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Seasonal food availability calendars for designing nutrition-sensitive agriculture in Chivi, Zimbabwe

Author Affiliations

  • 1Great Zimbabwe University, Masvingo, Zimbabwe
  • 2Nutrition Department, Ministry of Health and Child Care, Masvingo, Zimbabwe
  • 3Care International, Zimbabwe

Res. J. Agriculture & Forestry Sci., Volume 8, Issue (3), Pages 24-31, July,8 (2020)

Abstract

Seasonal food availability calendars show the availability of food expressed in months throughout the year. They can contribute to nutrition-sensitive agricultural production since they show foods that are available for consumption in a community and when. The design of food and nutrition security programs can thus be informed by the utilization of seasonal food data. The objective of this study was thus to identify available food items and observe their patterns in temporal changes in availability within six randomly selected wards in Chivi rural district. Participatory action research was conducted to identify the available food items in the wards. Data on seasonal food availability was collected through focus groups made up of 10-15 key informants per ward. The participants listed all the food items produced and consumed in the wards. They also specified the months that each food item was available and the levels of availability each month. Maize, sorghum and sweet potatoes were available throughout the year but had medium to high availability from April to August low levels of availability from September to March. Pumpkins, cow pea leaves, kale leaves, rape and spider plant leaves had high levels of availability from April to September and lower levels of availability from October to March. Pumpkin leaves were highly available from December to July with lower levels of availability from August to November. Moringa leaves were highly available from March to June and had lower levels of availability from August to February. The availability of fresh and sour milk was high throughout the year. Mopani worm powder was available all year round with medium availability from March to August and low availability from September to February. Bambara groundnuts, cow peas and water melon seeds were highly available from April to June, had medium availability from July to September and low availability from October to March. Sugar bean had high availability from August to October, medium availability from November to January and low availability from February to July. Cow pea was highly available in April, had medium availability from May to June and low availability from July to March. The food items listed in the seasonal calendars were organized by food groups. An all-inclusive calendar was created to show the seasonal food availability within the wards. Discussions on the composition of main dishes and daily meal frequency by season were also held. Strategies for filling seasonal gaps were provided.

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