PASHFARM

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Browsing PASHFARM by Author "Chimseu, Patrick K."

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    Building Trust and Gender Equity to Increase Biofortified Food Uptake and Consumption in Malawi
    (AERC, 2025) Chatenga, Humphrey; Ng’ong’ola, Chimwemwe; Phiri, Ronald; Kaphaika, Chrispin; Chimseu, Patrick K.; Tione, Sarah
    Malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies continue to undermine Malawi’s human-capital development. About 38 % of children under five are stunted, and 63% of women are zinc-deficient (NSO, 2024; NSO, 2016; UNICEF, 2023). These figures represent a serious public health threat. They impair children’s physical growth and limit cognitive development. To address these gaps, Malawi has adopted biofortification of staple crops such as maize and sweet potato, a strategy recognized globally as cost-effective and nutrition-sensitive (Bouis & Saltzman, 2017). Biofortification increases the micronutrient density of food crops through plant breeding or agronomic practices. It also makes nutritious diets more accessible to low-income rural households (De Moura, Bouis, & Hotz, 2017; Bouis & Saltzman, 2017). However, despite the demonstrated nutritional and economic benefits, adoption and sustained consumption remain below expectations (Kaphaika et al., 2023). In many communities, socio-cultural norms and socialisation networks guide how people learn, share information, and decide whom to trust (Beaman et al., 2018; Ren et al., 2022). However, the role of social trust in these decisions is often overlooked (Han, 2022). Gender inequities, which strongly influence who receives information and who acts on it, are also inadequately addressed in policy (Mgalamadzi et al., 2024). Trust determines whether households view new crops as safe, valuable, and worth integrating into their diets. When trust is weak, adoption slows or stops entirely (Ren et al., 2022; Han, 2022). Gender inequities further compound these challenges (Ofori et al., 2020).