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“Nutrition policies must refer to food, that is to meals, not to nutrients” World Health Organization (WHO)
In general terms, food could be re- tation and infant care, key variables
ferred to as a concept that combines for health and nutrition, vary greatly
two elements, namely nutrients and across cultures. The ACF White Paper
culture. And culture refers to the in Nutrition explains that not only
customs, institutions, and achieve- their reproductive roles expose girls
ments of a particular nation, peo- and women to greater risk of malnutri-
ple, or group. A cultural approach to tion, but also lower social status and
Bronwen Gillespie hunger and malnutrition shall take levels of education, as well as cultural
Coordinadora Social, ACF-E Perú into account all factors relating to the factors which shape gender-related
Email: coordsoc-pe@acf-e.org culture of a society, including values, differences in workloads and access to
beliefs, standards, language, thinking resources, traditional care practices
patterns, behavioural norms and com- and food taboos.
munications styles, as well as other
social aspects related to food produc- ACF food security interventions aim to
tion, processing and consumption. take into account the importance of
food sovereignty: “the right of people
Carmen Porras Gómez What are the factors that determine to healthy and culturally appropriate
Coordinadora Regional Adjunta, ACF-E what people produce, buy and eat? food produced through ecologically
Centroamérica Geography, poverty, market access, sound and sustainable methods, and
Email: dehom-ca@acf-e.org technical knowledge and access to their right to define their own food
resources all play a significant role. and agricultural systems” (ACF, 2008).
However, it is worth mentioning that Cultural context is included along with
food production, acquisition and con- political, social, historical and eco-
sumption are also greatly influenced by nomic context amongst basic causes
the cultural habits and personal prefe- of malnutrition. ACF’s hands-on field
rences of the people in question. experience in fighting child malnutri-
tion is informed by the understanding
ACF (Action Against Hunger, in French) that local tradition not only shapes
has already situated “culture” as a key production choices and consumption
element in the Conceptual Framework preferences, but also child care prac-
to analyze the basic causes of mal- tices (ACF, 2009) and the management
nutrition (ACF, 2008). Habits in sani- of water and sanitation resources
(House, 2007).
An innovative approach to reducing chronic child malnutrition 1
CONSIDERING CULTURE IN NUTRITION AND FOOD SYSTEMS
Now we are taking a step further in the different ecological niches, have un-
integration of cultural considerations dergone significant cultural adapta-
in order to enrich our technical pro- tion as a result of their exposure to
posals in food and nutrition security. financial incentives to grow for ex-
ACF would like to expand on an issue port and to the fluctuations of market
that the World Health Organization has prices. The increased availability of
“Understanding the local culture
already recognized: “that nutrition processed food in stores, coupled with helps guarantee the sustainbility of
policies must refer to alimentation, changing social mores, cause shifts in interventions”
that is, to food, not to nutrients,” in eating habits, which in turn contribute
an effort to recognize the centrality to the adoption of new agricultural “Not all family members have equal
of socio-cultural identity inherent to production practices with an empha-
something as personal as the food we sis on production for sale, mostly ex-
access to the food available within
eat (Contreras Hernandez and Gracia ports, rather than for family consump- a family, depending on how food is
Arnaiz, 2005). tion or local markets. Income gained divided up for consumption”
from crops sold elsewhere is used to
WHY FOCUS ON CULTURE WHEN ADDRESS- buy less nutritious processed food,
ING CHRONIC MALNUTRITION? offering a partial explanation for a
BOX 1: Re-discovering Quinoa
general reduction in the caloric intake
As is generally agreed, an approach and diversity of diet (Pelto and Pelto, Quinoa, a traditional staple grain
built on understanding the local cul- 1990). Due to these changes in local originating in the Andes now pro-
tural helps guarantee the sustainabi- production patterns, food of high nu- moted world-wide as a health food, is
lity and relevance of the intervention tritional quality may actually become regaining ground as a crop in some
by incorporating the beliefs, prefe- less available. (Box 1) mountain regions due to great interest
rences and vision of the local popu- from importing countries such as the
lation not only in the baseline phase Access United States, and falling rates of lo-
-understanding the culture in ques- Although nutritious foods may be avai- cal consumption are slowly recovering
tion-, but also in the community-based lable, they may not be accessible to (ACF-E, 2010).
approach -for example, identifying the all. Access depends on income in order
stakeholders through whom we can to purchase food, as well as on access
gain the confidence of the communi- to land and other productive resour- BOX 2: Food aid for guests
ty-, methodological techniques suited ces. Cultural factors have a prominent
to the local lifestyle and, finally, in role to play in every person’s access In Peru, the government provides tuna
those recommendations that may fit to food. Not all family members have fish handouts to combat malnutrition
within their specific production sys- equal access to the food available in the Highlands, and that food aid,
tem. At ACF, we want to take further within a family, depending on how meant for children, is then served at
steps to systematically incorporate a food is divided up for consumption. community dinners honouring out-of-
cultural approach into our programs. Often, extra food is provided to the town guests (ACF-E, 2010).
Let’s take a look at food security, one father or main income earner rather
of our main technical areas, through a than to the children, as he is logically
“cultural” lens: seen to play a more prominent role in BOX 3: Cold and hot foods
the family’s survival strategy. Inter- Andean cultures make an important
Availability ventions aimed at improving nutrition distinction between ‘cold’ foods and
Food security is commonly broken do not always lead to the expected ‘hot’ foods, referring not to temperature
down into factors of food availability, results, as the cultural rules for food but instead to their intrinsic qualities,
access and consumption. Availability use are not well understood by those which underly complex consumption
refers to the offer of food, in quan- in charge. (Box 2) guidelines. As a result, certain vitamin-
tity and quality, whether it be grown
rich foods are not provided to children
locally or imported to the area. Food In some cases, family members may (Kuhnlein and Pelto, 1997). Likewise,
availability goes through yearly cycles not have access to certain foods as hot and cold considerations can par-
according to the agricultural calendar they are deemed unsuitable on the ba- tially explain the current eating habits
and varies in accordance to changes sis of age, gender or health. (Box 3) in severely malnourished communities
in supply and demand and distribution
of the Chorti´ ethnic group of eastern
patterns in the larger socioeconomic Access, therefore, is not guaranteed Guatemala (López-García, 2002).
system. Previously isolated communi- equally to all family members at all
ties producing a diversified range of moments, although food may be avai-
crops aimed at feeding the family, lable. Of course, this is not to say that
or to be traded with communities in there may not be a very good reason
for these taboos, only that these local to genetic differences based on the
food ways must be understood when evolution of ethnic groups in specific
looking at food and nutrition security. environments. (Box 5)
Peru and Paraguay-Bolivia) as well mation for the specific ACF pro-
as the AECID framework agree- grams in question. This phase will
ments 056 and 064 in Latin Amer- include an open discussion within
ica, action-oriented research ac- the ACF International Network and
tivities will be developed with the beyond and comparison with simi-
aim of furthering the specific un- lar experiences of other actors in-
“Our approach aims to identify
derstanding of the socio-cultural volved in nutrition and food secu- factors that motivate change at the
context in food and nutrition issues rity interventions. community and individual level”
in the geographical areas in which
ACF intervenes. These research • Extract tools and conclusions to “A cultural aproach must necessa-
activities will clearly contribute create ACF Guidelines for a Cul-
to the understanding of the Causal tural Approach to Food and Nu-
rily take into account the relations
Analysis of Malnutrition, a global trition Security. A first draft will of power that exist between rural
initiative supported by the ACF In- be developed, lead by ACF in Latin populations, external organizations
ternational Network. The research America, taking into account input and the government”
will benefit from ongoing ACF pro- and experiences from all interes-
jects that will provide data, hu- ted missions.
man resources, logistical support,
and valuable knowledge and con- • Advocacy with national govern-
tacts in the communities and with ments and international aid
local authorities. Field research institutions to scale up evi-
will include phases of data collec- dence-based policies and activi-
tion, analysis and validation with ties to address chronic and acute
community members and other malnutrition. Based on the ac-
actors involved. tion- oriented research conducted
by ACF, specific field tools and
• Adapt methodology for ethnogra- policy recommendations will be
phic research in nutrition and elaborated and disseminated so
food security. Existing tools for as to provide National Authorities
socio-cultural research will be and International Agencies with
adapted for the specific meth- refined elements to better address
odological requirements of each chronic and acute malnutrition,
study, and can be compiled to contributing to the understan-
serve as a guideline for other in- ding of the non-economic factors
terested ACF interventions. affecting malnutrition and further-
ing the causal analysis of hunger.
• Publish research results and re-
commendations. Research results
will include conclusions regarding
the socio-cultural aspects of nutri-
tion, information on positive tra-
ditional nutrition practices, and
recommendations and guidelines
to incorporate culturally-adapted
better practices to address chronic
and acute malnutrition in ACF in-
terventions, ranging from specific
tools to use in the field to issues
for advocacy at national level.
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