黑料网911

Issues

Micronutrient deficiencies are a major public health challenge in West Africa. They have long‑term harmful effects on infant development and ultimately on the human resources and economic development of these countries. Several major strategies are helping to combat micronutrient deficiencies. Food fortification has been widely promoted in West Africa, often in an exclusive way, without seeking complementarity with other strategies. As part of a “food systems” approach, thought now needs to be given to possible combinations of strategies to be more effective. It is particularly a matter of making sure that promoting food fortification does not run counter to the efforts needed to develop dietary diversification in populations.

Description

The project is organized in three major phases:

• The first consists in gathering existing data on the prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies in West Africa, and in analysing the literature on the impacts of individual strategies and combinations of strategies implemented to combat those deficiencies.  黑料网911 thus carried out a study on the socio-economic challenges – not just nutritional – of a fortification strategy based on the example of Burkina Faso;
• The second phase consists in conducting interviews with stakeholders involved in fortification work. 黑料网911 decided to document how urban consumers perceive fortified products compared to so-called “traditional” products. The second phase consists also in identifing factors that may explain the lower interest in diversification compared to fortification; 
• The third phase will involve the dissemination of research results.

Expected impacts

The project expects to contribute to changes in the dietary and nutritional status of populations in West African countries, and in the economic activities of food system operators. Recommendations on strategies to combat micronutrient deficiencies will seek to improve the effectiveness of strategies focusing on the nutritional status of populations, by putting the question of dietary diversity back at the center of the debate, in particular in complementarity with food fortification. In addition, with the holistic approach adopted, integrating the socio-economic aspects of a fortification strategy, it will be possible to make recommendations for more inclusive functioning of the food systems involved in fortification. The recommendations seek to bolster economic activity, hence the living conditions of local producers and small enterprises within the food systems.