Browsing by Author "Ochieng, Justus"

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Improved household nutrition through home-grown produce and consumption of nutritious and healthy products
(Sustainable Agricultural Intensification, 2022) Anitha, Seetha; Sefa, Victor Afari; Kalumikiza, Zione; Mhango, Khumbo; Mosha, Inviolate; Muzanila, Yasinta; Mwangwela, Agnes; Ochieng, Justus; Okori, Patrick; Tsusaka, Takuji W
Undernutrition causes stunting, underweight, and wasting, and these are major health issues throughout Africa, adversely affecting the phys- ical and mental growth and development of chil- dren. High rates of stunting are seen throughout East and Southern Africa (ESA), with rates of 34% and 26% in the Africa RISING project coun- tries of Malawi and Tanzania (MoHCDGEC et al., 2016; NSO and ICF, 2017). Micronutrient defi- ciencies (e.g., iron, zinc, and calcium), described as hidden hunger, remain rife in both countries, especially among women of reproductive age, in- fants, and young children. These deficiencies have significant consequences for maternal and child health, mortality, the global burden of dis- ease, and economic development. In Malawi, for example, it is estimated that child undernutrition resulted in economic losses equivalent to 10.3% of gross domestic product in 2012. To this end, the Government of Malawi has reviewed its nutrition policy to redirect the national focus on nutrition programming and align its goals with the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy III (Government of Malawi, 2018). Tanzania has also shown commitment to addressing undernu- trition by articulation of the National Nutrition Strategy (United Republic of Tanzania, 2016). Both national policies recognize the need for multi-sectoral approaches to address malnutri- tion by promoting dietary diversity. A dietary approach needs to target the key growth window of opportunity in children, par- ticularly between 6 and 23 months of age, when growth is rapid and at risk of faltering when nu- trition is lacking (Ferguson et al., 2015). This co- incides with the weaning period and is an ideal time to introduce affordable, acceptable, and nutrient-rich foods. Dietary diversity can be improved through both nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive agricultural interventions. Nutrition-specific interventions address the immediate causes of undernutrition, i.e., inadequate diets and ill- nesses caused by nutrient deficiency. Nutrition- sensitive interventions incorporate nutrition objectives in wider disciplines; for example, ad- vice on producing crops and varieties that are rich in nutrients, and improved post-harvest processing and storage to minimize loss and im- prove quality and nutritional composition.
Long-term spatial-temporal trends and variability of rainfall over Eastern and Southern Africa
(Springer, 2019) Muthoni, Francis Kamau; Odongo, Vincent Omondi; Ochieng, Justus; Mugalavai, Edward M; Mourice, Sixbert Kajumula; Hoesche-Zeledon, Irmgard; Mwila, Mulundu; Bekunda, Mateete
This study investigates the spatial-temporal trends and variability of rainfall within East and South Africa (ESA) region. The newly available Climate Hazards group Infrared Precipitation with Stations (CHIRPS-v2) gridded data spanning 37 years (1981 to 2017) was validated against gauge observations (N = 4243) and utilised to map zones experiencing significant monotonic rainfall trends. Standardised annual rainfall anomalies revealed the spatial-temporal distribution of below and above normal rains that are associated with droughts and floods respectively. Results showed that CHIRPS-v2 data had a satisfactory skill to estimate monthly rainfall with Kling-Gupta efficiency (KGE = 0.68 and a high temporal agreement (r = 0.73) while also preserving total amount (β = 0.99) and variability (γ = 0.8). Two contiguous zones with significant increase in annual rainfall (3–15 mm year−1 ) occurred in Southwest Zambia and in Northern Lake Victoria Basin between Kenya and Uganda. The most significant decrease in annual rainfall (− 20 mm year−1 ) was recorded at Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Other significant decreases in annual rainfall ranging between − 4 and − 10 mm year−1 were observed in Southwest Tanzania, Central-South Kenya, Central Uganda and Western Rwanda. CHIRPS-v2 rainfall product provides reliable high spatial resolution information on amount of rainfall that can complement sparse rain gauge network in rain-fed agricultural systems in ESA region. The observed spatial-temporal trends and variability in rainfall are important basis for guiding targeting of appropriate adaptive measures across multiple sectors.