CULTIVATING NUTRITION-SENSITIVE CROPS TO IMPROVE NUTRITIONAL PRACTICES OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN NORTHERN GHANA

Background and objectives: Dietary diversity is a challenge for improving nutrition outcomes of women and children in Northern Ghana. According to the 2014 Demographic and Health Survey, only 14.1 percent of children ages 6 - 23 months in Northern Ghana were fed the minimal acceptable diet. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Resiliency in Northern Ghana (RING) Project works with local women farmers to promote the cultivation and utilization of nutrition-sensitive crops such as soybeans, green leafy vegetables, and orange-fleshed sweet potatoes to improve nutritional practices through food production and income generation pathways. Training on food utilization is done through engagement of community groups with participatory cooking demonstrations as a key component of the activity. The RING Project conducted a household survey to identify the consumption and sale patterns of the three crops post-harvest. Methods: Multi-stage sampling method was employed to select beneficiaries for the survey at the interventions levels. The sample size was weighted by district. A total of 2,517 participants' households benefitting from at least one of the agricultural interventions were interviewed. Data analysis was done using SPSS software version 20 and Microsoft Excel 2013 for cleaning the data prior to analyses. Categorical variables were summarized into frequencies and percentages whereas continuous variables were summarized into ratios, means, minimum, maximum and standard deviations to infer themes and meanings. Results: Participants reported setting aside portions for household consumption, and reported high level of consumption for all three crops by pregnant and lactating women and children 6 - 59 months. The non-consumed foods were sold by women in local markets and provided additional incomes for the families. Using their new knowledge gained in good agricultural and nutrition practices, most of the farmers reported their intention to continue to cultivate and consume the nutrition-sensitive crops without project support Conclusions: Farmers are incorporating nutrient-dense crops into their local dishes. We will show evidence on how training on crop utilization and cooking demonstrations enabled households to enrich local dishes with nutrient-dense products for complementary feeding and women's diet. We will also discuss the household consumption and sale patterns of the three crops.