Inland fisheries critical for the diet quality of young children in sub-Saharan Africa

Animal-source foods (ASF), such as fish, provide a critical source of nutrients for dietary quality and optimal growth of children. In sub-Saharan Africa, children often consume monotonous cereal-based diets, a key determinate of malnutrition such as stunting. Identifying existing sources of ASF for children’s diets will inform the development of nutritious food systems for vulnerable groups. Here we adopt a food systems framework (sensu HLPE, 2017) to examine links between aquatic- and terrestrial-based ASF sources with ASF consumption and dietary diversity in rural children aged 6-23 months in sub-Saharan Africa. Employing a novel approach, we merged existing geo-tagged nationally-representative datasets, including Demographic and Health Surveys for Malawi (2015-16, n=3995) and Zambia (2013-14, n=2333) with spatial data on proximity to inland fisheries (waterbodies ≥0.1km2) and formal markets. We found that children living closer to inland fisheries were more likely to consume fish and aquatic-based ASF, and exhibit higher dietary diversity. Children did not always consume more ASF if they lived were closer to a formal market or in a house that owned livestock. We found that inland fisheries are one of the most important sources of ASF for rural children in sub-Saharan Africa. We also demonstrate that secondary datasets provide a useful methodology for understanding the role of food systems for diets. As food systems transition, it is important that policy and programs preserve components of the existing food system – namely inland fisheries - to ensure the ongoing provision of nutrient-dense fish and aquatic-based ASF for the dietary quality of infants and young children.

Citation

O'Meara, L. Cohen, P. J. Simmance, F. et al. (2021). Inland fisheries critical for the diet quality of young children in sub-Saharan Africa. Global Food Security, 28: 100483.