Climate change poses a threat to nutrition and food security in Kilifi County, Kenya
African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine
| Field | Value | |
| Title | Climate change poses a threat to nutrition and food security in Kilifi County, Kenya | |
| Creator | Cheruiyot, Susan J. Kimanthi, Mary Shabani, Jacob S. Nyamu, Nelson F. Gathu, Catherine Agoi, Felix De Meijer, Fleur | |
| Description | Over the last decades, increased emission of greenhouse gases has led to hot weather extremes, heavy precipitation and worsening of agricultural and ecological droughts. Although Africa’s contribution to climate change is minimal, the continent is especially vulnerable to its effects. This report aims to describe the effect of climate change leading to drought in Kilifi County, Kenya, and the communities’ experiences of this effect on food availability. During their community rotation, residents from a university in Nairobi, Kenya, evaluated changes in weather patterns and nutrition indicators in Kilifi County and conducted focus group discussions (FGDs) with community members and health care stakeholders to explore challenges in access to adequate nutrition and possible local solutions. Kilifi County has one of the highest rates of undernutrition in Kenya, with one in five under-5 children being underweight. County data showed that rainfall in the last 4 years has become increasingly unpredictable, resulting in reduced household milk production, one of the indicators of nutrition security. Three major themes emerged from the FGDs: lack of food variety, collapse of drought mitigating projects and increasing poverty levels. Possible solutions to these problems include promoting alternatives to the current diet that are culturally sensitive and adaptable to recent climate changes, ensuring continuity of agricultural and financial support projects and improved local leadership and governance. | |
| Publisher | AOSIS | |
| Date | 2022-10-31 | |
| Identifier | 10.4102/phcfm.v14i1.3718 | |
| Source | African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine; Vol 14, No 1 (2022); 4 pages 2071-2936 2071-2928 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/3718/5770
https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/3718/5771
https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/3718/5772
https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/3718/5773
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