Fish for food and nutrition security in Ghana: Challenges and opportunities

Hasselberg, Astrid Elise; Aakre, Inger; Scholtens, Joeri; Overå, Ragnhild; Kolding, Jeppe; Bank, Michael S.; Atter, Amy; Kjellevold, Marian

doi:10.1016/j.gfs.2020.100380

Cited by 54 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…Economic access was examined in almost two thirds of included studies. Affordability relative to other animal-source foods and the opportunity for households to purchase small quantities of fresh fish or fish-based products according to their financial means are key advantages of fish, as has been highlighted elsewhere [ 65 , 66 , 67 ]. Despite this, diets containing optimal amounts of fish to meet nutrient requirements were shown to substantially increase the overall cost of diet in populations largely reliant on plant-source foods [ 41 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fish Acquisition and Consumption in the African Great Lakes Region through a Food Environment Lens: A Scoping Review

et al. 2021

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Effective actions for the fishery and aquaculture sectors to contribute toward improving nutrition rely on an understanding of the factors influencing fish intake, particularly amongst vulnerable populations. This scoping review synthesises evidence from 33 studies in the African Great Lakes Region to examine the influence of food environments on fish acquisition and consumption. We identified only two studies that explicitly applied a food environment framework and none that linked policy conditions with the contribution of fish to diets. Economic access to fish was represented in the largest number of included studies (21 studies), followed by preferences, acceptability and desirability of fish (17 studies) and availability and physical access (14 studies). Positive perceptions of taste and low cost, relative to other animal-source foods, were drivers of fish purchases in many settings; however, limited physical and economic access were frequently identified as preventing optimal intake. In lakeside communities, fish were increasingly directed toward external markets which reduced the availability and affordability of fish for local households. Few studies considered intra-household variations in fish access according to age, gender or physiological status, which represents an important knowledge gap. There is also scope for future research on seasonal influences on fish access and the design and rigorous evaluation of programmes and policies that address one or more constraints of availability, cost, convenience and preferences.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fish Acquisition and Consumption in the African Great Lakes Region through a Food Environment Lens: A Scoping Review

et al. 2021

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“…The calculations for the consistency check are presented in Table A2 in the Appendix A. Hunger is on the rise globally; it affects about 821 million of the world's population [97]. As a result, the second SDG (i.e., SDG 2) builds on the advancement attained under earlier hunger extermination efforts and presents an ambitious target to end hunger worldwide by 2030 [98].…”

Section: Poor Post-harvest Management Practices and Market Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Agriculture for Sustainable Development: A SWOT-AHP Assessment of Ghana’s Planting for Food and Jobs Initiative

2021

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The exponential increase in the population of Ghana and the need to meet the population’s food security needs while creating job opportunities have necessitated the implementation of the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) initiative by the Government of Ghana (GoG). Using the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analytical tool, we SWOT of the PFJ initiative. We further complemented the study with the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) tool to rank the various criteria (factors) identified under the SWOT analysis. The study identified favorable environmental conditions as the highest strength, which recorded 59.3%, followed by agricultural lands availability (21.8%). Inadequate of financial services was identified as the highest weakness (55.8%), followed by over-reliance on climatic conditions (25.9%). High export potential relative to agricultural products in the country was identified as the highest opportunity, which recorded a weight of 50.3%. The One District One Factory (1D1F) initiative came up as the second highest opportunity. Negative ramification of climate change was identified as the main threat to Ghana’s agricultural sector (57.9%), followed by the importation of basic food products (25%).

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“…Toward enhanced resilience importance of fish for food security. In Ghana, for example, fish is available throughout the country at relatively low prices and may be purchased in relatively small quantities, making it accessible for low-income consumers, who spend over 25 percent of their food expenses on fish (Hasselberg et al 2020). There is also differentiation between wealth groups in the types of species they purchase: whereas low-income consumers prefer cheaper smoked sardines, wealthy consumers buy larger and more expensive fish such as tilapia.…”

Section: Regional Consumption and Production Trendsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is also strong seasonal variation in the supply of fish. For example, in Ghana, marine fish are readily available during the two upwelling seasons and less accessible in the other months (Hasselberg et al 2020).…”

Section: Regional Consumption and Production Trendsmentioning

confidence: 99%

West African food system resilience

Piters¹,

Nelen²,

Wennink³

et al. 2021

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Background and understanding food systems resilience Regional drivers of West Africa's food systems Regional organisations Agro-pastoralism-based food systems Grains-and-legumes-based food system Rice-and-horticulture-based food systems Coastal maritime fisheries food system Tropical mixed tree and food crops systems Toward enhanced resilience of West African food systems Background and understanding Regional drivers Regional organisations Agro-pastoralism-based Grains-and-legumes-based Rice-and-horticulture Coastal maritime fisheries Tropical mixed tree and food crops systems Toward enhanced resiliencePreface COVID-19 is an extreme event that we will remember for a lifetime. But it is by no means the only shock of our time that puts global food security under pressure. Climate change, the increase in pandemics due to animal disease transfer and biodiversity loss will further increase pressure on existing food systems. Resilient, sustainable food systems, striking a balance between social, economic and environmental impacts, must be the answer. And that requires a different approach than 'producing more food'; it requires thinking in systems thinking and 'producing food in a better way'.Early 2020 the World Bank and the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs approached Wageningen University and Research with the question: How resilient are West African food systems and how to strengthen their resilience? The World Bank was in the process of developing a regional programme for that purpose and expressed its interests to Wageningen University & Research to obtain evidenced-based insights that could be used during its consultations and formulation. Wageningen University & Research quickly set up a dedicated team, and invited experts from the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT), European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) and Mr. Joost Nelen to join.Diving into the world of West African food systems and their resilience does not provide one with a univocal answer to the questions raised by the World Bank. The systems prove to be very diverse and respond in very different ways to shocks such as provoked by the COVID-19 pandemic. Whereas some systems show higher levels of resilience, others show important vulnerabilities to specific shocks. Income and power disparities between stakeholders in the systems, such as defined by gender differences, appear to be important, explaining why people's livelihoods are sometimes threatened, while other people have buffers and capacities to respond.

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Fish for food and nutrition security in Ghana: Challenges and opportunities

Cited by 54 publications

References 65 publications

Fish Acquisition and Consumption in the African Great Lakes Region through a Food Environment Lens: A Scoping Review

Fish Acquisition and Consumption in the African Great Lakes Region through a Food Environment Lens: A Scoping Review

Agriculture for Sustainable Development: A SWOT-AHP Assessment of Ghana’s Planting for Food and Jobs Initiative

West African food system resilience

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