Food security remains a major issue for many African people. Malnutrition remains a problem with high prevalence of wasting and stunting, micro-nutrient deficiencies but at the same time one observes an increase in unbalanced diets. Overweight and diet-related chronic diseases are rapidly increasing indicating that food shortage per se is not the sole problem.
Food diversity is present in many countries but availability is limited due to limited processing. Many food sources that potentially could improve dietary quality remain unexploited and largely go to waste. Food losses are important from primary production to handling and conservation. In order to improve the dietary quality there is a need to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables. This can curtail micro-nutrient deficiencies and prevent overweight.
The present call aims at supporting research to optimize local food sources. This could be applying conservation techniques and developing new food items that can be used to improve the diet. The objective is to find ways to improve overall dietary quality. For more details, click HERE.
