalumi) out of the 13 have been ODF certified. They have been practicing the same model and its results are more than anticipated. In CLTS every member of the society is involved in the sanitation process, the children, the parents, the government officers and non-governmental organizations. No wonder the wide array in attendance during the celebration day at Msulwa primary school.

  

A village member receiving the ODF certificate on behalf of the village

Speaking during the event, the assistant District commissioner drew a relation of CLTS with the Kenyan independence goal of Eradicating poverty, ignorance and hunger.  When a community is educated on sanitation issues, ignorance departs them paving way for the fulfillment of other goals. He further stated that the government of Kenya had set the deadline of June 2013 by when all villages should be ODF.

“Build according to your ability. Any materials will suffice as long as your poo gets down to the ground and you can conduct the process without fear of being seen by others” he continued. He shifted the theme to “I care my toilet, our health” to make it suit more the surroundings. Most community members were still ingesting faeces from the fact that some still hadn’t their toilets and hence defecated in the open. Despite the challenges of loose soil in areas of Tiwi which crumbles the toilets with time, he urged the communities to be united as even then would donors come in to help them in case of such difficulties.

 His Parting shot: Our health, our responsibility. My health, your responsibility. Your health, my responsibility 

Personally I give a shit, do you?