The Impact of Local Agrobiodiversity and Food Interventions on Cost, Nutritional Adequacy, and Affordability of Women and Children's Diet in Northern Kenya: A Modeling Exercise

Abstract

Wild plant species are often excellent sources of micronutrients and have the potential to promote healthy living, yet they are under-exploited. Distribution of micronutrient powders as diet supplements can play an effective role in reducing micronutrient deficiencies among infants and young children. However, assessing their effects in ensuring a nutritious diet at low cost have been limited. This study assessed the impact of including wild plant species and micronutrient powders in modeled optimized lowest-cost diets for women and children in rural Kenya. Market surveys, focus group discussions in six villages and a 24-h dietary intake recall were used to collect data that were subsequently entered in the cost of diet linear programming tool to model lowest-cost nutritious diets for women and children in Turkana County, Kenya. Three wild vegetables, three wild fruits, and micronutrient powder were added to the models to assess their impact on the cost and the nutrient adequacy of the diets. A locally adapted cost optimized nutritious diet without any intervention costs between 50 and 119 Kenyan shillings (KES) daily

Seasonal Variations in Dietary Diversity and Nutrient Intakes of Women and Their Children (6–23 Months) in Western Kenya

“…In addition to growing crops adapted to such seasons, the use of wild foods which are excellent sources of nutrients and contribute to reduced diet costs while filling nutrient gaps year-round, need to be promoted. For example, in Turkana, Kenya, including 3 wild fruits and 3 wild vegetables which were available throughout the seasons contributed to improved diets for women and children ( 66 ). Decline in DD and reduced ability to maintain the same level of nutrition quality during the off-seasons could also be attributed to lack of proper storage facilities, particularly for perishable foods in rural areas ( 67 ).…”

High Adherence to the Food Pyramid’s Recommendations Avoids the Risk of Insufficient Nutrient Intake among Farmers in Peri-Urban Kenya

“…Food groups and the recommended range of each food group should be set after considering the availability of foods, food culture, and the target population's food environment, in addition to the recommended nutrient intake. Sarfo et al used a linear programming approach to determine nutritious diets for women and children in rural Kenya, considering food availability and cost; they estimated that the inclusion of three traditional vegetables would provide high levels of micronutrients without further increasing cost [38]. Promoting home-grown traditional vegetables and other crops would improve access to nutritious foods even for low-income households.…”

Are processed fruits and vegetables able to reduce diet costs and address micronutrient deficiencies? Evidence from rural Tanzania

“…The CoD tool contains nutrient contents of 3580 food items and supplements extracted from five different food consumption tables. It includes macro-and micronutrient recommendations for different individuals based on the specifications from the WHO and FAO as well as typical portion sizes for different individuals (17,26) .…”

“…These nutrient gaps persist partly because of the sources of foods that characterise diets, especially in rural areas. Diets largely consist of plant-based foods with low absorption rates for nutrients such as Fe and Zn (17,31,32) . Another contributing factor is the insufficient supply and consumption of micronutrient-dense foods such as FV, meat and dairy foods, largely due to their seasonality and/or high perishability levels.…”