Rachel Bezner Kerr’s paper on nutrition-sensitive agroecology interventions in rural Tanzania, which she co-authored with eight others, was profiled in Science magazine’s editors choice in June 2021. The intervention study selected “mentor farmers” from each intervention village to share agroecological learning about legume intensification, nutrition, and women’s empowerment with other intervention households. After two growing seasons, the intervention significantly improved children’s dietary diversity, reduced household food insecurity, improved women's empowerment and well-being, and improved agricultural sustainability. The profile of the paper published on Science’s editors’ choice page can be found here. The paper, published in Journal of Nutrition in July 2021, can be found here.
Establishment of the COVID-19 Task Force in Tompkins County
Rachel Bezner Kerr is part of the main team that put together a task force to ensure that low-income households in Tompkins County have access to food amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The task force, which started in late April, will operate as a three month long pilot program but could continue further depending on food needs of the county. The team set out to study food needs in the county in the pandemic era using this survey. It works with local organizations and food pantries to distribute food. More information about the task force can be found here.
Talk: Food Security and Africa after COVID-19
Rachel Bezner Kerr was one of four panelists at a talk organized by the Firoz Lalji Center for Africa at the London School of Economics. The talk, which was held on Thursday, May 28th, 2020, explored ways to ensure food security in African countries, especially in the face of the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on African economies. The talk is available on Facebook and Youtube.
New Paper on Nutrition Accepted for Publication
Rachel Bezner Kerr’s latest paper, which she co-authored with five others, has been accepted for publishing in Current Developments in Nutrition on June 26th 2020. The title of the paper is ‘First Nations Food Environments: Exploring the role of place, income and social connection’.
SNAP Project produces integrated curriculum on Agroecology for Tanzanian district government
In early May, Rachel Bezner Kerr provided Singida Disitrict officials the official integrated curriculum on agroecology, nutrition, socila equity and climate change as an output of the Singida Nutrition and Agroecology Project (SNAP). Representatives from Action Aid Tanzania and the Nelson Mandela African Institute for Science & Technology participated in the event and hosted discussions by farmers on the importance of botanicals, intercropping, and legumes to support biodiversity and healthy soils.