Title: Diversified agriculture for a balanced nutrition: Constraints and drivers for consumption of diversified diet in rural households-Morogoro and Dodoma

Applied method: The study will comprise of 3 phases, phase one will be baseline survey, it will involve situation analysis and needs assessment. The information received from phase one will inform study design, techniques and specific methods including intervention approaches
Phase 2 will be intervention phase; information collected during baseline phase will determine kind of intervention to be implemented. Among others this phase will comprise designing of nutrition education materials, pre-testing and validation of designed materials
Phase 3 will be an evaluation phase; it will comprise follow-up, monitoring and evaluation

Specific Methods:: Methods of data collection will vary with project phases. Anthropometric assessment and dietary assessment will be done to determine food consumption pattern and nutritional status. Interviews and focus group discussion will be conducted to identify existing agronomic practices, knowledge, barriers and facilitators of consumption of diversified diet. Furthermore, information on household factors, motivations, and behaviors that facilitate consumption of diversified diet will be collected.
Expected results:

• Establishment and documentation of food consumption patterns of the rural households in Tanzania


• Identification households’ drivers and constraints of consumption of diversified diet


• Development of an inventory of food production, processing, preparation and cooking practices


• Developing nutrition education materials

PhD-Topic:
Elucidating the dietary intake and multiple micronutrient status of Mother –Child pairs in selected villages of Morogoro and Dodoma regions, Tanzania

Applied method:
Her PhD aims at exploring the linkages between dietary intake and multiple micronutrient status of mother-child pairs in rural Tanzania. A before and after analytical case study will be adopted to assess dietary intakes of vitamin A, zinc, beta carotene, and iron. A semi-structured questionnaire and focused group discussion will be used to collect data on dietary intakes, nutritional status, morbidity patterns, and socio-demographic characteristics of the mother-child pairs. Information on dietary practices, health seeking behaviours and nutritional knowledge will also be collected during home visits. Determination of vitamin A, zinc, beta carotene, and iron contents in food and blood samples will be done using the standard laboratory methods.

Expected result(s):
The research will explore the influence of dietary pattern and practices, morbidity patterns, health seeking behaviours to vitamin A, zinc, beta carotene, and iron status of the mother-child pairs. Establish the contribution of home gardens to consumption levels and status of vitamin A, zinc, beta carotene, and iron for the mother-child pairs. Recommend for best practices to optimize adequate micronutrient intake for the target group.

Scaling-up effects of food value chain upgrading strategies on agricultural productivity and incomes in Tanzania

Applied method:
This PhD-study aims at determining the impact of innovative agricultural upgrading strategies in relation to high value crops and livestock in Tanzania. The study is based on integration of data, contextualized cost benefit approaches and effectuation theory. Decision processes in agriculture imply alternative choices for action. Strategies may involve different combinations of culture crops, alternative production systems for plant or animal produce, as well as differences in marketing or financing in the agribusiness.

Expected result:
The PhD study expects to produce three peer reviewed journal papers and and PhD thesis.
The tentative titles for the three journal papers are:

1. A review on CGE modelling in Sub Saharan Africa(SSA) for nutritional security: Methods, tools and application
2. Community wide impacts of market related UPS on nutrition outcomes: A CGE village model