Local Knowledge for Addressing Food Insecurity: The Use of a Goat Meat Drying Technique in a Rural Famine Context in Southern Africa

Abstract

Simple SummaryThe Bairro Boroma (Boroma neighborhood) in Mozambique’s northwest Tete Province is characterized by its inhabitants’ low protein intake. This is despite being located in the region of the country with the largest number of livestock and having animal husbandry as one of its most important economic activities. Lack of access to electricity is a challenge for the conservation and regular consumption of meat in Bairro Boroma. We explored the role of local knowledge about a salty smoked preparation called chinkui, which was often used in ancient times in Bairro Boroma. Through a questionnaire about familiarity with chinkui and passive observation of its traditional preparation, we found that: (1) although most Bairro Boroma goat herders knew what chinkui was, its consumption was not frequent among villagers; and (2) the type of animal used to prepare chinkui does not produce an amount of meat that ensures its use as a sustainable source of meat. We concluded that, by exploring knowledge transmission methods and choosing animals with different traits, chinkui’s traditional preparation could be considered as an alternative for increasing high-quality protein intake in the context of the area’s serious food insecurity issues.AbstractOnly 30% of households in Bairro Boroma (Boroma neighborhood) have a regular protein intake, mainly due to the lack of a proper cold chain. We analyzed the level of knowledge about a local dried meat called chinkui, examining the relationship between this knowledge and its value for strengthening local food security. Through surveys of Bairro Boroma goat herders (n = 23) about “chinkui awareness” and passive observation of chinkui preparation (n = 5) from local biotype goats, we found that chinkui was known to most goat herders (91.3%), but was used only irregularly, mainly because knowledge transmission has decreased over time. From passive observation, we found that the amount of dried meat obtained from an animal rarely exceeded a yield of 10% and its performance and safety depended on weather conditions and the absence of other animals in the area of preparation. It is, therefore, recommended to strengthen initiatives to increase the amount of chinkui, based on local knowledge, so as to enhance its frequency of consumption and the possibility of using it as a sustainable alternative source of protein.

Sheep and Goat Meat Processed Products Quality: A Review

“…The Gueddid can be stored at room temperature for more than a year, and, before consumption, it is desalted after immersion in water, being used in various dishes, such as Aiche, Couscous, Elhessa and Marloga in Algeria [26]. In addition to Gueddid, there are other dry and fermented or not fermented products of North Africa and the Mediterranean of sheep and goat meats, such as Kourdass (a sausage prepared from offal lamb stomach, intestines, liver, lung, spleen and fat), Tidkit (a sun-dried product), Boubnita (a dry lamb fermented sausage), Soudjouk or sucuk (a dry fermented and uncooked sausage of Turkish origin) or Maynama and Merdouma (smoked products) [5] In Southern Africa, a goat meat drying technique using salting and smoking processes and known as chinkui in Mozambique's Northern Tete Province is also commonly used [27] as a complementary source of protein in local rural areas of developing countries with large undernourished populations.…”

“…In Southern Africa, a goat meat drying technique using salting and smoking processes and known as chinkui in Mozambique’s Northern Tete Province is also commonly used [ 27 ] as a complementary source of protein in local rural areas of developing countries with large undernourished populations.…”

Segurança alimentar de famílias extrativistas de açaí na Amazônia oriental brasileira: o caso da Ilha das Cinzas

“…Tregidgo et al (2020) apontaram a relação entre as inundações sazonais dos rios e a grave insegurança alimentar de famílias ribeirinhas, que residem em áreas geograficamente distantes dos centros administrativos locais, interferindo decisivamente no acesso e na disponibilidade de alimentos. Neste sentido, Valle et al (2019) defendem que as soluções para o problema da insegurança alimentar estão no próprio lócus da comunidade, por meio da produção agrícola familiar diversificada e de seu nexo com a importância socioeconômica e com a cultural local.…”

“…As variáveis testadas foram Gênero do provedor familiar, Produção/Consumo agrícola local de parte da produção de legumes, de frutas e/ou de verduras na Ilha das Cinzas e Recebimento de Bolsa Família, por haver evidências empíricas anteriores de que estes fatores influenciam, de alguma forma, a dieta alimentar de populações rurais (PIPERATA et al, 2011;McSWEENEY;MURRIETA, 2016;FAO, 2019;VALLE et al, 2019). As variáveis foram aferidas pela estatística de Wald.…”

The Impacts of Traditional Ecological Knowledge towards Indigenous Peoples: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Regarding the year of publication, four articles were published in 2021 [7,8,64,65], one article was published in 2020 [9], and three articles were published in 2019 [10,11,66]. Meanwhile, three articles were published in 2018 [12,13,67], three in 2017 [14][15][16], and three in 2016 [17][18][19].…”