Introduction: Food well-being of the population is one of the priorities of the Togolese government, which relies on the agricultural investment and food security Programme to increase national food production. In addition, the country relies on food imports to make up the shortfall. At the same time undernourishment and malnutrition remain high among the country’s population. This research analyzes food supply and its implications for household consumption in Grand Lomé, Togo. [Methods] The methodology used documents, a survey of 963 heads of household randomly sampled households and semi-structured interviews with 10 households and with Togolese food safety agency (ANSAT). Quantitative data were processed and analyzed using Excel spreadsheets R and R-Studio, while content analysis was applied to the verbal applied to the verbal statements collected. Results: Firstly, the results show that domestic agricultural production contributed an average of 91% of food supply between 2014–2017. The deficit is made up by food imports, which rose from 13.5% in 2014 to 15.4% in 2017. This translated into an acceptable food energy consumption of 2337 Kcal/head/day in 2017. Secondly, 81% of respondents recognize a strong food presence at consumer markets, except that the chi-square test applied to the data at the 5% threshold shows (p-value < 2.2 × 10−16), indicates that this satisfaction is a function of place of residence. Despite this, persistent shortages affect more staple crops, livestock and dairy products, leading households to deprive themselves and buy food at affordable prices. Finally, we observe non-diversified diets marked by regular consumption of “cereals/legumes”, vegetables and beverages to the detriment of “tubers/roots”, “meat/fish”, “fruit” and “dairy products”. Conclusion: This research shows that food supply, although adequate, is not sufficient to ensure balanced, nutritious and culturally appropriate food consumption by urban households. Recommendations: To meet these challenges, the central government, in collaboration with urban communes and consumer advocates, must mobilize resources to create urban agricultural farms, strengthen food protection systems, distribute staple products directly to households and limit the importation of food that is hazardous to health.
The native peoples of the State of Mexico, especially the Mazahua community, present a high degree of marginality and food vulnerability, causing their inhabitants to be classified within the poor and extremely poor population. The objective of the research is to propose a food vulnerability index for the Mazahua community of the State of Mexico through the induction-deduction method, contrasting the existing literature with a semi-structured exploratory interview to identify the main factors that affect the native peoples. The study population was selected taking into account the number of inhabitants and poverty levels. The sources of information, in addition to documentary sources, were key informants and visits to Mazahua families that facilitated information about the different variables: natural, economic, social, cultural component, degree of adaptability and resilience for the creation and better understanding of the food vulnerability index in the communities under study.
Food security presents a complex challenge that spans multiple sectors and levels, involving diverse stakeholders. Such a challenge necessitates collaborative efforts and the creation of shared value among participants. Through the lens of service-dominant logic (S-D logic), food security can be redefined to achieve a more comprehensive understanding and sheds light on the dynamic interplay among stakeholders, enabling the realization of potential value co-creation. As a theoretical contribution, this research addresses the gap in explaining stakeholder interactions. This aspect is crucial for fostering collaboration, and the study accomplishes this by leveraging Social Network Analysis to identify clusters and assign them roles as sub-orchestrators to support the National Food Agency as the main orchestrator who responsible to implement co-creation management strategy (involvement, curation, and empowerment). The study also proposes stakeholder roles in the context of food security: regulator, operator, dominator, niche player, and supporter. Moreover, the practical significance of this research is highly relevant to the early stages of the National Food Agency (NFA) since its establishment in 2021. As the NFA seeks optimal structure, networks, and resources to enhance Indonesia’s existing food system, the study offers valuable insights. This comprehensive study highlights key issues in developing food security in Indonesia and provides recommendations for overcoming future challenges.
This study evaluates the influence of quality certificates on sustainable food production in Poland, considering economic, social, and environmental dimensions. Analyzing 25 different certificates, the research explores their criteria, procedures, and costs across various food product categories, including meat, fish, and plant-based products. The study provides a detailed review of certification processes, from initiation to audits and inspections. It identifies both commonalities and differences among certificates, each addressing unique aspects such as environmental impact, worker rights, and product origins. Despite the diversity in standards and procedures, the study underscores the need for standardized international criteria to improve transparency and meet consumer expectations, highlighting the significant role of quality certificates in advancing sustainable food production.
This research aims to solve the research problems regarding the most important value of an object in the form of the wedangan phenomenon. This research objectives to expose the superiority of the communities’ food consumption tradition in the form of wedangan. This research belongs to a qualitative study and uses ethnomethodology as an initial approach. It is because the initial data findings are in the form of an indexical conversation that explicitly refers to the concept of wedangan. The concept refers to wedangan in real life, which is in the form of eating and drinking activities while chatting. The research findings are: 1) the most profound structure of wedangan’s tradition is food provision and food eating; 2) wedangan accommodates three forms (food stall, street food, and restaurant); 3) wedangan also accommodates three food values (delightful, useful, and meritorious); and 4) there is an egalitarian consumption pattern in wedangan, people regardless their social class visiting the same place, eat the same food, being simple and be ordinary (or usually we call it as food marriage). Wedangan is a social activity with advantages from a social, economic, and political perspective. Therefore, this phenomenon requires more serious attention from the government.
This research can help improve public health and ensure the sustainable transformation of the food system. This study aims to analyze the success of Regional Food Security development activities through Community Empowerment with the food independent village program carried out by regional command units in the ranks of Korem 063/SGJ (Sunan Gunung Jati). This study uses qualitative descriptive with comparative methods. Population includes villages that have received the food independent village program in West Java (Kuningan, Cirebon, Majalengka, and Cirebon City) between 2009 and 2022. The research sample consisted of 4 villages selected from each of the districts/cities. The research informants totalled 37 people, consisting of stakeholders from the Korem 063/Sunan Gunung Jati Unit and its staff, the Food Security Service, village heads, affinity groups or farmers, and community leaders in the research area. The results of the study indicate that the success and failure in the implementation of the food independent village program by affinity groups and the food security development activity program by Satkowil have an effect on food availability, food distribution and food consumption. This research is expected to provide a comprehensive overview of the implementation of the food independent village program and food security development activities by regional command units in West Java.
Copyright © by EnPress Publisher. All rights reserved.