Affordability of healthy and water-saving dietary patterns in The Gambia
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View abstract on PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.Shifting Gambian diets can improve nutrition and lower water footprints, but these healthy, sustainable diets are unaffordable for many. Increasing fruit and vegetable availability is key for accessibility.
Area Of Science
- Nutritional science and environmental sustainability.
- Food systems analysis in developing countries.
Background
- The Gambia faces water scarcity, impacting food security and healthy diet accessibility.
- Optimal healthy and sustainable diets for The Gambia are currently unknown.
- Current Gambian diets are energy-adequate but lack sufficient fruits and vegetables (F&Vs) and exceed sugar recommendations.
Purpose Of The Study
- To identify dietary shifts in The Gambia for improved nutrition and reduced agricultural water footprint (WF).
- To assess the cost and affordability of these healthier, water-saving diets.
- To explore culturally acceptable dietary changes and their impact on water use.
Main Methods
- Utilized Gambian Integrated Household Survey (IHS) data on food consumption, market prices, and expenditure.
- Integrated agricultural water footprint (WF) data.
- Employed linear programming to optimize diets based on WHO recommendations and reduced water use, comparing current patterns with optimized scenarios.
Main Results
- Culturally acceptable dietary shifts could reduce agricultural water use by 10%-13% or increase it by 9%.
- Meeting WHO recommendations increases dietary costs by 43%; healthy, water-saving diets are unaffordable for nearly half the population.
- F&Vs constitute a higher cost proportion (31%-40%) in optimized diets versus current diets (12%).
Conclusions
- Dietary modifications can enhance nutritional quality and reduce water use in The Gambia.
- The cost and affordability of healthy, sustainable diets pose a significant barrier for a large population segment.
- Improving F&V availability and affordability is critical for accessible healthy and sustainable diets in The Gambia.
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