Food System Optimization for Maternal and Child Nutrition in Zambia

Building nutrition-sensitive and resilient food systems is crucial for a healthier world. A high proportion of rural households in sub-Saharan African countries are classified as being severely food insecure with sub-standard diet diversity which affects the overall health of people (Fraval, S, 2019), particularly children under the age of five. In Zambia, the food system is based on a few staple crops such as maize, cassava, millet, sorghum, and sweet potatoes and a couple of legumes - groundnuts and soybeans. Maize is by far the most important crop both in terms of sale and consumption. Maize accounts for 53% of the total cultivated area in the country and is grown by almost 90% of the 1.5 million smallholder farm households in the country (IAPRI, 2019; Mofya-Mukuka, R. and Hichaambwa, M. 2016). Typically, maize forms a large part of the diet, while nutrient-rich foods such as legumes, animal-source proteins, fruit, and vegetables are eaten in smaller quantities, particularly amongst the most impoverished families who are unable to provide a proper nutrition to their children. Despite periodic surplus maize production, most households have weak resilience to weather and market shocks. Seasonal hunger is widespread, leading to perpetual food insecurity. Given that maize production is dependent on the rainfall, food availability has remained highly vulnerable to weather shocks and other natural or health disasters coupled with output market instability. When rainfall is low or too high, most of the smallholder farm households' livelihoods are decimated, and incomes are drastically reduced. For example, during the 2021/2022 farming season, Zambia experienced floods in northern region, which left approximately 1.5 million people in need of relief food between October 2021 and March 2022. Other factors that contributed to the food insecurity are outbreaks of pests such as the African Migratory Locusts and Fall Armyworms. Food prices also remained higher than the five year average due to stifled supply chains as a result of COVID-19 restriction and food inflation pressures. In such situations, women headed households are particularly more vulnerable, owing to their fewer livelihood options (Mofya-Mukuka and Hichaambwa, 2017). The rural poverty level in Zambia is as high as 70%, and 46% of the Zambian population is estimated to be undernourished (IAPRI, 2019; USAID, 2019). The prevalence of stunting and wasting in the country remains unacceptably high, with stunting rates exceeding 35% and only 12% of the children meet the minimum acceptable diet (CSO et al., 2019). Stunting in children has long term effect including diminished cognitive and physical development, reduced productive capacity and poor health (WHO, 2014). In this regard, the protein amount and diversity are of great importance. Ensuring a high protein quality in the role of child development starts already with focusing on the role of the maternal diet. A protein and energy restriction has severe consequences. Intrauterine growth retardation is linked with being shorter, lighter, and weaker at adolescence (Ashworth, 1998). In contrast, the consumption of a high percentage of energy from protein during the early stages of pregnancy increased the birth body and placental weight (Moore et al., 2004). In childhood, an adequate protein intake is important for growth, and it was demonstrated that protein restriction decreases the levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 in healthy children (Smith et al., 1995). Therefore, it is especially important that the protein amount and quality are assured, especially when there are mostly plant-based proteins consumed such as maize. Improving the protein diversity goes in line with improving the diet diversity and can be a promising approach to improve the nutritional situation.While the nutrition and agricultural policy in Zambia recognizes the need to increase and diversify the production of nutritious foods, there has not been any systematic examination of local food systems and how to optimize them. Food systems must be transformed to make nutritious foods more easily accessible, affordable, and available all year-round. If food systems are unable to ensure regular supply of and access to food commodities, food insecurity is expected to increase both in the rural and urban centers, and malnutrition is likely to worsen. Because of the complexity of food systems, which encompass aspects such as agricultural output, socio-economic factors, food availability and accessibility, and a thorough examination of diets and nutritional factors, transdisciplinary research is imperative to achieve optimal results which after the end of the project, have the potential to be scaled at the national level. To that end, the proposed research is expected to inform and guide policy investment priorities for promoting sustainable and resilient food systems to enhance the availability and affordability of a wide variety of nutritious foods for making a healthy diet possible. This research project seeks to close the research gap in nutrition-sensitive agriculture and food systems and is relevant for development, as it addresses food systems and will identify pathways to improve them from an agronomic, socio-economic and nutrition perspective to achieve a high and direct improvement on the lives of mothers and children in food insecure environments in Zambia. The goals of the projects are aligned with SDGs 1, 2, 3, 5 and 10. Resilient local food systems and sound nutrition-sensitive recommendations will allow the target population to have regular access to diverse, high-quality nutrition and support healthy child and maternal diets. The problem of food insecurity and malnutrition in the Zambian food system is multidimensional and will be approached through a transdisciplinary, agricultural, socio-economic, and nutritional perspective. By carefully examining and addressing these multidimensions in the context of optimizing the access to dietary diversity and protein quality, the long-term sustainability and impact is assured. By the end of the third year of the project, agricultural and nutrition recommendations will be made to ensure a higher nutrient and protein bioavailability, in addition to other nutrition-sensitive measures. Because the research project will rely on the knowledge of local experts and the target population, appropriate and effective nutrition interventions for women of reproductive age and children will be sustainable and context specific.The overall goal of the project is to identify, recommend and implement interventions for optimizing food systems for maternal and child nutritionThe project specific goals are: 1. To map the local food system and determine which are the critical factors necessary for enhancing the resilience of the local food supply, including agronomic, socio-economic, and environmental aspects.2. To identify options for building a diversified and resilient nutrition-sensitive food systems which minimize food insecurity among mothers and children in the western region of Zambia.3. To develop appropriate and effective policy recommendations and interventions for optimizing maternal and child nutrition in the face of climate change and other external risks.