acdivoca nutrition maize softcopy

7/31/2019 ACDIVOCA Nutrition Maize Softcopy

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In recognition o the relation-ship between nutrition, agricul-tural science and market orces,the development communityis moving toward increasingly

integrated value chain devel-opment programming. Prac-titioners now must includenutritional considerations intocore agricultural developmentwork and measure nutritionalimpact. This act sheet is pro-duced as part o ACDI/VOCAsongoing learning agenda. Itis one in a series designed tobe a practical and inorma-

tive resource or sta on thenutritional value o crops andon leverage points within thevalue chains or maximizingnutritional impact.

Introduction

M

aize is the primarysource o daily ca-

loric intake or manypopulations around the world.In Kenya, or example, over85 percent o the populationdepends on maize as theirmain source o calories. Yetcalories (energy) alone are notsucient to sustain a healthybody and maize has limitednutritional value. Nonetheless,maizeincluding maize four

and maize mealis critical tosmallholder arming livelihoodsand the ood security o bothrural and urban households. Itis a signicant contributor to

the economic and social devel-opment o many sub-SaharanArican countries. Accordingly,the maize value chain is givengreat attention by a varietyo donors in countries suchas Ethiopia, Ghana, Sudan,Rwanda, Senegal and Uganda.Because o maizes signicanceas a staple commodity, it is im-portant to understand its nutri-

tional prole, know what oodscomplement its deciencies,and ollow practices to eithermaximize its nutritional benetsor limit nutrient loss.

This act sheet identies thenutritional problems acingpopulations that consumemaize as their primary energysource and recommends ways

to improve nutritional benetsalong the maize value chain.

Nutritional Prole 1

Most maize-based diets, par-ticularly in Arica, lack thesupplementary oods neces-sary to meet the bodys proteinand micronutrient needs when

maize is consumed in largequantities. Maize-consumingpopulations are nutritionallybetter o when maize is con-sumed with a sucient amount

Nutrition Integration Fact Sheet

Nutrition Integration Fact Sheet

The quality o protein in maize is lowlower even than that o other cerealgrains. It is decient in some essential amino acids (lysine and tryptophan)and contains an excess o other amino acids (those containing sulur) thatnegatively infuence the bodys protein utilization. Maize lacks many vita-mins and minerals such as B vitamins, zinc and iron.


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Bettertraderegulations andstandardsonbiofortification, aflatoxinConsiderationofeffectsofimport/exportbans

Regional/GlobalEnabling

Environment

International

retailers

Exporters

Enduser:household

consumer

Enduser:animalfeedandnonfoodusers

Retailers

NationalEnablingEnvironment

Cross

cutting

Improvedfinanceflowthroughchain,e. . to rocessors for

Processors

Wholesalers

MaizeeatenwithpulsesforcompleteproteinprofileAdditionofvegetablestoincreasedietarydiversity

providers

(e.g.,

financial

services,

extension,

. .,fortification;toinputsuppliersfororangemaizepromosandbiofortifiedseedtrials;toproducers,esp.

ProducersIntercroppingorrotationofmaizeandlegumes

Educationandbehaviorchangetodeliverkeynutritionmessages

ranspor ,

storage)

,purchases

IntegrationofnutritionInputsuppliers

integratedfarmingsystemsBiocontrol ofaflatoxin throughbiocontrol pesticide

Fortificationofmaizeflour/mealwithironandvitaminA

e uca on n oex ens onservices(includingSMS)

biofortified seeds(e.g.,orangemaize)IncreaseddemandfromconsumersEducationofagentsonbenefitsoflegumes,veggiesintercroppedwithmaize

mprove ry ngan s orageprac cestobetterpreservemaizeandreduceaflatoxin

Properdisposalof contaminatedgrainsbyburning,burying

o high-quality protein oods(e.g., legumes, milk, seeds,poultry, sh and meats) and

micronutrient-rich vegetables(e.g., green leay vegetables).For example, protein-rich le-gumes (e.g., beans, peas andpeanuts) are a relatively goodsource o lysine and tryptophanbut are low in sulur aminoacids. Thereore, the legumeprotein is a strong complementto maize protein. A meal madeup o one-quarter legumes and

three-quarters maize wouldprovide a good balance.2 Green

leay vegetables such as sweetpotato leaves, spinach, and col-lard greens are rich in iron, zinc

and vitamin A and increase theabsorption o usable protein ina maize and bean diet.

Nutritional Consider-ations in a Maize ValueChain System

Agriculture practitioners otenocus on increasing a crops

nutritional benets throughproduction-level interventions,

yet many additional opportuni-ties arise when a crop is viewedin the context o the broader,

integrated systems (such asinputs, support services, mar-keting, production, storage,etc.) that together create theentire value chain system. Asimple value chain represent-ing maizes path rom armto ork is shown below withsample interventions to im-prove nutrition at each stage.Some o these examples are

discussed in greater detail inthe text that ollows.

Note: A comprehensive nutri-tion-sensitive, value chain sys-tem approach to developmentconsiders the potential nutri-tional impact o bottlenecks

Figure 1: Nutritional

Considerations in a

Maize Value Chain System


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in the enabling environment(e.g., import/export bans, pricecontrols, ood saety stan-dards), support services (e.g.,transport, nance, packaging,etc.) and the nature o linkages,relationships, and governancein the value chain system. Thisis represented in the graphicbelow, but because this intro-ductory act sheet is intendedor application in a diversearray o market environments,ACDI/VOCA has targeted the

discussion that ollows alongthe core value chain path. Formore inormation on the valuechain approach, see http://mi-crolinks.kdid.org/vcwiki.

Input Supply

Linkages with Input Suppliers:Low maize yields on small-holder production systems are

a recurrent concern throughoutsub-Saharan Arica. Becauseo this, many agricultural valuechain programs target ine-ciencies in input supply sys-tems. At the same time, prac-titioners can work to educaterural agents and retailers aboutimproved maize varieties. Atdemonstration plots or elddays, input suppliers can also

demonstrate the dual agro-nomic and nutritional benetso rotating and intercroppingmaize with legumes (or ex-ample, see Production below).Where bioortied seeds areavailable, practitioners can a-cilitate linkages between inputcompanies and bioortiedseed suppliers so that they can

begin stocking the product andreceive training.

Bioortied Seeds: Orange

maize is a bioortied varietywith a high beta-carotene(plant-source vitamin A) con-tent. This variety has beenintroduced in Arican countriessuch as Zambia, Mozambique,Kenya and Zimbabwe. Re-search on high-yielding adap-tation o orange maize and itsconsumer acceptance are stillongoing.

Production, Post-Harvest Handling andStorage

Intercropping and RotationPlanting: Maize and legumes(e.g., soybean, cowpea, pigeonpea, beans, groundnuts, etc.)complement each others pro-

tein makeup and can provide acomplete protein prole wheneaten together3. Arican cook-ing combines both maize andbeans/peas in many dishes,and traditional arming alsopractices planting maize andlegumes together. Legumesx the nitrogen to the soil ormaize utilization, and maizeprovides stalks or beans to

climb. Growing maize andlegumes in the same garden/arm is agronomically eective,nutritionally benecial and cul-turally appropriate. Intercrop-ping examples can be ound inthe Legume Fact Sheet.

Integrated Farming Systems:Integrated arming systemssuch as home gardening can

meet most o a rural house-holds basic dietary needs andperorm many others unctions,such as supply eed or animalsused or consumption and onthe arm.4 A good home gar-den might include ruit and nuttrees, cereals, vegetables andsmall domesticated livestocksuch as chicken. Companion

planting (maize and legumes)ensures long-term supply ostaple oods. Trees and veg-etables provide a continuoussource o nutritious additions.Chickens and livestock providevital sources o protein andmicronutrients through theirmeat, milk and eggs. Eggsare excellent source o high-quality protein, healthy unsatu-

rated ats, vitamin A and iron.One egg contains 13 essentialvitamins and minerals neededto promote the proper devel-opment o children ages 5 andunder. Milk is particularly linkedto linear growth in children,thus playing an important rolein the reduction o stunting.Maize and legumes are alsogood eeding grains or livestock,

Maize and legumescomplement eachothers protein make-

up and can provide

a complete protein

profle when eaten

together.


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which in return provides organ-ic waste materials as a sourceo ertilizer. Maize constitutes

over hal o inputs into poultryeeds, mainly because its en-ergy source is starch, which isreadily available as energy andis easily digested by poultry5.

Afatoxin6,7: Afatoxin is asignicant problem in maize,oten due to poor post-harvestand storage conditions at thehousehold rom homesteadproduction. A ungus (Asper-

gillus parasiticus) that inectscrops in the eld and in stor-age, it can cause liver ailure,chronic disease, cancer andeven death. Exposure is alsoassociated with stunting anddelayed development in chil-dren. As many buyers in ormalmaize markets test or afatoxinlevels, contaminated maize canresult in rejections and loss oincome. Contamination is pos-sible when no visible signs oungus are present. Grains withafatoxin must be disposed oimmediately through burningor burying. Preventive practicesinclude the ollowing:

Production:

Afasae is the rst indig-

enous biocontrol productin Arica. It is a biopesticideand contains our nativenontoxic strains o Aspergil-lus favus that outcompeteand replace the toxin-pro-ducing strains, thus reduc-ing afatoxin accumulationby up to 99 percent. Afa-sae has been approvedin some Arican countries

(e.g., Nigeria). Biocontrol isthus ar the most eectivemethod available or pre-

venting afatoxin contamina-tion rom crop development,through storage, until use.

Post-Harvest Handling:

Ensure crop is not let onthe ground or on bare soil,where ungal spores de-velop.

Clean and sieve to remove

broken kernels, oreignmatter, and diseased androtten grains. These attractmoisture and pests leadingto spoilage and/or ungalgrowth.

Ensure crops are properlydried immediately aterharvesting. Drying will notreverse the eect o poisonin contaminated grains, but

it may inhibit urther growtho molds.

Storage:

Clear pathways to allow orgood air fow.

Ensure timely pest controlinterventions.

Ensure that grains are

bagged in natural berbags or storage (not plas-tic).

Cooking, Animal Feeding andDisposal:

Do not eat moldy grains orgrains with any signs o un-gal contamination. Cookingthoroughly will not eradi-

cate afatoxin, because it isa poison not a pathogen.

Feeding animals contami-

nated grains is not advisedbecause afatoxin abovecertain levels also causescancer and other diseasesin animals.

Processing

Milled maize four or granu-lated maize meals are a major

component o the Arican diet.As with all cereals, most micro-nutrients are concentrated inthe outer layers o the grain; re-moving these layers in the mill-ing process results in the loss


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o most vitamins and minerals.These losses, however, can bereplaced through enrichment

or ortication without aectingthe quality or acceptability ooods made rom maize four ormaize meal. Mandatory orti-cation o commercial maizefour is slowly becoming thestandard in many Arican coun-tries.

Fortiying Maize8,9,10: Small-scale ortication adds mi-cronutrients to milled cereal

products in mills with a capacityo less than one metric ton perhour using a diluted premix orpreblend that can be addedwith or without special equip-ment. Premix is a commerciallyprepared blend o vitamins andminerals together with an inertcarrier like starch to preventinteractions o these micronu-trients. The premixes used inlarge-scale mills are usually tooconcentrated to be used at thesmall mill level, thus it is dilutedand called a preblend, typi-cally by blending with a cereal.This is added either to thegrain during milling or to thefour/meal ater milling. Flourortication programs shouldinclude appropriate qualityassurance and quality controlprograms at mills to ensureproper blending and nutrientcontent.

End Markets

Consumer Awareness: Nutri-tion education through be-havior change communicationis necessary to ensure meal

preparers know how to com-bine crops to provide the mostnutritionally balanced meals or

their amilies, especially duringcritical growth periods such aspregnancy, lactation and therst 6-23 months o age.

Product Diversication: Maizeis traditionally the main ingre-dient in many weaning oodsin Arica.11 Baby cereals withimproved grain quality (suchas decreased afatoxins) andadded nutritional value can

bring nutritional benets aswell as market opportunities.For example, low-cost, nutri-tious, well-balanced weaningoods rich in protein, energyand micronutrients can be de-veloped rom locally availableoods. One such ood can bea blend o legume (groundnutand/or cowpea) and a ortiedcereal (maize). Combinationslike this can be easily adoptedby ood processors and madeavailable in the market.

Key Recommendations

Eating a diverse diet improvesnutritional status, and diversi-ed production and process-ing strategies reduce riskor smallholder armers andimproves market opportuni-ties. Agricultural developmentprojects should highlight thisdual benet o diversication inproduction and consumptionand consider the entire valuechain system in designing inter-ventions. Key messages includethe ollowing:

Case Study:

ACDI/VOCAsKenyaMaize Develop-ment ProgramKMDP is a good example ointegrating nutrition and ood

saety considerations into mar-ket-driven value chain develop-ment. Interventions include:

Fortied maize: KMDP devel-oped maize meal ormulationsortied or dierent consumergroups (HIV/AIDS aected,lactating mothers, children)

Promotion o Intercropping:Additional crops (e.g., beans,peas, sweet potatoes, Irish po-tatoes, sorghum) are promoted

as part o a diversied armsystem.

Afatoxin contaminationreduction at production andhandling levels: KMDP did apilot project or the biocontrolpesticide Afasae, and con-ducted trainings on improvingmaize production, processingand storage practices to reduceafatoxin contamination.

Staple cookbook with basic

nutrition inormation: Theproject is developing the KenyaCulinary and Nutrition Cook-book, which has recipes usingalternative staple oods aswell as basic nutrition inorma-tion on each dish. The cook-book encourages the modernKenyan diet to appreciate thenutritional and therapeuticvalues o these alternativestaple oods and thus to createmarket demand.

HIV/AIDS prevention: HIV/AIDS prevention educationor youth and young people isincorporated into KMDPs train-ing. KMDP sponsors activitieslike dramas and puppet showsdemonstrating HIV/AIDS pre-vention and care techniques,including the importance oproper nutrition or people liv-ing with HIV/AIDS.


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Although an importantsource o calories, maizecontains ew micronutrients

and low-quality protein;thereore it should be con-sumed with complementaryoods such as legumes orprotein and vegetables ormicronutrients.

Growing maize and le-gumes together is agro-nomically benecial to bothplants.

Improved post-harvest

handling, storage and cook-ing can prevent afatoxincontamination. This keeps

consumers healthier andimproves the marketabilityo maize

Most o maizes nutritionalvalue is contained in theshell and lost during pro-cessing. Maize four can beortied using a pre-mix bysmall-scale and commer-cial processors alike. Thisinuses maize with essen-

tial nutrients and createsa value-added product orincreased market opportu-

nities. Producer and consumer

education is key to increas-ing consumption o nutri-tious oods. Using properincentive strategies, othermarket actors (e.g., inputsuppliers, retailers, etc.) canalso play an important rolein in education and behav-ior change.

1 Maize in human nutrition, FAO. http://www.ao.org/do-crep/T0395E/T0395E00.htm#Contents

2Chapter 8 Improvement o maize diets https://www.ao.

org/docrep/T0395E/T0395EOc.htm

3Intercropping with Maize in Sub-arid Regions. https://orest.mtu.edu/pcorestry/resources/studentprojects/Maize%20Intercropping%20in20East%20Arica.pd

4 UNICEF Home Garden Handbook. http://www.plant-trees.org/resources/inomaterials/english/agroorestry_technologies/Unice%20home%20garden%20handbook.pd

5Low-tannin sorghum, while not commonly used in eed,can also be used as a substitute or maize in eed.

6 Aatoxin contaminated maize picture: http://blog.cimmyt.org/index.php/2011/02/alleviating-aatoxin-in-arica

7AaControl, IFPRI. http://programs/ipri.org/aa/aalinks.asp

8For additional inormation, see: Fortiying Aricas Future.

http://www.orta.org/index.htm; The Micronutrient Initia-tive Fortifcation Handbook. 2004. http://www.sph.emory.edu/wheatour/KEYDOCS/MI_Fort_handbook.pd; andSmall Scale Mill Fortifcation Manual. http://www.orta.org/fles/SSFJan2005.pd

9The Micronutrient Initiative Fortifcation Handbook, 2004.http://www.sph.emory.edu/wheatour/KEYDOCS/MI_Fort_handbook.pd

10Small Scale Mill Fortifcation Manual. http://www.orta.org/fles/SSFJan2005.pd

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Weaning oods in West Arica: Nutritional problems andpossible solutions. http://archive.unu.edu/unupress/ood/V191e/ch06.htm

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