Annual Report 2015

Vihiga County, is a biodiverse-rich area in Western Kenya with high malnutrition rates – 28.3% of the children are stunted and 18% of the caregivers are overweight or obese, while 8% are underweight.  

It is widely recognized that diversifying diets that include high-quality, safe, nutritious foods can reduce micronutrient deficiencies by providing a rich source of nutrients all year round. But diets in Vihiga County are often monotonous, based on a few staple crops such as maize, as is the case in many poor rural areas in low-income countries.  

Bioversity International, working with partners in Vihiga County, mapped the rich diversity of all local food sources – on the farm, in the wild and at the market. We found more than 100 edible plant and animal species available in the community for consumption.

We also collected information on the actual dietary diversity and nutrient intakes of women of reproductive age and young children aged 12-23 months. This was done using a quantitative 24-hour recall method which tracks everything someone eats during one day. This was carried out twice: once in the season of plenty, and once during the lean season when food is scarcer. We found that less than 5% of the available food species are exploited for food by more than half of the population. 

Then, over a period of two months, almost 200 community members took part in a series of nutrition workshops, held in five locations. Participants included female caregivers of young children, farmers, teachers, women’s group leaders, spiritual leaders and village elders. Sessions were facilitated by community health workers, with additional support from local nutrition and agricultural experts. We shared the results on nutrition and diet diversity that we had gathered, as well as on the seasonal availability of agricultural biodiversity. 

We then set everybody to work to design their own community action plans to use biodiversity for improved nutrition. Most of the groups decided to grow vegetables and legumes, and also to start poultry keeping on a communal basis to increase the availability and access to nutritious foods. Budget and fundraising strategies were also part of their action plans. 

Complementary training sessions on kitchen gardening, especially for growing vegetables and legumes, as well as poultry-keeping, were held, as well as cooking classes to try out recipes for improved infant feeding. In addition, nutrition education sessions were carried out in the home, through the cooperation of the local Ministry of Health.

Towards the end of the year, the communities proudly shared what they had learned in a series of events including a diversity day, where everyone brought along their diverse local dishes to show to the wider community members who had not attended the workshops, who were also invited to become participants in the project in the future. They also created displays of food that were divided according to nutritional food groups. Foods included many different kinds of vegetables, fruits, chickens, and even termites – a local dish that is high in protein.

The research is ongoing, with a final community survey planned for October to monitor progress towards reaching adequate diets for the community through biodiversity-rich diets. 

“Through the workshops I learnt many new things. Before I did not know that a diverse diet is important for health,” said Beverlyne Malesi, a participant in the community nutrition workshop.

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This research is part of the CGIAR Research Program on Integrated Systems for the Humidtropics.