ObjectiveClimate change is projected to increase the burden of food insecurity (FI) globally,
particularly among populations that depend on subsistence agriculture. The impacts of
climate change will have disproportionate effects on populations with higher existing
vulnerability. Indigenous people consistently experience higher levels of FI than their
non-Indigenous counterparts and are more likely to be dependent upon land-based
resources. The present study aimed to understand the sensitivity of the food system of
an Indigenous African population, the Batwa of Kanungu District, Uganda, to seasonal
variation.DesignA concurrent, mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative) design was used. Six
cross-sectional retrospective surveys, conducted between January 2013 and April 2014,
provided quantitative data to examine the seasonal variation of self-reported household
FI. This was complemented by qualitative data from focus group discussions and
semi-structured interviews collected between June and August 2014.SettingTen rural Indigenous communities in Kanungu District, Uganda.SubjectsFI data were collected from 130 Indigenous Batwa Pygmy households. Qualitative methods
involved Batwa community members, local key informants, health workers and governmental
representatives.ResultsThe dry season was associated with increased FI among the Batwa in the quantitative
surveys and in the qualitative interviews. During the dry season, the majority of Batwa
households reported greater difficulty in acquiring sufficient quantities and quality of
food. However, the qualitative data indicated that the effect of seasonal variation on
FI was modified by employment, wealth and community location.ConclusionsThese findings highlight the role social factors play in mediating seasonal impacts on
FI and support calls to treat climate associations with health outcomes as
non-stationary and mediated by social sensitivity.
Clean stove and fuel interventions are not likely to reduce indoor PM to the WHO target unless their use is exclusive and outdoor air pollution is sufficiently low, but may still offer some cardiovascular benefits.
Improved cookstoves and fuels, such as advanced gasifier stoves, carry the promise of improving health outcomes, preserving local environments, and reducing climate-forcing air pollutants. However, low adoption and use of these stoves in many settings has limited their benefits. We aimed to improve the understanding of improved stove use by describing the patterns and predictors of adoption of a semi-gasifier stove and processed biomass fuel intervention in southwestern China. Of 113 intervention homes interviewed, 79% of homes tried the stove, and the majority of these (92%) continued using it 5-10 months later. One to five months after intervention, the average proportion of days that the semi-gasifier stove was in use was modest (40.4% [95% CI 34.3-46.6]), and further declined over 13 months. Homes that received the stove in the first batch used it more frequently (67.2% [95% CI 42.1À92.3] days in use) than homes that received it in the second batch (29.3% [95% CI 13.8À44.5] days in use), likely because of stove quality and user training. Household stove use was positively associated with reported cooking needs and negatively associated with age of the main cook, household socioeconomic status, and the availability of substitute cleaner-burning stoves. Our results show that even a carefully engineered, multi-purpose semi-gasifier stove and fuel intervention contributed modestly to overall household energy use in rural China. Environ. Res. Lett. 12 (2017) 075004
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