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Malec K, Rojík S, Maitah M, Abdu M, Abdullahi KT. Impact of investments in agricultural innovation on food security in sub-Saharan Africa. Heliyon 2024; 10:e35913. [PMID: 39247381 PMCID: PMC11378881 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e35913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 08/02/2024] [Accepted: 08/06/2024] [Indexed: 09/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Empirical evidence proves that agricultural research and development expenditure, and researchers attract high returns though the investments have long gestation periods. Nonetheless, Sub-Saharan Africa invests meagerly in agricultural research and development, and researchers. This study explores the impacts of agricultural research and development expenditures, and researchers on food security in the region and across the sub-regions. The study applies Bootstrapped linear squared dummy variable due to its capacity to handle heterogeneity and missing observations and two-step system generalized method of moments techniques to analyze the data on 24 sub-Saharan African countries over the period 2000-2016. Data on measures of food security, food production per capita, and food price index are obtained from Food and Agriculture Organization stat, data on population growth is sourced from World Development Indicators, and data on investments in agricultural innovations are extracted from International Food Policy Research Institute. Our findings show that investments in agricultural innovation substantially increase food security through food productivity growth. The full-time equivalent of agricultural researchers' hours is more impactful on food security than agricultural research and development spending. The findings also reveal that the investments are more effective in enhancing food security in Eastern, Southern, and Western African sub-regions while they instead exacerbate the problem of food insecurity in Central Africa. The policy implications are that adequate resources should be channeled into proper agricultural research and development to introduce new crop varieties or significantly improved crops, etc. Moreover, there should be coordination between large and small countries in investments in order for the countries to benefit from the economies of scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karel Malec
- Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Management, Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, 16500, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Stanislav Rojík
- Department of Management, Faculty of Economics and Management, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 16500, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Mansoor Maitah
- Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Management, Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, 16500, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Musa Abdu
- Department of Economics, Faculty of Arts and Social Science, Gombe, 760253, Gombe State University, Nigeria
| | - Kamal Tasiu Abdullahi
- Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics, Istanbul University, Beyazıt, 34452, Fatih/Istanbul, Türkiye
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Adam SM, Teshoma MS, Ahmed ASD, Tamiru D. Household food insecurity and its association with academic performance among primary school adolescents in Hargeisa City, Somaliland. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0303034. [PMID: 38995972 PMCID: PMC11244796 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0303034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Academic achievement is crucial for the social and economic development of young people and determines the quality of education of a nation. According to different studies, food insecurity adversely affects children's health, nutrition, and subsequent decline in academic performance by impairing students' ability to learn and therefore affects the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all. To provide evidence on the association of food insecurity with academic performance is necessary. The current study assessed household food insecurity and its association with academic performance among primary school adolescents in Hargeisa City, Somaliland. METHODS A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 630 primary school adolescents from December 2021 to March 2022. Students were selected using a multistage sampling technique. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on household food security and socio-demographic variables and entered into Epi data version 3.1. The data was exported to SPSS version 26 for descriptive and multivariable logistic regression analysis. Odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals together with p <0.05 were utilized to declare statistical significance. RESULTS The prevalence of food insecurity among school adolescents was 59.21%. The majority (55.40%) of the school adolescents were poor academic performers. The frequency of adolescents' poor academic performance was significantly high (71.05%) among food insecure households (P < 0.001) as compared to their counterparts whose households were food secure (32.68%). On multivariable analysis, household food insecurity (AOR = 5.24, 95%CI = 3.17-8.65), school absenteeism (AOR = 3.49, 95%CI = 2.20-5.53), spending >2h/day watching TV / screen media use (AOR = 9.08, 95%CI = 4.81-17.13), high and middle wealth households (AOR = 0.51, 95%CI = 0.30-0.88) (AOR = 0.40, 95%CI = 0.21-0.76) and habitual breakfast consumption (AOR = 0.08, 95%CI = 0.03-0.20) had shown statistically significant association with academic performance among primary school adolescents. CONCLUSION The present study revealed that household food insecurity has a high association with adolescents' academic performance. The prevalence of food insecurity is moderate, based on the household food insecurity access scale. The results indicate the need for policies and programs intended to improve household income by developing income-generation programs for lower-income families and enhance feeding programs such as national school lunch and school feeding across schools in the country.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sagal Mohamed Adam
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Public Health, Health Institute, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
| | - Melese Sinaga Teshoma
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Public Health, Health Institute, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
| | - Awale Sh. Dahir Ahmed
- Department of Public Health, Faculty of Allied Health Science, Daffodil International University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Dessalegn Tamiru
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Public Health, Health Institute, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
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Sholeye OO, Sodeinde KJ, Animasahun VJ, Ojeahere M, Gbadebo AA. Food insufficiency and its associated factors: Experiences of in-school adolescents in Sagamu Township, southwest Nigeria. Nutr Health 2024; 30:381-388. [PMID: 36062626 DOI: 10.1177/02601060221123183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Background: The burden of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa is enormous. A higher proportion of the population suffer the consequences of food insecurity, hunger and undernourishment than previously assumed. Food insecurity among adolescents has been documented to be associated with malnutrition, poor health outcomes, low educational attainment and other negative consequences. Aim: This study therefore assessed food insecurity and its associated factors among adolescents in Sagamu, Ogun State, Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1300 in-school adolescents in Sagamu Township, Ogun State in southwestern Nigeria, selected via multi-stage sampling. A semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Data were analyzed with the aid of SPSS 20.0. Relevant descriptive and inferential statistics were calculated, with p < 0.05. Result: The prevalence of food insecurity was 45%, of which 34.6% had mild food insecurity, 34.7% had moderate food insecurity, while others experienced the severe form of food insecurity. Gender, age; maternal occupation, maternal education, living arrangement, low sense of self-worth, alcohol intake and cigarette smoking were associated (p < 0.05) with food insecurity. Predictors of food insecurity were: age; maternal education, living arrangement and some behavioral factors. Conclusion: The prevalence of food insecurity among adolescents in Sagamu was high. Multi-sectorial action is essential in tackling the challenges of food insecurity and its numerous consequences among adolescents, at all levels of governance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oluwafolahan O Sholeye
- Department of Community Medicine and Primary Care, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Sagamu, Nigeria
| | - Kolawole J Sodeinde
- Department of Community Medicine, Benjamin Carson (Snr) School of Medicine, Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Nigeria
| | | | - Margaret Ojeahere
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit, Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Nigeria
| | - Abiola A Gbadebo
- Department of Community Medicine and Primary Care, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Sagamu, Nigeria
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de Camargo EM, Chen S, Jiménez-López E, Victoria-Montesinos D, Smith L, López-Gil JF. Food insecurity and academic performance in Spanish adolescents: Results from the EHDLA study. Heliyon 2024; 10:e29489. [PMID: 38681539 PMCID: PMC11053195 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e29489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2023] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Food insecurity is a growing global issue that affects both developed and developing nations, and mounting evidence suggests that decreased consumption of healthy foods has been linked to lower academic performance in adolescents. The present study aimed to examine the relationship between food insecurity and academic performance in a sample of Spanish adolescents aged 12-17 years from the Valle de Ricote (Region of Murcia, Spain). Methods The present study analyzed data from the Eating Healthy and Daily Life Activities study, which included a sample of 777 adolescents (55.3 % girls). The Spanish Child Food Security Survey Module was used to assess food insecurity, and academic performance was evaluated using school records provided by the schools. Linear regression models (fitted by robust methods) were used to compare the relationships between food insecurity status and academic performance-related indicators. Results Adolescents with the highest levels of food insecurity reported the lowest academic performance in language (mean [M] = 4.7; 95 % confidence interval [CI] 3.6 to 5.7), math (M = 4.6; 95 % CI 3.5 to 5.8), foreign language (M = 4.8; 95 % CI 3.8 to 5.8), and grade point average (M = 5.7; 95 % CI 4.9 to 6.5). Conversely, adolescents with the lowest levels of food insecurity reported the highest academic performance in language (M = 6.2; 95 % CI 6.0 to 6.5), math (M = 5.9; 95 % CI 5.5 to 6.2), foreign language (M = 6.2; 95 % CI 5.9 to 6.4), and grade point average (M = 6.7; 95 % CI 6.5 to 6.9) compared to those with higher food security. Conclusions Living in a more food-insecure household could explain the lower academic performance of adolescents. Food insecurity should always be on the agenda of public policies. The availability of quality basic food essentials must be ensured in permanently satisfactory quantities without compromising access to other fundamental needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edina Maria de Camargo
- Department of Physical Education, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba 81531-980, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Sitong Chen
- Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Estela Jiménez-López
- Health and Social Research Center, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM), 16071 Cuenca, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Lee Smith
- Centre for Health, Performance and Wellbeing, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge CB1 1PT, UK
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Shangani S, Masa R, Zimba M, Zimba G, Operario D. Food insecurity and depressive symptoms among young people living with HIV in Eastern Zambia. Int J STD AIDS 2024; 35:25-32. [PMID: 37707955 DOI: 10.1177/09564624231201917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
Background: Mental health problems are common among people living with HIV/AIDS and contribute to poor HIV-related outcomes, including AIDS-related mortality. We examined the association between severe food insecurity and depressive symptoms in young people living with HIV (YPLH) in Zambia. Methods: We sampled 120 youth living with HIV aged 18-21 years in the Eastern Province of Zambia. Household food insecurity was measured using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS). Mental health was assessed using the Children's Depression Inventory-Short Form. We fitted linear regression models to assess whether food insecurity is associated with depressive symptoms. Results: The mean age was 19 years, and 63% were female. Overall, 43% were severely food insecure. After adjusting for sociodemographic variables and other confounders, severely food insecure participants were more likely to report depressive symptoms (β = 0.81, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 0.07-1.55) and engagement in sex work (β = 1.78, 95% CI 0.32-3.25). Conclusion: Almost half of the sample reported severe food insecurity which was associated with depressive symptoms. Interventions aimed at improving food insecurity may have beneficial effects on mental health and HIV outcomes among young people living with HIV in resource-limited settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvia Shangani
- School of Public Health, Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rainier Masa
- School of Social Work, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Mathias Zimba
- Rising Fountains Development Program, Lundazi, Zambia
| | - Gilbert Zimba
- Rising Fountains Development Program, Lundazi, Zambia
| | - Don Operario
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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