|FANRPAN member of new research initiative “NutriHAF” to combat hunger and malnutrition in Eastern and Southern Africa
|23 April 2015
In Ethiopia and Madagascar a majority of the population do not have access to sufficient food and is affected by micronutrient deficiencies. The interactions between poverty, nutrition, biodiversity and extreme habitat loss are highly complex and require actions that integrate food and nutrition security with attempts to preserve biodiversity.
The aim of the research project is to find and introduce adequate varieties fruits of and vegetables that help to improve the nutritional status of the local population. Providing new sources of food and income will then help to reduce the pressure on natural resources and prevent resource depletion. A first step will be to find out more about the habits of food consumption in order to identify seasonal gaps in calorie- and nutrient intakes. These gaps are then to be filled with the consumption of the species that are introduced by the project. Awareness creation and trainings for local decision makers and extension workers will help to put nutrition and the importance of a diversified diet on the agenda.
Different goals are to be achieved: the reduction of malnutrition in Ethiopia and Madagascar; conservation of biodiversity and natural resources; and creating awareness for the importance of a varied diet through capacity building among farmers, consumers, politicians and extension services.
This research will therefore enable smallholders to increase sustainably their agricultural productivity and species diversity by integrating fruits and vegetables into existing multi-storey cropping systems.
Farmers, policy makers and other actors along the whole value chain will be involved at all stages of the project. Gender issues are a central aspect as women are often responsible not only for cooking but also for food production.
FANRPAN is responsible for:
- Conducting qualitative, gender-disaggregated analysis of the socio-economic context, value chain, food growing and consumption behaviour of households/farming families and consumers in the nearest market place
- Scientific coordination of tasks under Work package 1 and 5
- Conducting a quantitative gender-disaggregated socio-economic (intra-) household analysis, food growing and consumption behaviour
- Identifying best pathways for policy advocacy
The consortium includes 14 other partners in Africa and Germany that are all involved in research and capacity building. These are:
ZEF - Zentrum für Entwicklungsforschung (Center for Development Research)
GlobalHort - The Global Horticulture Initiative
KoGa - Kompetenzzentrum Gartenbau
FRC - Forestry Research Center from the Ethiopia Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR)
CGS - Center for Gender Studies at the Addis Ababa University
FOFIFA - Centre National de la Recherche Appliquée au Développement Rural
ASARECA - Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa
WHH - Welthungerhilfe (Madagaskar)
ECFF - Environment and Coffee Forest Forum
AVRDC - The World Vegetable Center
Horticulture Innovation Lab
IZNE - International Centre for Sustainable Development at the University of Applied Sciences
UoA - University of Antananarivo
The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture for three years.