Kimberly Chung

Assessing the value of diverse cropping systems under a new agricultural policy environment in Rwanda

In Rwanda, farmers’ traditional farming systems based on intercropping and varietal mixtures are designed to meet a variety of livelihood objectives and withstand risks associated with fluctuation in market and agro-climatic conditions. However, these mixed systems have been disappearing since 2008 when government mandated intensification strategies. In this paper we use a mixed methods approach to evaluate intercropping and sole cropping systems against farmers’ criteria for success: yield, market value, contribution to nutritional quality, and land-use efficiency. We used qualitative interviews to understand the criteria by which farmers evaluate cropping systems, and data from crop trials to assess common bean ((Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and maize (Zea mays L.)) sole crops and intercrops against those criteria. We found that an improved intercropping system tends to outperform the government-mandated system of alternating sole-cropped bean and maize season-by-season, on all four of the criteria tested. Although Rwanda’s agricultural intensification strategy aims to improve rural livelihoods through agricultural modernization, it fails to acknowledge the multiple and currently non-replaceable benefits that diverse cropping systems provide, particularly food security and risk management. Agricultural policies need to be based on a better understanding of smallholders’ objectives and constraints. Efforts to improve farming systems require innovative and inclusive approaches that enable adaptation to the socio-ecological context.

Parental influences on dairy intake in children, and their role in child calcium-fortified food use.

OBJECTIVE To understand how parental influences on dairy food intake relate to early adolescent childrens use of calcium-fortified food. DESIGN Content analysis of qualitative interviews to identify parental influences on dairy intake; calcium-fortified food survey to identify children as either calcium-fortified food users or nonusers. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS A convenience sample of Asian (n = 56), Hispanic (n = 61), and white (n = 74) parents of children 10-13 years old, including boys (n = 86) and girls (n = 105). VARIABLES MEASURED AND ANALYSIS: Cluster analysis to identify groups with similar coded parental influences and chi-square analysis to determine associations between these groups and calcium-fortified food use. RESULTS Two dominant patterns of parental influences: Cluster 1 (n = 128), with positive parental influences related to availability of dairy, milk, and cheese; positive health beliefs for dairy, and child preferences for dairy and cheese, included parents whose children were more likely to use calcium-fortified food. Cluster 2 (n = 63), with positive influences for availability of dairy and milk, included parents whose children were equally likely to be either users or nonusers of calcium-fortified food (P < .05). CONCLUSION Strategies to improve parental influence on childrens dairy intake might also encourage calcium-fortified food intake and improve calcium nutriture.

Reconciling Environment and Development in the Clean Development Mechanism

Abstract Providing a mechanism for financial transfers from the North to the South, the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) aims to fund afforestation projects resulting in both reduced atmospheric carbon dioxide and sustainable development. One attractive feature of the CDM is that unlike other emerging carbon trading schemes it offers a means to promote sustainable development, which in a poor country must include providing poor people with income-earning opportunities. In practice however, the CDM projects may fail to address four issues key to this possibility: ownership, price, transaction costs, and use rights. The failure to address these issues ultimately could lead the CDM to benefit elite landowners at the expense of the poor. However, recognition of this oversight provides opportunities to work with poor communities worldwide to facilitate the collective action required to make the CDM work for them. Such a focus holds the key to ensuring that the CDM achieves the twin objectives of environmental conservation and sustainable development.

Sustainable Disposal of Edible Food Byproducts at University Research Farms.

Purpose – Research at agricultural universities often generates food crops that are edible by‐products of the research process. The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors that affect decision‐making around the disposal of these crops. Understanding decision‐making suggests how universities might include food crop production into campus sustainability assessments.Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative, ethnographic approach is used as, little is known about decision‐making on edible crops at universities; decision‐making was expected to be highly location‐specific and complex. In‐depth interviews with operations staff and participant observation were used.Findings – Decision‐making is decentralized and often reflects the values of individual staff regarding the value of the food. Staff use an informal cost‐benefit analysis that reflects the economic, social, environmental trade‐offs of their perceived disposal options. Many decisions reflect a sustainability ethic regarding the higher use‐val...

African American Women's Perceptions on Access to Food and Water in Flint, Michigan

Objective: To explore the perceptions of food access by African American women in Flint, MI. Methods: Using womanist theory, in which African American womens experiential knowledge centered the analysis, 8 focus groups were conducted during fall/spring, 2014–2015. Seventeen mothers aged 21–50 years with children aged <18 years and 13 women aged >60 years comprised the groups. Results: The high cost of water, poor availability of healthy foods in inner‐city stores, and limited transportation were barriers to accessing healthy food. Conversely, receiving food from food giveaways, friends, and family, as well as access to transportation facilitated food access. These women also reported discriminatory experiences and diet‐related health concerns. Participants were keenly aware of available free community resources and gender, racial, and income barriers to accessing them. Conclusion and Implications: Understanding these barriers and facilitators provides information to aid local food policy assistance decisions and inform community‐based interventions, especially given the lead contamination of water and the purported importance of a healthy diet to sequester lead.