Improving Human Nutrition in Ethiopia through Plant Breeding and Soil Management

1. Improving Human Nutrition in Ethiopia through Plant Breeding and Soil Management From Farm to Fork PROJECT OVERVIEW Key Outcomes and Lessons Learned

2. Ethiopia: A Case Study Improving Productivity, Nutrition and Rural Livelihoods of Smallholder Farmers in SNNPR, Ethiopia through Integration of Pulses in the Crop Production Systems 500 km

3. Legumes • Leguminous crops play an important role in the diet of low income people • Majority of population is engaged in agriculture

4. Key CIFSRF Objectives • Improve food and nutrition security for rural Ethiopians • Focus on small holder farmers • young children, mothers of child bearing age • Using a whole food strategy • Approach of breeding staple crops, rich in micronutrients, described as biofortification • Biofortification strategy seeks to bring the full potential of agriculture and nutrition sensitive practices • Productivity (soil, plant), food processing

5. CIFSRF Call 3 Activities • Strategic Research Themes : • Productivity (soil & plant) • Nutrition (household processing, & nutrition education • Value chain • Gender/socio dynamic cross as cutting themes • Outcomes Sought: • Adoption of productive chickpea, haricot beans, and other beans; improved livelihood & improved diet diversity Issues to be addressed: • Iron & zinc deficiency in the soils • Micronutrient deficiency in humans • Behavioural change ( pulses productivity & utilization) • Pulses account for 14-15% (urban) of protein intake in Ethiopia

6. Productivity • Milestone addressed: • Increase productivity (soil and plant health) • Outcomes: • Fe and Zn were deficient in the experimental soils. • Fe and Zn fertilizer showed good grain yield (chickpea & haricot beans) selected varieties & locations • Newly introduced varieties of chickpea, haricot bean out perform local varieties • Improved soil management practices (crop diversification and improved cropping systems) led to increased soil fertility and pulse productivity • Improving Fe and Zn availability to pulse through agronomic and soil management practices (ShelemeBeyene) • Details in poster and oral presentations

7. Chickpea performing poorly and affected by diseases and other abiotic factors

8. NUTRITION RESEARCH • Milestone addressed: • Improved household processing technologies for improved nutrients • Improved household diet diversity and behaviour change through nutrition education • Outcome: • Nutritional and physico-chemical properties of chickpea and faba bean flour identified • Germination & fermentation resulted in better cooking quality (acceptability) • Baseline reported germination and fermentation were not commonly used for product development • Newly developed complimentary foods (e.g. porridge, flat bread) were accepted by mothers and young children • The processing of the products resulted in reduced phytate level • Cross cutting themes • Female farmers • Mothers • Young children (incl. preschoolers)

9. Acceptance testing result of panelists of children and mothers at Titecha kebele Control (no Bean) 20% Bean 30% Bean 10% Bean

10. Example of Porridge Recipe • 1 cup (250 ml) haricot bean flour • 1 cup (250 ml)corn flour • 2 cups (500 ml) wheat flour • Enrich with animal products (e.g. egg) & vegetables (e.g. kale|) • Add iodized salt and small amount of butter

11. Nutritional content of dishes

12. Nutrition Education • Outcomes: • Enhanced feeding practices, increasing acceptance of pulses • Significant change in: • KAP of mothers related to pulse-incorporated complementary feeding practices and • Mean weight gain, WAZ, WHZ of young children. • Cross cutting themes • Young children • Mothers of child bearing age • Studies in other countries show the nutritional status of children could be improved through recipe-based nutrition education intervention (Bhandari et al., 2004; Liaqat et al., 2007; Khan et al., 2013; Penny et al., 2005)

13. Results • Comparison of mean KAP scores of mothers: • There were increases in mean KAP scores of mothers in the intervention group throughout the study period • Attitude and practice scores similarly changed Figure 9a : Comparison of mean knowledge scores

14. Strength of Intervention based on: • Continued lesson education sessions, • Interactive group discussions, • Repeated recipe demonstrations • Surprise home visiting and follow-ups during the intervention period.

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16. Demonstrations: • Procedural guidelines for the preparation of pulse-incorporated complementary food recipe were prepared and used • The recipe steps were discussed, explained and demonstrated to the mothers • Porridge was made in sufficient quantity for tasting

17. RNNP 2013-2015 launching event • Several papers and nutrition related activities presented • Cost of Hunger in Africa- Led by the AUC/NEPAD and supported by ECA/WFP • Multi country study-Ethiopia part of 1st phase • Outcome of the study: • Child malnutrition-significant impact on the economy of the country with a loss of55.5 billion Eth. birr (4.7 billion USD) (16.5 % of the GDP, 2009)

18. Pulses Value chain/markets • Study on market and value chain of chickpea • Further elaboration by Tewodros • “Chickpea value chain analysis in selected Districts in Southern Ethiopia.

20. Cross-Cutting Themes • Gender: • Gender nutrition -sensitization workshop (December 4-6, 2014 addressed implementation of the projects gender framework Stakeholder reflection relationship & awareness Building

21. Gender Analysis Framework Nigatu, et al, 2013

22. Capacity Building • Participatory community engagement approach • e.g. farmers training/field days • Student-Faculty led research • Joint PhD in Agriculture (initially) • UofS - PhD Nutrition • HU - Applied MSc • Researchers- faculty to the UofS • Partnerships: • Government, NGOs, public-private • Research & development partners,

23. Lessons Learned: moving forward • High performing genotypes (chickpea & haricot beans) identified • Best practices (intercroping, double cropping, soil management for productivity • Soaking & germination & other processing practices > improved bioavailability of nutrients, improved quality, & greater acceptance of pulses varieties • Community engagement –vital for KAP changes • Scaling-up – best approaches and partnerships; link other CIFSRF projects • (e.g. WFP-school feeding program -empower farmers; P4P (value chain, cost benefits) • Government (agriculture, health & education) • Public-private partnerships- social marketing, & product development

24. Carol Henry (Nutrition, UofS) Bunyamin Tar’an (Plant Sciences) Fran Walley (Soil Science) Susan Whiting (Nutrition) Bob Tyler (Food/Bio Products) Gord Zello (Nutrition) Patience Elabor Idenuida, (social science) JoAnn Jaffe, (social science, UofR) Getahun Lombamo (PhD student) Hiwot Haileslassie (PhD student) Sheleme Beyene (SPHSc, HU) Endalkachew Wolde-Meskel (SPHSc) Getenesh Berhanu, (SNFST) Addisalem Mesfin, (SNFST) Abadi Gebre, (SNFST) Esayas Kinfe (SNFST) Tadasse Fikre (SNFST) Walelign Worku (SPHSc) Legesse Hidoto (PhD student) Abay Ayalew, (PhD student) Zenebe Worku (SEGDS) Tewodros Tefera (SEGDS) Gete Tsegeye (SEGDS) Nigatu Regasse (SEGDS)

26. Thank You! Canadian International Food Security Research Fund (CIFSRF): Call 1 (2010-2013); Call3 (2012-2014); Pre Scaling Up (2013-2014) Debre Zeit Agricultural Research Centre Southern Agricultural Research Institute Bureau of Agriculture , Health, Gender, youth & Development Southern Farmers Cooperatives Federation and member coops union Zone and District agriculture & health offices, Agri-Service Ethiopia Ethiopian Public Health Institute, health professionals, researchers, extension workers Participating farmers and farming households; graduate students, faculty & staff