Uganda is undergoing dietary transition, with possible environmental sustainability and health implications, particularly for women. To explore evidence for dietary transitions and identify how environmentally sustainable women’s dietary patterns are, principal component analysis was performed on dietary data collected using a 24 h recall during the Uganda Food Consumption Survey (n = 957). Four dietary patterns explained 23.6% of the variance. The “traditional, high-fat, medium environmental impact” pattern was characterized by high intakes of nuts/seeds, fats, oils and spreads, fish and boiled vegetables. High intakes of bread and buns, rice and pasta, tea and sugar characterized the “transitioning, processed, low environmental impact’ pattern. The ‘plant-based, low environmental impact” pattern was associated with high intakes of legumes, boiled roots/tubers, boiled traditional vegetables, fresh fruit and fried traditional cereals. High intakes of red/organ meats, chicken, and soups characterized the “animal-based high environmental impact” pattern. Urban residence was positively associated with “transitioning, processed, low environmental impact” (β = 1.19; 1.06, 1.32) and “animal-based high environmental impact” (β = 0.45; 0.28, 0.61) patterns; but negatively associated with the “plant-based low environmental impact” pattern (β= −0.49; −0.62, −0.37). A traditional, high-fat dietary pattern with medium environmental impact persists in both contexts. These findings provide some evidence that urban women’s diets are transitioning.
Background Healthy and sustainable dietary practices offer a possible solution to competing tensions between health and environmental sustainability, particularly as global food systems transition. To encourage such dietary practices, it is imperative to understand existing dietary practices and factors influencing these dietary practices. The aim of this study was to identify multi-level factors in lived rural and urban Ugandan food environments that influence existing dietary practices among women of reproductive age (WRA). Methods A mixed methods study was conducted. Multiple correspondence analysis followed by hierarchical cluster analysis were performed on dietary data collected among a sample (n = 73) of Ugandan WRA in Kampala (urban) and Wakiso (rural) districts to elicit dietary clusters. Dietary clusters, which were labelled as dietary typologies based on environmental impact and nutrition transition considerations, were reflective of dietary practices. Following this, a smaller sample of WRA (n = 18) participated in a Photovoice exercise and in-depth interviews to identify factors in their social, physical, socio-cultural and macro-level environments influencing their enactment of the identified dietary typologies, and therefore dietary practices. Results Four dietary typologies emerged: ‘urban, low-impact, early-stage transitioners’, ‘urban, medium-impact, mid-stage transitioners’, ‘rural, low-impact, early-stage transitioners’ and ‘rural, low-impact, traditionalists’. Although experienced somewhat differently, the physical environment (access, availability and cost), social networks (parents, other family members and friends) and socio-cultural environment (dietary norms) were cross-cutting influences among both urban and rural dietary typologies. Seasonality (macro-environment) directly influenced consumption of healthier and lower environmental impact, plant-based foods among the two rural dietary typology participants, while seasonality and transportation intersected to influence consumption of healthier and lower environmental impact, plant-based foods among participants in the two urban dietary typologies. Conclusion Participants displayed a range of dietary typologies, and therefore dietary practices. Family provides an avenue through which interventions aimed at encouraging healthier and lower environmental impact dietary practices can be targeted. Home gardens, urban farming and improved transportation could address challenges in availability and access to healthier, lower environmental impact plant-based foods among urban WRA.
Cette section s'appuie sur le cas du projet Relax 10 , un projet pluridisciplinaire (nutrition, économie, agronomie, socio-anthropologie, géographie, sciences politiques et 10. https://relax.cirad.fr (dernière consultation le 27/08/2021).
Food and nutrition insecurity are pressing global issues, pertinent to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 2 (zero hunger). About 1 in 10 people globally are food insecure, with both the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine-Russia crisis exacerbating the problem, partly due to unprecedented shortages in major food commodities, such as wheat, rice, and sunflower oil. Food and nutrition security have been negatively impacted in sub-Saharan African countries like Nigeria and Uganda where, prior to both crises, 25% of the population were already food insecure and children under five and women of reproductive age faced severe undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and their associated health challenges. The recent crises have highlighted the need for a paradigm shift from relying on a few crops to a diversified, sustainable food system that harnesses the potential of neglected and underutilized species (NUS) for food and nutrition insecurity solution, especially in low and middle-income countries. Despite their abundance (>100 edible species) and high nutritional value, various political, socio-cultural, and infrastructural factors have deterred commercialization and utilization of NUS in sub-Saharan Africa. Moreover, there are limited sophisticated studies on many of NUS local to the region. This review aimed to discuss selected NUS, peculiar to Nigeria, namely, African walnut (Tetracarpidium conophorium), African breadfruit (Treculia africana), and Uganda, namely, sesame (Sesamus indicum L.) and pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L.), and their potential to sustainably contribute towards improved food and nutrition security. The crops are briefly described, and their indigenous uses, nutritional value and medicinal properties highlighted. Issues relating to their production, processing, consumption, and exportation are reviewed considering their contribution towards sustainable food systems.
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