Healthy Diets 4 Africa – HD4A

Combating malnutrition in Africa through diversification of the food system – HealthyDiets4Africa
Stunting boy

 

What we do in the project:

  • Identify health effects of indigenous and novel foods
  • Assess effects of diversified complementary foods on diet quality, growth and body composition of 6-23 month-old children in rural Kenya

 

 

Combating malnutrition in Africa through diversification of the food system – HealthyDiets4Africa

HealthyDiets4Africa is a project proposed by a transdisciplinary consortium that aims at harnessing the potential of diversification of food systems for combating malnutrition and enhancing food and nutrition security.

Our central hypothesis is that diversification of different elements of the food chain will improve nutritional health outcomes and reduce malnutrition levels in Africa, while at the same time entailing economic and ecological benefits.

Our overarching objective is thus to establish diversified food systems in eight Western, Central and Eastern African countries.

Our specific objectives revolve around this central aim and are summarised below:

 

 

  1. Characterize the diversity of diets across sub-Saharan Africa for different age groups, genders, locations, and socio-economic levels
  2. New metrics and indicators are available, which best describe the perceived food environment, and associated risk factors for malnutrition
  3. A database of nutrient composition data of commonly used food items as well as novel and/or underutilized crops
  4. Innovations developed for the sustainable diversification of food production
  5. Increase consumer acceptance of novel foods and diversified diets in order to foster behavioral change
  6. Enhancing food safety through dietary diversification and exposure assessment
  7. Evaluation of the nutrition-related health effects of diversified diets based on indigenous and novel foods
  8. Scaling infrastructure established to promote approaches towards diversified food systems
  9. Enabling better policy environment and strengthening stakeholders’ capacities on all relevant levels to promote informed decision-making processes

 

 

Participant organisation name

Country

Justus-Liebig University Giessen

Germany

AfricaRice

Ivory Coast

Katolieke Universiteit Leuven

Belgium

Universiteit Gent

Belgium

Max Planck Gesellschaft

Germany

Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragon

Spain

Centre d'Excellence Régional contre la Faim et la Malnutrition

Ivory Coast

Africa Projects Development Centre

Nigeria

MANOBI Africa

Mauritius

International Institute of Tropical Agriculture

Nigeria

Food Security for Peace and Nutrition- Africa

Kenya

De Montfort University

UK

University of Dschang 

Cameroon

Entreprise en Sante et Securité au Travail

Ivory Coast

Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg

Germany

Agri-Business Vocational Training Center

Cameroon

International Plant Genetic Resources Institute

Italy

Opportunities Industrialization Center

Ivory Coast

University of Copenhagen

Denmark

Kenyatta University

Kenya

 

Involved in the project

Name Title Phone E-mail
Grenov, Benedikte Associate Professor +4520456654 E-mail
Roos, Nanna Associate Professor +4535332497 E-mail
HD4A

EU funding

Period:  2023 - 2029

Contact

Benedikte Grenov
Associate Professor
bgr@nexs.ku.dk