Julius J. Okello

Farm households' participation in rural non-farm employment in post-war Rwanda: Drivers and policy implications

Despite the post-war governments unprecedented efforts to stimulate growth of the rural non-farm (RNF) sector in Rwanda, evidence suggests that participation in this sector remains low compared with other developing and transition economies. This study investigates the micro and meso-level factors defining farm households capacity and incentives to participate in RNF employment in the post-war Rwanda. Based on the households time allocation theory, this study employs household survey data collected in Gisagara District in a double-hurdle regression. The results reveal that female-headedness, labour availability, education, social networks, access to finance and rural towns increase the probability of participating in RNF activities, whereas for participating households, the time allocated to RNF activities tends to decrease with age, land productivity, distance to market and dispersed settlements. The article concludes with key implications for rural development policies such as basic education and umudugudu settlements.

Exploring the influence of differentiated nutrition information on consumers’ mental models regarding foods from edible insects: A means-end chain analysis

ABSTRACT This study used a field experiment and means-end chain analysis to examine the effects of positive and perceived negative nutrition information on the households’ motivations to consume insect-based foods. It used a random sample of households drawn from rural communities in Kenya. The study found that provision of nutrition information on benefits of edible insects and perceived negative aspects of insect-based foods influences participants’ perceptions of insect-based foods and hence acceptance. We also found that tasting real products influenced the nature of mental constructs. The results provide marketers of edible insects with potential marketing messages for promotion.

Productivity and food security effects of using of certified seed potato: the case of Kenya’s potato farmers

BackgroundPotato is a major food crop in the tropical regions of Africa. However, potato yields continue to remain very low in these regions mainly due to use of poor quality seed. The recent development of rapid seed multiplication technique has helped to shorten the duration of certified seed potato (CSP) production and increase the supply of seed. This study assessed the effect of using CSP on yield, input use, and food security among smallholder farmers. It focused on potato growers in central highlands of Kenya, who were in close proximity to a private seed multiplier that uses these new techniques. The study used the propensity score matching technique and data collected from 408 smallholder farmers through personal interviews. The farmers were stratified by use of CSP.ResultsThe study found positive effect of using certified seed on both yield and food security. There was also a slight increase in input usage, apparently due to pursuit by farmers to optimize the gains from CSP.ConclusionThe study concludes that using CSP has positive effect on smallholder farm households.

Effect of technology awareness and access on the conservation of clean planting materials of vegetatively produced crops: The case of sweetpotato.

Efforts to combat vitamin A deficiency in children and pregnant mothers have focused on promotion of nutritionally enhanced food security crops. Such efforts have recently targeted the production and consumption of these crops. The orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) is one of the most known nutritionally enhanced crops. However, access to quality planting materials of OFSP and most vegetatively propagated crops by farmers remains a major constraint. This study used discrete and count data regression models and data collected from 732 farm households in Tanzania to test the effect of participation on a project designed to break this quality “seed” bottleneck (via technology awareness and targeted access to clean planting materials) on a) the decision to conserve planting materials during dry periods for future planting and b) the number of conservation strategies used by farmers. The study found that participation in such a project increases both the likelihood of conserving quality planting materials and also the number of conservation strategies employed by the farmers. It also found that varietal attributes and the agroecology of the area affect conservation of OFSP planting materials. It concludes that awareness and access to clean sweetpotato planting materials of nutritionally enhanced crops promote farmers’ conservation of own planting materials. The study discusses the policy implications of the findings.

Means-End Chain Approach Explains Motivations to Consume Insect-Based Foods: The Case of Cricket-Scones in Kenya

Edible insects are being promoted as a sustainable and inexpensive alternative of enhancing nutrition because they can provide proteins, good fats such as the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), calcium, vitamins, and energy. But little is known regarding what drives individuals to consume insect-based foods. The current study seeks to explain the effect of personal values on “cricket-scones” (used interchangeably with cricket-based scones) consumption in a developing country’s context. Employing laddering interviews and the means-end chain analysis, the relationship between “attributes” of cricket-scones, “consequences” of consuming them (outcomes), and personal “values” driving consumers’ decision-making process were systematically mapped to generate mental models related to consuming insect-based products. The personal values identified in this study cluster under the headings of “happy life”, “(food) security”, and “long life”. Amongst these, the main evidence (ladders) pointed to the desire to have a “happy life” and a “long life” that arise from improved family nutrition and financial position. Moderating these results by gender revealed higher involvement for males. The findings suggest that cricket-scones enhance the goals of achieving core personal values. Campaigns aiming to promote edible insects should therefore be premised on local food policies designed along the identified consumer-motivations. Other than the common nutritional and environment-friendly themes that have been used to promote edible insects; “happy life”, “(food) security”, and “healthy life” themes emerged as the central messages for the development of insect-based foods’ campaign strategies. Other empirical information in this study also have insightful policy implications.

Effect of nutrition education and psychosocial factors on child feeding practices: findings of a field experiment with biofortified foods and different women categories.

ABSTRACT Despite the efforts to promote good practices in infant and young child feeding (IYCF), the adoption of such practices has been low. Using data from a sample of 665 women, and the theory of planned behavior, we examine the effect of different types of nutrition education and psychosocial factors on the use of recommended IYCF practices. Regression results show that nutrition education and psychosocial factors have strong positive effect on the extent to which IYCF practices are used, with the latter having conflicting individual but overall positive effect. Moreover, coefficients of latter were mostly less than those of the former indicating that pschosocial factors were less important in explaining variability in usage of IYCF than the nutrition education variables. It further finds that different sets of nutrition education and psychosocial factors affect different categories of women, with interactive nutrition education approaches having a greater effect. The findings also suggest need for targeting of beneficiaries with multiple nutrition education approaches.

Goal-setting and volitional behavioural change: Results from a school meals intervention with vitamin-A biofortified sweetpotato in Nigeria

Malnutrition, particularly vitamin A deficiency, is a major public health problem in many developing countries. This study investigated whether priming or self-generation of goals, or whether attention to instrumental or experiential goals together with use of a reminder condition or not, promotes dietary behaviour intentions and change. A set of 556 randomly selected children aged 7–12 in Osun state, Nigeria, participated in an four-week intervention and field experiment in which a meal based on orange-fleshed sweetpotato, rich in pro-vitamin A, was introduced on five occasions as a complement to the existing school meal. Baseline intentions, anticipated feelings and repeated measures of post-consumption and experience were assessed. The analyses included a generalised linear mixed model for consumption and a linear mixed model for feelings and experience. The results confirmed that attention to instrumental goals undermines goal pursuit, while a focus on experiential goals increases the persistence of pursuit. Priming of experiential goals should be recommended, especially because this approach evokes positive feelings after eating. There was no evidence of an effect from repeated pairing of goals with the school meal, but use of planning by stating intentions increased the amount eaten. These results have implications for how school meals programmes should be designed to better align personal motivation with behavioural change in relation to dietary health.

A Study of Household Food security and Adoption of Biofortified Crop Varieties in Tanzania: The Case of Orange- Fleshed Sweetpotato

Food insecurity has become a key issue in the field of development in recent years with major inadequate intake of vitamin A-rich foods. Specifically, vitamin A deficiency (VAD) remains a major health problem among poor developing-country households, especially in Africa. Efforts to combat VAD currently focuses on food-based approach that entails breeding for crops that are rich in beta carotene, a precursor for Vitamin A. Success has been registered in sweetpotato, cassava and maize. Among these crops, the greatest effort has gone into promoting the production and consumption of orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP). These efforts include sensitization of farmers on the nutritional benefits of OFSP and the provision of clean sweetpotato planting materials. This study used a rich dataset collected from 732 farm households in Tanzania to assess of effect of household food insecurity and benefit awareness on the adoption of OFSP varieties. The study found that the household food security and awareness of the benefit of OFSP affect the decision to adopt OFSP varieties. It also found evidence that agroecology and farmer endowment with financial and physical assets affect the decision to grow OFSP varieties. It discusses lessons and policy implications of the findings for other countries.

Effect of Farmers’ Multidimensional Beliefs on Adoption of Biofortified Crops: Evidence from Sweetpotato Farmers in Tanzania

Abstract We examined the effect of multidimensional farmers’ beliefs on the likelihood of cultivating planting materials of biofortified orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) varieties. Using a panel dataset and combining difference-in-differences regression with propensity score matching, results showed positive effects of beliefs related to health benefits, yielding ability, sweetness, disease-resistance, storability, early maturity, colour, and that children enjoy eating OFSP roots, on cultivation of OFSP varieties. The proportion of OFSP roots out of total sweetpotato production for a household increased among farmers’ who held these beliefs. Efforts to promote biofortified crops can, therefore, benefit from taking farmers’ multidimensional beliefs into consideration.