Barriers and Facilitators in Preparation and Consumption of African Indigenous Vegetables: A Qualitative Exploration From Kenya

Abstract

Malnutrition and food security continue to be major concerns in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In Western Kenya, it is estimated that the double burden of malnutrition impacts 19% of adults and 13–17% of households. One potential solution to help address the concern is increased consumption of nutrient-dense African Indigenous Vegetables (AIVs). The objectives of this study were to: (i) document current methods used for preparation and consumption of AIVs; (ii) identify barriers and facilitators of AIVs consumption and preparation; and (iii) identify a package of interventions to increase the consumption of AIVs to promote healthy diets. This study used qualitative data collected from 145 individual farmers (78 female and 67 male) in 14 focus group discussions (FGDs) using a semi-structured survey instrument. Most farmers reported that they prepared AIVs using the traditional method of boiling and/or pan-cooking with oil, tomato, and onion. However, there were large discrepancies between reported cooking times, with some as little as 1–5 min and others as long as 2 h. This is of importance as longer cooking times may decrease the overall nutritional quality of the final dish. In addition, there were seasonal differences in the reported barriers and facilitators relative to the preparation and consumption of AIVs implying that the barriers are situational and could be modified through context-specific interventions delivered seasonally to help mitigate such barriers. Key barriers were lack of availability and limited affordability, due to an increase cost, of AIVs during the dry season, poor taste and monotonous diets, and perceived negative health outcomes (e.g., ulcers, skin rashes). Key facilitators included availability and affordability during peak-season and particularly when self-produced, ease of preparation, and beneficial health attributes (e.g., build blood, contains vitamins and minerals). To promote healthy diets within at risk-populations in Western Kenya, the findings suggest several interventions to promote the preparation and consumption of AIVs. These include improved household production to subsequently improve affordability and availability of AIVs, improved cooking methods and recipes that excite the family members to consume these dishes with AIVs, and the promotion of the beneficial heath attributes of AIVs while actively dispelling any perceived negative health consequences of their consumption.

An evaluation of nutrition, culinary, and production interventions using African indigenous vegetables on nutrition security among smallholder farmers in Western Kenya

“…July 2017, the first nutrition and culinary intervention was administered at the household level with one or both heads of household. The intervention used a nutrition and culinary pamphlet that was designed from insights gained during a series of focus group discussions with households in the target communities ( 9 ). In May 2019, the second nutrition and culinary intervention was delivered at the community level.…”

“…The intervention households were grouped into clusters of 20, based on location and invited to participate in a community cooking day. As requested by the study community ( 9 ), the intervention focused on improved cooking methods and further developing cooking skills such as cooking dried AIV leaves, reduced cooking time, and mixing ingredients.…”

“…The combination of these attributes positions AIVs as a rich micro-and macronutrient, climate-resilient food source with unmet economic potential ( 11 ). Despite this, limited seasonal availability, poor market access, and high prices impede local production and regular household consumption ( 8 , 9 , 17 ). These difficulties can be overcome by focusing agricultural interventions, programming, and policy on promoting the availability, accessibility, acceptability, and affordability of improved agronomic practices and AIV germplasm, prioritizing high levels of micro-and macronutrients and improved agronomic characteristics (e.g., delayed flowering, multiple harvests, higher yields, and disease resistance) for smallholder farmers.…”

The Influence of Food Environments on Food Security Resilience during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Examination of Urban and Rural Difference in Kenya

“…For the HH survey, the study population included adults (18 years of age and older) who either resided in Mukuru or within five counties of Western Kenya: Bungoma, Busia, Kisumu, Trans Nzoia, and Uasin Gishu. These areas were selected based on prior work conducted by members of the study team [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ]. The total sample size ( n = 300) was selected based on sample size calculations conducted by similar researchers using the same rapid assessment (C-SCAN) in other geographical locations [ 12 , 22 ].…”

Insecticides influence colonization and toxin accumulation by Aspergillus and Fusarium in orange and white maize flour varying in susceptibility to mycotoxigenic fungal pathogens

“…The dust formulated insecticides that were selected based on their active ingredients included, Actellic ® Super Dust, Actellic ® Gold Dust, Super Blue Cross Dust, Super Grain Dust, Skana ® Super and Sumicombi ® (Table 2). Ash was obtained from a mixture of burnt common bean Phaseolus vulgaris leaves stems and pods, which is locally utilized for production of traditional salt 'Munyu Musherekha' among the indigenous Luhya people of Kenya (Merchant et al 2022) as well as an insecticide (Hakbijl 2002), was included as a nonsynthetic pest control option.…”