Agriculture

From March 29-April 16, 2017, SPRING/Senegal is participating in the 18th Annual International Fair for Agricultural and Animal Resources (FIARA) to promote a multi-sectoral approach to improving nutrition, as well as products from partner producer networks. The FIARA is an annual fair in Dakar, Senegal that is an opportunity for hundreds of participants to exchange and promote innovations in agriculture and animal rearing.

In 2011, vitamin A deficiency was recognized as a significant problem that affects about seven in ten children under the age of five in Ghana and contributes to one in three deaths of children 6-59 months. Consumption of vitamin A-rich foods is encouraged as it is important for improved health outcomes for households—especially for pregnant and lactating mothers and children under two.

At the Integrating Gender and Nutrition within Agricultural Extension Services (INGENAES) Global Symposium in Lusaka, Zambia, SPRING project officer Sarah Hogan and agriculture advisor Victor Pinga shared SPRING’s work on monitoring nutrition-sensitive agriculture and training on nutrition-sensitive agriculture for frontline workers in Odisha, India.

Groundnuts are a commonly grown crop in Northern Ghana and are regularly consumed in the local diet. Their high-protein content makes them a good part of a diverse diet. SPRING is working with groundnut farmers to help them grow, harvest, and store groundnuts primarily for household consumption. Food grown for household consumption is frequently grown by women.