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Fruits are micronutrient-rich sources which are often underrepresented in children’s diets. More insights into the determinants of children’s fruit consumption are needed to improve nutrition education in Teso South Sub-County, Kenya. A multiphase mixed method study was applied among 48 farm households with children 0–8 years of age. A market surve...
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Context 1
... following Tukey's test displayed that the mean number of fruit tree numbers of the cluster groups 1 and 2 did not differ significantly from each other. The same applied to groups 3 and 4 (Table 5). a, b significant differences between the groups (p ≤ 0.05), a, a or b, b no significant differences. ...Citations
... In developing countries like Indonesia, stunting in children is closely connected to long-term malnutrition which is associated with poverty (Sudigyo et al. 2022). Many tropical fruits are seasonal and the cost of obtaining them is rather high, thus fruit is often underrepresented in rural children's diets unless the discovery of effective low-cost domesticating techniques then being promoted and implemented by the rural farmers (Kretz et al. 2021;Mann et al. 2022). ...
Background: Fruit is underrepresented as a source of nutrition owing to high production challenges and a lack of successful domesticating techniques. However, this issue can be addressed if an effective indigenous practice can be identified, and then the techniques can be promoted and shared with other communities. This research aims to document: (1) the landscape and land classification in Kampung Dukuh, (2) the fruit plants found in Kampung Dukuh, and (3) the cultivation technique practiced by indigenous people. Methods: The research was conducted through field observations at 162 sites within the village and in-depth interviews with 30 informants selected using the purposive sampling method. Data were analyzed using Miles and Huberman Models. Results: (1) Indigenous people have traditional practices in understanding their living environment and have divided the living area into five zones, viz., cover land, deposit land, arable land, forbidden land, and reserve land (2) a high fruit plant diversity of 587 plants belonging to 90 species and 38 families were present in Kampung Dukuh. The most dominant family is Moraceae (13.33%), followed by Anacardiaceae (10%) and Rutaceae (8.89%) (3) The fruit plant cultivation technique involves a series of processes from site preparation, planting, tree caring, and fruit harvesting. Conclusions: Indigenous people divide their land into five zones and cultivate 90 species of fruit plants. Their cultivation techniques, from site preparation to harvesting, underscore the value of indigenous knowledge and highlight the area's rich fruit plant diversity. These practices offer valuable insights for sustainable fruit cultivation in similar contexts. Keywords: traditional methods, cultivation technique, indigenous people
... The objectives of the project were (i) to promote farming practices for healthier soils and more diverse produce, (ii) to improve the access of value-chain actors to inputs and services, and (iii) to enhance consumers' food culture and diverse nutrition. To achieve these objectives, researchers in the project engaged farmers and rural households in joint research activities, including participatory trials with farmers and students (Fischer et al. 2019), value-chain platforms (Dhamankar and Bitzer 2019), and trials of improved practices in nutrition (Kretz et al. 2021) (Table 1). ...
... In the participatory action-learning activities, the researchers introduced concepts that combine multiple components or technologies, such as mixed cropping systems (Cheruiyot et al., in preparation) or a set of connected nutrition practices (Kretz et al. 2021). In the value-chain platform activities, farmers identified key problems, formulated their demands, and jointly developed solutions. ...
Purpose: We studied innovation processes in agriculture and nutrition to discuss a scaling approach that encompasses the technical, institutional, and behavioral dimensions of change.
Approach: To understand dynamics across these dimensions, we analyzed farmers’ innovation processes through two analytical lenses: farmer-centered and structural. Focus group discussions in Kapchorwa, Uganda, and Teso South, Kenya, looked at farmers’ choices of innovations. Individual interviews and stakeholder workshops at both study sites increased understanding of the local innovation system.
Findings: To address local challenges, strive for livelihood aspirations, and fulfill personal taste preferences, farmers selected and adapted practices promoted by a research project. A wide range of additional support providers encouraged farmers to develop innovations in agriculture, marketing, and nutrition.
Practical implications: By promoting innovation as a process rather than an outcome, it is possible to address context-specific needs and enhance farmers’ adaptive capacities. Scaling these processes necessitates the involvement of innovation support service providers in order to create an enabling environment for experimentation.
Theoretical implications: Analytical dualism highlights the different roles of human agency and structures in innovation processes needed to design successful scaling strategies.
Originality/value: This paper sets out a novel approach to understanding the increasingly discussed dimensions of scaling by linking them with concepts from innovation studies.
... The study is part of a larger study called EaTSANE [13,14]. Details have been reported in a substudy on fruit consumption [15]. In short, this study was conducted in Teso South Sub-County, which borders Uganda in Western Kenya. ...
... Each location was selected based on their closeness to the agricultural demonstration and training plots established within the project. Further, families were purposively selected within the selected villages from a previously established cohort, implemented by the principal investigators in the same region between 2015-2018 [15,16]. Thus, eligibility criteria were being a smallholder farmer with a child below the age of eight years and living in one of the selected villages. ...
... The focus was on how best to improve dietary intake in families with children aged 0.5 to 8 years. Results from how best to improve fruit intake have been reported elsewhere [15]. This study focused on testing the feasibility of recommendations in regard to responsive child feeding practices among primary caregivers. ...
Responsive infant and young child feeding as a reciprocal relationship between the child
and his or her caregiver is recommended by the WHO but has received less attention than dietary diversity or meal frequency up to now. The current study assessed common (non)responsive child feeding practices and factors that facilitate or hinder caregivers to improve feeding practices in rural Teso South Sub-County, Western Kenya. The qualitative study used focus group discussion (n = 93) and Trials of Improved Practices (TIPs) (n = 48) to identify challenges and opportunities in household food distribution and feeding practices. Overall, the implementation of responsive feeding practices was feasible for the caregivers. Parents reported mainly positive experiences in terms of the child’s feeding behavior and effects on child health. Traditional beliefs, practices, and cultural norms
hindered some households to change intrahousehold food distribution. Households who manage to implement responsive feeding even in food insecure regions should be consulted to (a) improve existing nutrition education messages that acknowledge these cultural norms, (b) to include more responsive feeding information in nutrition education material, and (c) to address gender norms to create awareness of the importance of responsive feeding practices and the need for adequate time allocation for infant and young child feeding.
