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FOOD SECURITY and Agri-nutrition
Overview
Food & Nutrition Security in the Commercial Villages Model is a deliberate step in FCI’s work. 40% of farmers are women whose families are also an end market for food systems. The need for nutrition education targeting rural and urban households with customized consumer messages allows the houses to invest in nutritious foods for consumption. Farm Concern International’s Commercial Village Model approach which incorporates nutrition offers a counter measure to safeguard both income and food security.This approach is called Commercial Village led season planning which ensures commercialization does not choke food and nutrition security.
Farm Concern International, FCI has developed nutrition sensitive solutions as integrated approaches in practical response to rural and urban household nutrition insecurity, a global problem mainly caused by unhealthy diets. This approach is optimized to deliver specific solutions for various cohorts; infant and young children under 5years, invalids of various categories, and elderly, pregnant and lactating mothers among others to meet their daily requirements for healthy living. Nutri-dense Food Basket approach is embedded under the welfare principles of the FCI’s Commercial Villages model that seeks to explore different ways for household dietary diversification using most available nutritious foods. FCI also works to influence consumption trends of various traditional foods that have proven ability to fight micronutrient deficiency. The approach considers nutrition education and awareness, foods utilization campaigns for optimum bioavailability of nutrients a strategic approach in programme implementation to ensure healthy rural and urban populace. FCI works with partners including Universities, government agencies to develop messages, simplified recipes on food utilization and also community farmer organizations engagement and participation for enhanced awareness.
Nutrition is one of the strands in the FCI’s Commercial Villages Model which focuses on nutrition education targeting rural and urban households with customized consumer messaging
Critical success factors for nutrition component in the Commercial Villages Model:
- Nutrition sensitive value chain analysis focuses on analyzing current and potential demands for nutritious foods in urban and rural consumer markets
- Recognition of producer family also as an end-market: enables Commercial Villages to plan for food security and nutrition during Commercial action planning
- Capacity building on investing in nutritious foods for household consumption: households are equipped through capacity development to make a commercial decisions of dedicating land and resources
- 80% of Commercial Villages households on average participate in action planning for food security and agri-nutrition.
- 40% of Commercial Village Farmers are women on average who undergo in-depth nutrition focused capacity building. However, nutrition education targets the entire village and all households to ensure that nutrition is valued and allocated resources.
- Nutri-dense food basket approach is designed to train urban and rural households on nutritious diets for several cohorts with a more in-depth training for women and care-givers.
- ASAL Food and Nutrition Security approach is climate resilience sensitive carefully designed to have a Commercial Village component that ensures ASAL Communities have affordable and accessible nutritious foods.
Micronutrients
Micronutrient deficiency also known as hidden hunger is a major public health problem in developing countries caused by lack of essential vitamins and minerals in the diet. Often, signs of this form of malnutrition are ‘hidden’, as individuals may ‘look alright’ but suffer extremely negative impacts on health and well-being.
Globally, an estimated two billion or about one among three people suffer from this condition. As home to some of the most nutritionally insecure people in the world, Africa is faced with a high prevalence of hidden hunger. Micronutrient deficiency affects a third of Sub-Saharan Africa’s people. It can and do impair intellectual development, compromise immune systems and provokes birth defects. Ensuring the general population is well versed with knowledge on micronutrient deficiency goes a long way in helping address this problem.
Case Studies
Cassava enhances food security and income inMakueni County, Kenya
Residents of Mbuvo Commercial Village in Eastern Kenya have improved food security and increased income under the Kenya Cassava Commercialization and Processing Programme supported by Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa and implemented by Farm Concern International. “We harvested a total of 16,016 metric tons which was consumed domestically while the excess was chipped and dried for storing,” remarked Mr. Masyuki- the Commercial Village chairman... Read More
Land factor: Why smallholder farmers are vital in enhancing food security
Over the years, the world population has been growing at an unprecedented high rate. The United Nations had projected that there would be an estimated 9 billion people in the face of the earth by the year 2014. World Population Review observes that "Africa countries are all growing fast... because there is large number of women who have no access to planning their families.” In most countries in the continent, the population growth is in excess of 2% every year... Read More
Cassava for food security and resilience in Arid and Semi-Arid regions: Smallholder farmer increases acreage under drought tolerant cassava by 100%
Mr. Ndaka is an outstanding farmer who believes in doing things big and right. The 63 year old farmer is a go getter who stops at nothing but profits accrued from farm products. When Cassava Commercialization & Village Processing Initiative was introduced in Kathonzweni Sub County, Mr. Ndaka took the initiative positively and put 2 acres of land under cassava hoping to get good returns... Read More
Increased TAVs Production Scales up SHFs Income and Nutrition
One of the goals of KHCP project implemented in Lake Victoria Hub in Kisumu County, Kenya, was to promote product diversification by promoting high value crops suitable for smallholder production, commercialization and value-addition such as Traditional African Vegetables (TAVs). Research shows that people who regularly consume vegetables in their diet have chances of a healthier and longer life... Read More
Enhancing national food security through cassava and sweet potatoes access
Farm Concern International (FCI) successfully implemented a Cassava Village Processing Project (CVPP) in three years in Kenya and Tanzania. This project involved 54,000 farmers in 214 commercial villages and increased yields per acre to 9MT up from 5MT. The project also enabled village based seed multipliers to produce a total of 40,013,000 improved cassava cuttings. In the process, smallholder farmers in the Commercial Villages (CVs) gained revenues of up to USD 26,622,623.2 (KES 2,644,600,000) from cassava-related trade... Read More
Promoting food security and economic empowerment among smallholder farmers through E-CVPP
FCI has partnered with several actors to implement a three year, Expanded-Cassava Processing Project - (E-CVPP), in Kenya and Tanzania, with funding from the Alliance for Green Revolution-(AGRA). This is geared towards promoting food security and economic empowerment among the low income rural farmers. E-CVPP is a scale up project, building on the success of a Cassava Village Processing Project - (CVPP), implemented in three years in Kenya and Tanzania. This (CVPP) project involved 54,000 farmers and 214 commercial villages)... Read More
Our Business Models
FCI VISION :Commercialized smallholder communities with increased incomes for improved, stabilized & sustainable livelihoods in Africa and beyond.