Global Perspectives on Food Sovereignty, Household Resilience, and Dietary Diversity

Ecology of Food and Nutrition (EFN) promotes scholarly discussion and engagement on the holistic and cross-cultural dimensions of food and nutrition. Articles published in this journal focus on foods and food systems in terms of their utilization to satisfy human nutritional needs and improve health and well-being. The journal also publishes articles that examine how ecological, social, and cultural factors relate to food, food cultures, and nutrition. Only a handful of journals publish articles that explicitly address the intersections of food and nutrition, biology and culture, and policy and practice from a holistic and global perspective. It is this kind of scholarship that EFN seeks to promote. This issue of EFN includes seven articles representing studies conducted in Brazil, Ethiopia, South Africa, United States, Turkey, and Zimbabwe. Collectively, the articles included in this issue explore how communities respond to household food insecurity. The articles reinforce the concept of food sovereignty and autonomy, child health, and women’s health in culturally diverse regions of the world.

The article by Welch and colleagues focuses on food sovereignty and dietary autonomy among indigenous households participating in the First National Survey of Indigenous People’s Health and Nutrition in Brazil. The National Survey focuses on assessing the nutritional and health status of indigenous children (<5 years) and women (14–49 years) in Brazil. The researchers analyzed this extensive survey data to conclude that indigenous communities in different regions of Brazil use distinct modes of food acquisition. These food acquisition strategies reflect unique historical occupation, subsistence patterns, and economic expansion in these regions.

Drysdale and colleagues report the results of a cross-sectional survey-based study to examine the socio-economic determinants of household food insecurity during and after a drought in South Africa. The researchers used the Coping Strategies Index (CSI) to measure household food insecurity. The CSI is a cost-effective tool to measure coping strategies that individuals employ to manage household resources during periods of food shortage (Maxwell and Caldwell 2008). The results of this study suggest that the poorest household experienced the worst levels of food insecurity both during and after the drought. Households with children (<5 years) experienced higher levels of food insecurity as compared to households with older or no children. Finally, households located in rural areas experienced lower levels of food insecurity as compared to those located in urban areas.

The article by Belayneh and colleagues presents the results of an investigation using a cohort study design to examine the impact of seasonal variation of household food insecurity and dietary diversity on stunting and wasting among children in a drought-prone area in south Ethiopia. The researchers collected and analyzed both survey and observational data on a large sample of households to conclude that severe food insecurity was higher in the pre-harvest period, which corresponded with a high incidence of stunting and wasting in children. According to the authors, both stunting and wasting in children were higher in March as compared to September. Finally, the authors discuss the impact of household dietary diversity, education, and other variables on stunting and wasting in children in Ethiopia.

Grier-Welch and colleagues report the results of a mixed-methods (qualitative and demographic) study that was conducted in rural Appalachia to understand food acquisition behaviors and perceptions of food pantry among food pantry users. The authors also focused on understanding how food pantry integrates into the larger food acquisition strategies of people living in rural Appalachia. Based on rigorous data analysis, the authors conclude that food pantries are a consistent part of the food acquisition strategies used by people in this region. However, the food acquisition behavior of the people living in this region involves several other strategies, including grocery store purchases and food acquisition using social networks.

The article by Yao et al. reports the results of a survey-based study examining the association between dietary calcium intake and bone mineral density in older adults in the US. This cross-sectional study uses NHANES (a nationally representative survey of nutrition and health in the US) data from the NHANES 2001–2006 survey. The analysis focused on dietary calcium intake, serum calcium, serum vitamin D, and lumbar bone mineral density (BMD) data on 3523 older adults (more than 60 years). The authors report that higher calcium intake was associated with greater lumber BMD in older women and not in older men.

Ermumcu and colleagues report the results of an evaluation study of awareness, knowledge, and use of folic acid and dietary folate among pregnant women and non-pregnant women of childbearing age in Ankara, Turkey. The researchers used cross-sectional data on 1442 women (1106 non-pregnant and 336 pregnant). The authors report a high level of awareness of folic acid and its use among pregnant women as compared to that in non-pregnant women. Also, more than 70% of pregnant women used folic acid supplementation as compared to nearly 15% of non-pregnant women. Finally, the authors make a strong case for public health campaigns in Turkey to focus on promoting the importance and use of folic acid supplementation by women of childbearing age to improve birth outcomes.

Finally, the article by Murendo and colleagues examines dietary diversity and food coping strategies in Zimbabwe. The authors used a proportional sampling technique to collect qualitative data on 3440 households in eighteen districts in Zimbabwe to examine household resilience and food coping strategies and dietary diversity. The results of this study suggest that food secure and resilient households had more dietary diversification when compared to less resilient and food-insecure households. The authors discuss the results of their study in the context of adaptive and absorptive resilience capacities of households.