News from the University of Edinburgh: In Ethiopia, despite the country’s large livestock population, the problems of malnutrition and lack of dietary diversity among children remain prominent. The low consumption of animal products, driven by the unaffordability and lack of awareness among parents, has prompted experts to start planning intervention programs.
A study led by a research team from the Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Systems at the University of Edinburgh has emphasized that malnutrition and a monotonous diet structure are major challenges for Ethiopian children. The study reveals that only a small percentage of children under five regularly consume animal-sourced foods such as milk, eggs, or meat.
The study found that dairy products and eggs are the animal-sourced foods that children consume relatively more often, while meat and seafood rarely appear on their tables. As a result, the variety and nutritional quality of children’s diets are greatly reduced, and the risks of malnutrition and stunted growth have increased sharply.
The study results also show that for young children’s diets, the unaffordability and lack of awareness among parents are the main obstacles to including meat in their meals.
The research team analyzed the data from the national family health survey and conducted in-depth conversations with community residents in an attempt to clarify the reasons behind the low consumption of meat and other animal products.
The survey found that in the studied region, animal-sourced foods, especially meat, are too expensive for many families to afford. In addition, many parents are not aware of the nutritional value of animal-sourced foods. They often choose to sell animal products to earn income instead of using them to feed their children.
Even though religious leaders have advised that young children should not fast, cultural and religious practices such as long fasting periods still further limit children’s access to nutrient-rich foods.
In the Amhara region, a major agricultural area in northern Ethiopia, the research results are worrying: only one in ten children regularly consumes animal-sourced foods as part of their daily diet, and nearly half of the children in the region are affected by stunted growth.
Researchers said that eating more meat can help prevent stunted growth caused by a lack of dietary diversity. Once stunted growth occurs, it will have a long-term negative impact on children’s cognitive abilities, future productivity, and economic prospects, causing families to fall into a cycle of poverty. They also added that even adding just one type of meat to a child’s diet every day could bring about significant changes.
The Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Systems is affiliated with the Easter Bush Agritech Hub, which is one of the six such hubs in the Edinburgh city region and together they form the Data Driven Innovation (DDI) network that has supported this study. The Agritech Hub is committed to promoting the global food system, working towards a net-zero carbon Agritech sector, and influencing food and environmental policies.
By integrating local data with global insights, the research team hopes to carry out large-scale intervention actions in the Amhara region to promote the consumption of animal-sourced foods, including a project to educate parents about the benefits of meat for young children. However, the ongoing civil conflict has forced the delay of the implementation of these plans.
The results of this study were published in the journal “Maternal and Child Nutrition”. Colleagues from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) participated in the cooperation. The European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program also provided support for this work.
Dr. Taddese Zerfu, the lead author from the Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Systems at the University of Edinburgh, pointed out: “In Ethiopia, the unaffordability and lack of awareness are the factors that hinder the inclusion of meat in children’s diets. However, through targeted social interventions to educate parents about the nutritional value of animal-sourced foods, we can significantly improve the dietary diversity of children.”
Professor Alan Duncan, a professor of livestock and development at the Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Systems at the University of Edinburgh, said: “Many families often prioritize selling animal-sourced foods to earn income, ignoring their crucial role in children’s development. This highlights the necessity of carrying out targeted intervention actions that focus on both raising awareness and improving affordability.”
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