Towards Sustainable Shifts to Healthy Diets and Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa with Climate-Resilient Crops in Bread-Type Products: A Food System Analysis

Abstract

Massive urbanization and increasing disposable incomes favor a rapid transition in diets and lifestyle in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). As a result, the SSA population is becoming increasingly vulnerable to the double burden of malnutrition and obesity. This, combined with the increasing pressure to produce sufficient food and provide employment for this growing population together with the threat of climate change-induced declining crop yields, requires urgent sustainable solutions. Can an increase in the cultivation of climate-resilient crops (CRCs) and their utilization to produce attractive, convenient and nutritious bread products contribute to climate change adaptation and healthy and sustainable diets? A food system analysis of the bread food value chain in SSA indicates that replacement of refined, mostly imported, wheat in attractive bread products could (1) improve food and nutrition security, (2) bring about a shift to more nutritionally balanced diets, (3) increase economic inclusiveness and equitable benefits, and (4) improve sustainability and resilience of the food system. The food system analysis also provided systematic insight into the challenges and hurdles that need to be overcome to increase the availability, affordability and uptake of CRCs. Proposed interventions include improving the agronomic yield of CRCs, food product technology, raising consumer awareness and directing policies. Overall, integrated programs involving all stakeholders in the food system are needed.

The Influence of Soaking and Sprouting on the Physicochemical Characteristics of Tigernut Tubers (Cyperus esculentus L.)

“…The same is true for certain non-essential amino acids, such as arginine, tyrosine, cysteine and aspartic acid. These observations have also been reported by Noort et al [37] during their work on the germination of sorghum. These increases would be due to the synthesis of enzymes in these sprouted products.…”

Dry Heating of Cowpea Flour below Biopolymer Melting Temperatures Improves the Physical Properties of Bread Made from Climate-Resilient Crops

“…A bread formulation mainly based on climate-resilient crops (i.e., sorghum flour, cassava flour and CPF) was developed during pre-trials to test the effect of dry heating on bread quality. The bread dough was intended to be processable in conditions similar to wheat dough, as this is critical for implementation in small bakeries in SSA [ 1 ]. Therefore, the reference dough was moldable and could be easily shaped by hand to fill the baking tins ( Figure 6 A,B and Supplementary Video S1 ).…”

“…Currently, the rapidly increasing population in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) largely relies on the import of wheat to provide convenient and affordable food such as refined wheat bread [ 1 ]. With wheat imports reaching almost 60% of the internal demand [ 2 ], this situation poses a major economic and food security problem.…”

“…Several of these crops, such as sorghum, millets, cassava and cowpeas, are also climate-resilient crops (CRCs). Fostering a predominant use of locally available CRCs in the production of attractive, affordable and nutritious bread provides a sustainable solution for the urgent food security issue by promoting agri-food development, reducing imports and providing income for smallholder farmers [ 1 , 3 ]. In view of climate changes, the rediscovery and exploitation of CRCs are crucial to improving food security, as they have enhanced tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress [ 4 , 5 ].…”

Determinants of agricultural commercialization in smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe: The case of Zhombe North Rural District

“…Another study in Ethiopia using a Tobit regression model indicated that land size and family size positively affected commercialization while old age negatively affected commercialization (Mutami, 2015). Studies in South Africa, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe concur that land size affects commercialization positively (Hailua et al, 2015;Noort et al, 2022;Ochieng et al, 2016). The authors indicated that farmers would likely produce more surplus channeled to the markets as land size increases.…”