combating malnutrion in children and … pilot project... · · 2014-04-03under five years 20 2...
TRANSCRIPT
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Impact monitoring was conducted from August to November by implementing self-registration boards,
24-hour diet recall and focus group interviews. Self-registration and 24-hour diet recall methods were
applied on 20 members of the 40 community project members. Data collection was not on a weekly but
a monthly basis. Focus group interviews were conducted with two 5-member groups segregated by sex
and were conducted on a separate data day from the self-registration and 24-hour diet recall.
The findings of the impact monitoring study are
Households spent the bulk of their income on food (58.5%) and other activities (29.3%)
compared to the 6.9% spent on agriculture production and 5.2% on health (Figure 2) over the
three month period
The average expenditure on agriculture production increased in October relative to the
expenditure for August.
average income per household from urban agriculture declined from a high of USD 14.00
(16.2%) per month to USD 9.00 (4.2%) from August to October
Vegetables do not constitute home produced food
The number of foodstuffs consumed in Kaloko increase from 61% in August to 74% in September and finally to 82% in October
The variety of crops being grown increased two months after the project was fully implemented
Chicken droppings, household waste and vegetable matter were being used as organic fertilizers
without supplemental applications of inorganic fertilizers.
Women are collecting water every day compared to when water was difficult to access and
sometimes members of the community purchased water from the street
Food availability and sufficiency are still major problems that members of Kaloko face.
Even though the impact monitoring was carried out over a short period of time before the project has
had more impact it can be concluded that signs of improvements in some aspects of the community
have taken place
The variety of foods has increased
Food intake, in terms of kilocalories, has increased even though marginally
The number of new crops being grown has been noticed
Water has been made available as noted from the increased number of water collections per
day even though the distance to the source of water is still far.
Resources permitting, it would be appropriate to continue intervening in this community to ensure that
the interventions that have been started could continue to ensure the transfer of skills to other
members of the Kaloko community.
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Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................. 2
1. BACKGROUND ....................................................................................................................................... 5
1.1. The project Area............................................................................................................................ 5
1.2. Problems Targeted ........................................................................................................................ 6
1.3. Objectives and Expected results. .................................................................................................. 6
1.4. Expected Results. .......................................................................................................................... 6
2. METHODOLOGY FOR IMPACT MONITORING ........................................................................................ 7
2.1. Registration Boards (self-registration) .......................................................................................... 7
2.2. 24-Hour Recall ............................................................................................................................... 7
2.3. Focus Group Interviews ................................................................................................................ 7
3. PROJECT IMPACT ANALYSIS .................................................................................................................. 7
3.1. Self Registration ............................................................................................................................ 7
Household Incomes ............................................................................................................................... 7
Expenditure ........................................................................................................................................... 8
3.2. Food types that constitute the diets Kakolo households (24-hour Diet Recall) .......................... 9
3.2.1. Types of Foodstuffs Consumed in Kaloko Households ......................................................... 9
3.2.2. Nutritional Basis of Household Foods ................................................................................. 10
3.2.3. Cost of Household Food Consumption ............................................................................... 12
3.3. Community Perceptions (focus group interviews) ..................................................................... 13
3.3.1. Crop Choices and Fertilizers ................................................................................................ 13
3.3.2. Water Availability ................................................................................................................ 13
3.3.3. Socio-economic Problems ................................................................................................... 13
4. CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................................................... 14
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1. BACKGROUND
Unemployment in Ndola was estimated to be 75% and poverty at 67% which has contributed to most
citizens living below the poverty datum line. The closure of mines and related activities on the
Copperbelt during the Chiluba era resulted in the local economy of Ndola and most cities on the belt
going into recession. Typically the situation in Ndola can be categorized as follows:
Liberalization of the economy in the late 80s resulted in industries closing down
High unemployment and poverty levels
Households to meet own economic needs (less government subsidies)
Most of those affected lacked other livelihood skills, hence the need to develop new forms of livelihood
activities and urban agriculture is one such activity that will improve the livelihood of the community.
Additionally, many people living with HIV/Aids and children lack good nutrition. It is against this
background that New Kaloko Nutrition group proposed to implement a chicken rearing and vegetable
gardening project to supplement nutrition and raise funds for the group and their family members.
Furthermore, the scarcity of water in New Kaloko has contributed to the poor development of
agricultural activities in the area.
1.1. The project Area New Kaloko is an unplanned settlement situated in the south west of the administrative district of Ndola. It has a population of 12,850 people as shown in Table 1. Most residents are not in formal employment and they lack livelihood skills. The main occupation for most residents is selling of agricultural products as well as general buying and selling of other commodities.
Table 1. Population characteristics of New Kaloko
Category Percentage Total
Total Population 100 12 850
Children under one year old 4 514
Under five years 20 2 570
5-14 years 28.8 3 701
Women 15-45 years 22 2 827
All adults 15+ years 51.2 6 579
Total male all ages 49.9 6 412
Total female all ages 50.1 6 476
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1.2. Problems Targeted The project addressed the following
(i) Inadequate water in the area. Water for urban agriculture was only through rain. (ii) Poor nutrition uptake by households as a result of the inability to farm all year round and
the lack of guidance on the crops to grow. Malnutrition in under eight year olds was estimated to affect 50% of the children. Adults were also affected by the same problem.
(iii) Unemployment levels are around 80% and the UA project will offer some form of informal employment to the participants.
(iv) Lack of skills – it was hoped that the UA project would be able to address some of the problems in the area relating to lack of livelihood skills.
1.3. Objectives and Expected results. The main goal of the project was to demonstrate that if properly organized, urban agriculture can significantly contribute to the fight against malnutrition and that it can reduce urban poverty. The specific objectives of the proposed project included:
(i) To reduce the prevalence of malnutrition in people living with HIV/Aids and children by at least 50% through introducing new high nutrition crops and other UA activities like beans, herbs and groundnuts by the end of implementation period of the project.
(ii) To impart livelihood skills to the 40 participating members through training in low-input gardening and poultry.
(iii) To develop the capacity of the 40 participating members in organic farming and UA practices through training in organic farming, conservation and water harvesting.
(iv) To improve the supply of water at the project area through drilling a borehole and fitting it with a hand pump for all year gardening.
1.4. Expected Results. The project outcomes included impacts on the immediate 40 members participating in the project and
the households in the surrounding area:
i. Reduction in malnutrition levels for the 40 participating households. It was anticipated that the reduction of malnutrition prevalence will be in the order of 50%.
ii. Improved household food security. The participating members would be food secure throughout the year. Crop production would take place all year round with the sinking of the borehole.
iii. Reduced poverty levels, as the residents of New Kaloko will have acquired livelihood skills in UA. iv. It was also hoped that one of the outcomes would be the replication of some of the practices by at
least 20 % of households in the surrounding areas who will through the demonstration effect be enticed to adopt some of the approaches introduced in the project area.
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2. METHODOLOGY FOR IMPACT MONITORING An assessment of the likely impact of the project on the New Kaloko community, through the 40
participating households, was carried out over a period of four months. Three methods were applied to
50% of the households. Data was collected once a month after a discussion with the participating
households revealed that weekly data collections would not receive adequate collaboration from the
sample households.
2.1. Registration Boards (self-registration) The sample of households was trained in how to register their incomes (from urban agriculture and
other sources) and expenditures for each day of the month. At the end of the month, which was the first
week of each month, students visited the 20 households to collect the information from each of
households. Registration boards were used to gather economic data for household income from UA and
other sources and expenditure on food, agriculture production, health and other. The 20 households
were required to use coloured cardboard squares when income was earned or an expense incurred.
2.2. 24-Hour Recall Twenty-four hour diet recall data was collected during the monthly visits by students to the households
in the sample. All food consumed by the household in the last 24 hours was required to be recalled by
the respondents and listed on the 24-hour recall data sheets. Information was obtained from an adult
who prepared the food and if she/he was not available, another adult who was present during the 24
hours was provided the information. Food consumed in the house meant food that was prepared in the
house and that which was consumed outside the home (this is food prepared and not prepared in the
home).
2.3. Focus Group Interviews A specific sub-category of respondents, two groups of five (5) men and five (5) women, were targeted to
discuss pre-selected topics. The gender segregated approach allowed for gender segregated analysis of
the results. After the group had discussed a particular topic in a theme, the two groups did not meet in
the plenary to discuss the results of the group discussion. Semi-structured questionnaires will be
prepared and applied to gather data. Questionnaires had short questions on the themes of gender,
socio-economic and the community environment.
3. PROJECT IMPACT ANALYSIS
3.1. Self Registration
Household Incomes The average income per household from urban agriculture declined from a high of USD 14.00 (16.2%)
per month to USD 9.00 (4.2%) from August to October (Figure 1). Income from other sources also
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declined from USD 237 (83.8%) to USD 204 (95.8%). The average earning per household is higher from
other sources than from UA.
Total household income declined from USD 247 in August to USD 212 in October. Reasons for this
decline are varied and may range from increasing scarcity of food arising from the peak of the dry
season when water is scarce.
Expenditure Households spent the bulk of their income on food (58.5%) and other activities (29.3%) compared to the
6.9% spent on agriculture production and 5.2% on health (Figure 2) over the three month period. It was
observed that the average expenditure on agriculture production increased in October relative to the
expenditure for August.
The average income from UA cannot finance food purchases for the community of New Kaloko
according to the statistics obtained from August to October (Table 2). The average monthly income per
Figure 1. Average incomes per
household for August to
September from urban
agriculture and other sources
Figure 2. Average monthly
expenditures on food,
agriculture production,
health and other activities in
percentages.
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household is sufficient to finance food, agriculture production and health but cannot finance other
expenses.
Table 2. Average monthly incomes and expenditure
Month UA Other Food Agriculture Production
Health Other Average Income
Average Expenditure
August 14(16) 237(84) 99(62) 19(6) 4(4) 330(29) 251 242
September 6(15) 70(85) 37(58) 4(8) 4(8) 70(27) 76 110
October 9(4) 204(96) 39(56) 6(7) 3(4) 184(33) 212 231
Note: Figures are in US$ whilst those in parenthesis are percentages
3.2. Food types that constitute the diets Kakolo households (24-hour Diet
Recall)
3.2.1. Types of Foodstuffs Consumed in Kaloko Households
The diet of Kakolo is composed of the foods listed in Table 3.
Table 3. Food types consumed in a 24 hour period by Kakolo households on a monthly basis
Food Local Standard
Quantity (g)
Local Cost (USD)
August September October
Apple 1 120 1,500 √
Banana 3 350 1,000 √ √ √
Beans 1 plate 250 2,000 √ √ √
Bean leaves 1 bundle 800 2,000 √
Beef 1 plate 1,000 12,000 √ √ √
Biscuit 1 packet 60 700 √ √ √
Bread 1 loaf 500 5,000 √ √ √
Buns/scones 1 bun 25 600 √ √ √
Cabbage 1 head 2,000 2,000 √
Cassava leaves 1 bundle 240 500 √
Cassava (roasted) 1 piece 20 100 √ √ √
Cassava (meal) 1 heap 300 800 √
Chicken 1 bird 2,000 25,000 √ √ √
Chinese Cabbage 1 bundle 240 500 √ √ √
Cooking Oil (ml) 1 cup 50ml 500 √ √ √
Curry powder 4 t/spns 5 200 √ √
Eggs 1 egg 500 √ √ √
Fish (dried) 1 plate 95 3,000 √ √ √
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Fish (fresh) 1 plate 1,000 6,500 √ √ √
Ground nuts 1 packet 10 200 √ √ √
Guava 1 fruit 50 50 √
Kapenta (dried) 1 packet 75 2,500 √ √ √
Kapenta (fresh) 1 plate 500 6,000 √
Maize meal (nshima)
1 plate / packet
350 1,500 √ √ √
Maize (dry) 1 packet 250 1,000 √
Milk (ml) 1 bottle 500 4,000 √ √ √
Onion 1 onion 25 500 √
Oranges 1 orange 100 500 √ √ √
Paprika 4 t/spns 5 200 √ √
Potatoes 1 heap 1,500 5,000 √
Potato leaves 1 bundle 240 500 √ √
Pumpkin leaves 1 bundle 240 500 √
Rape 1 bundle 200 500 √ √ √
Rice 1 packet 200 2,000 √
Sausage 1 packet 1,000 7,500 √ √
Spinach 1 bundle 400 1,000 √
Sugar 12 t/spns 50 500 √ √ √
Tomato 1 tomato 250 1,000 √
NB. t/spns = tea spoons
The 24-hour recall assessment indicated that some households do not use tomatoes and onions in their meals on a regular basis. Rice and potatoes do not also constitute part of the diet of Kaloko families. It was also noted that the diet of the Kaloko families is primarily a vegetable biased diet (green diet) which also includes dairy products. Using the list of foodstuffs as a guide, it is worth noting that the number of foodstuffs consumed in Kaloko increase from 61% in August to 74% in September and finally to 82% in October. This may be attributed to various social-economic factors that may include the training in managing household nutrition that the project has undertaken. The impact of this is improved nutrition particularly for households that have HIV/AIDS patients. The use of fruits and dairy products in a low income community such as Kaloko is an important development that requires support for sustainability.
3.2.2. Nutritional Basis of Household Foods
The availability of vitamins and minerals in the diet of the Kaloko community is provided in Table 4.
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Table 4. Availability of Foods Containing Vitamins and Minerals in Diets of Kakolo households
Food
VITAMINS/MINERALS V
itam
in A
Vita
min
B1
Vita
min
B2
Vita
min
B3
Vita
min
B6
Vita
min
B12
Vita
min
C
Vita
min
E
Cal
cium
Vita
min
B11
Iodi
ne
Iron
Mag
nesi
um
Pro
tein
Sel
eniu
m
Zin
c
Apple x
Banana x x
Beans x x x x x
Bean leaves
x x x
Beef x x x x x xx x x
Cassava leaves
x x x x
Cassava roots
x x x x
Chicken xx x x x
Cooking Oil x
Curry powder
x x x
Fish xx x x x x x
Ground nuts
x x x
Maize meal x x x x
Milk (ml) xx x x xx xx x
Onion
Oranges x x xx x x
Paprika x x x
Pumpkin leaves
x x x x x x x x x x
Rape x x x x
Rice x x
Spinach
Tomato
This assessment indicates that the diet for Kaloko households is deficient in Vitamin E which is
obtainable from Papaya (Avocado pears). Papaya is common in Zambian residential areas even though
its presence is related to the age of the residence. The fruit is most always traded on the market. Its
nutritional value is overlooked due to the fact that it is not as sweet as Bananas or oranges that attract
children than does Papaya.
The estimated daily intake of kilocalories per household increased from 7.22 K/cal in August, 5.63 K/cal
in September to 7.97 K/cal in October. The reasons may also be related to the project’s training and
education program related to nutrition and its relationship to human health.
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3.2.3. Cost of Household Food Consumption The study revealed that some households do not make any savings on income spent on food. This
means that some families spend more money on food than they allocate for food. About 11% of the
household had negative savings on money spent on food in September. The average monthly
expenditure on food per household is still low at US$58 (range US$97 – US$37). The households still
have a per capita expenditure of less than a US$1 per day.
Households in Kakolo save more money allocated for food than they are supposed to (Figure 3). The
fact that expenditure on food declined should have indicated that the household consumed food that
was produced from UA. Unfortunately this cannot be proven by the data that was collected.
Figure 3. Total household incomes spent and saved on food. Figures are in US Dollars.
In August, more than 90% of the households did not consume food that it produced, most of the food was purchased (Table 4). In September, only 21% of the households consumed corn meal from what the household had produced which declined to 13% by October. The fact that not even vegetables constitute home produced food is indicative of the problem of UA or the fact that most of it is sold on the market.
Table 4. Percentage of home-produced foodstuffs that are consumed by the household
Foodstuff August September October Beans 5.5
Buns 11
Groundnuts 5.5 6.7
Corn meal 21 13.3
Paprika 5.5
Rape (leafy vegetable) 11
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3.3. Community Perceptions (focus group interviews)
3.3.1. Crop Choices and Fertilizers The response in terms of choice of crops changed from August compared to what was being grown in
November. It was observed that the variety of crops being grown increased two months after the
project was fully implemented. The traditional crops were beans, Chinese cabbage, maize, okra, onion,
pumpkin, rape, sweet potatoes and tomatoes. Female respondents indicated that members of their
households had adopted okra as a new crop that was being grown. Male respondents indicated that
cowpeas and tomatoes were the new crops that some members of their households had started
growing after the project had started. Gardening was pointed out as a new activity that households had
adopted after the project had been introduced.
Chicken droppings, household waste and vegetable matter were being used as organic fertilizers
without supplemental applications of inorganic fertilizers.
3.3.2. Water Availability In August members of the project in the local community were having problems finding clean water.
Towards the end of November, the same members of the community indicated that water was being
collected about everyday day and sometimes more than once per day. This shows that the project has
succeeded in providing sufficient quantities of relatively cleaner water to Kaloko.
3.3.3. Socio-economic Problems Respondents indicated that food availability and sufficiency are still the major problems that members
of Kaloko face. Additionally, meeting the cost of educating children and distance between the source of
water and the household are still problems that are being faced. Some family members find it difficult to
meet the cost of accommodation.
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4. CONCLUSION The Kaloko community has still continued depending on other sources of generating income than UA. It
can also be inferred that towards the peak of the dry season, food and incomes generally decline. the
increase in expenditure for agriculture purposes may be indicative of the fact that community members
would like to increase food production through the adoption of new crop varieties and farming
methods. Even though the agriculture expenditure increased, the average income from UA cannot
finance food purchases for the community of New Kaloko. Changes in observed in crop choices,
increased food types and improved intake of kilocalories may be attributed to various social-economic
factors that may include the training that the project had undertaken.
Even though the impact monitoring was carried out over a short period of time before the project has
had more impact it can be concluded that signs of improvements in some aspects of the community
have taken place
The variety of foods has increased
Food intake, in terms of kilocalories, has increased even though marginally
The number of new crops being grown has been noticed
Water has been made available as noted from the increased number of water collections per
day even though the distance to the source of water is still far.
Resources permitting, it would be appropriate to continue intervening in this community to ensure that
the interventions that have been started could continue to ensure the transfer of skills to other
members of the Kaloko community.