Leveraging smallholder livestock production to reduce anemia: A qualitative study of three agroecological zones in Ghana

Abstract

Livestock production and Animal-Source Foods (ASFs) like meat, milk, and eggs are excellent sources of essential micronutrients, including iron and zinc. There is evidence that encouraging increased access to and consumption of these ASFs may either positively or negatively impact anemia, or have no nutritional effects. Drawing upon first-hand experiences in Ghana, this study sought to: (1) identify the main motivations for raising livestock in Ghana; (2) describe the major barriers to consuming ASFs, especially among women of reproductive age (WRA); and (3) explore the feasibility of different livestock-centered interventions to reduce anemia. Key informant interviews and focus group discussions were held with relevant stakeholders at different geographical scales - the national, regional, district, and community levels. The results suggest that livestock enable savings, allow resource-poor households to accumulate assets, and help finance planned and unplanned expenditures (e.g., school fees and illness). Due to these multiple and often pressing uses, direct consumption of home-reared ASFs is not a major priority, especially for poor households. Even when ASFs are consumed, intra-household allocation does not favor women and adolescent girls, demographic groups with particularly high micronutrient requirements. The study participants discussed possible interventions to address these challenges, including (1) increasing livestock ownership through in-kind credit; (2) encouraging nutrition-related behavior change; (3) improving livestock housing; and (4) hatchery management. The paper discusses these interventions based upon potential acceptance, feasibility, cost effectiveness, and sustainability in the Ghanaian context.

Why are animal source foods rarely consumed by 6-23 months old children in rural communities of Northern Ethiopia? A qualitative study

“…Furthermore, the present study witnessed that priorities were given for fathers for certain ASFs such as chicken and meat, and avoidance for children below two years was reported although not all participants agreed on this view point. Similar research findings were reported in Ghana by Nyantakyi-Frimpong et al [30] and Colecraft et al [33] who stated that some ASFs are more favored to fathers and old people compared to the other families in the community. The perception of our study participants about the avoidance of meat to children is also supported by Colecraft et al [33] and Nakachew et al [55].…”

“…The presence of livestock in-kind credit program was reported to be opportunities to facilitate the consumption of ASFs among children in the study area. In line with this finding, livestock in-kind credit was stated as a possible intervention for the barriers that decline the consumption of ASFs among women of reproductive age in Ghana [30]. The finding aligns with a study done in Rwanda [68] and Ethiopia [69] which has shown that these interventions truly increase ASF consumption and improve nutritional status.…”

“…A similar finding was also reported in Ghana, which demonstrated that caregivers' nutrition knowledge and feeding attitudes were significantly associated with both the household diet and the intake of ASFs by 2-5 years old children [32]. Nyantakyi-Frimpong et al, [30] Colecraft et al, [33] and Mukta et al, [34] also added that low ASFs consumption was due to the lack of information on the nutritional benefits of these foods. Thus, knowledge about the importance of ASF should be addressed through appropriate nutrition education [35].…”

“…Comparable to the current study, household income has also been consistently reported in many other contexts as barriers for ASFs consumption [30,33,40,[45][46][47][48][49]. Support for the promotion of income generation activities for caregiver households and the establishment of financial service facilities for loans for entrepreneurial development was reported as the possible suggested intervention to these constraints [33].…”

“…This is also consistent with the current study findings where ASFs were destined for market and household income than their home consumption by the family members. A qualitative result in Ghana [30] also confirmed that livestock and their products were used mainly as a source of bank saving rather than for consumption and nutrition. Similarly, a study in Malawi reported that cash was ranked as the most important reason for keeping cattle in smallholder farmers [31].…”