BACKGROUND: Child well-being, which includes physical, mental, and social health, has a critical ... more BACKGROUND: Child well-being, which includes physical, mental, and social health, has a critical effect on academic performance. Schools face many challenges in meeting needs for child well-being. Schools in low-resource areas, including the Mississippi Delta, face greater challenges when meeting student needs. METHODS: Eleven focus groups with middle school students and 12 interviews with teachers, staff, and administration in one Mississippi Delta middle school were completed in 2019. The Social Ecological Model and Theory of Organizational Readiness for Change were used as a framework for the study. RESULTS: Focus group data with middle school students and interviews with teachers, staff, and administrators show that academic stressors play a major role in student well-being; yet, teachers, staff, and administrators face immense pressure to achieve high test scores. However, students seem to be encouraged by a positive school environment, which could help minimize some stressors. CONCLUSIONS: It seems that small improvements to the school environment could have a significant effect on student well-being, especially when school infrastructure and limited resources do not support comprehensive changes.
During 2018 and 2019 seasons, Sultani fig trees were sprayed three times (at growth start, just a... more During 2018 and 2019 seasons, Sultani fig trees were sprayed three times (at growth start, just after fruit setting and at one month late) with some amino acids namely (tryptophane, methionine and cysteine) enriched with three micronutrients namely boron, zinc, iron percentages concentration 0.05 to 0.8 %. The study focused on the influence of these micronutrients on some growth and fruiting characteristics of Sultani fig cv. Spraying Sultani fig cv. with any of these nutrients three times each at 0.05 to 0.8 % considerably enhanced all growth characters, percentages of N, P, K, Mg and Ca, yield and fruit quality in relative to the check treatment. In ascending order, spraying boron, zinc, iron and amino acids was accompanied with enhancing growth, nutritional status, yield and fruit quality. The best results with regard to yield and fruit quality of Sultani fig cv. were obtained with spraying amino acids enriched with boron, zinc and iron three times at 0.8 %.
To address systemic malnutrition, food insecurity, and a need to manage natural resources sustain... more To address systemic malnutrition, food insecurity, and a need to manage natural resources sustainably, within the context of an agricultural economy, the Ethiopian government has invested more than 15% of the national development budget in agriculture programs as part of the Agriculture Development Led Industrialization (ADLI) plan (MARD 2010; Berhanu and Poulton 2014). This paper explores one such program – row plating of Eragrostis tef (tef). Tef is an important staple crop, with critical nutrient content for child growth and development (Stallknecht et al. 1993). Despite the use of demonstration plots and input packages, adoption of tef row planting in the study region, South Wollo, is minimal. This paper uses a political ecology framework to provide historical context to this issue of non-adoption; as well as, a much needed critique of current innovation programs from the point of view of those most marginalized by modernization efforts. Using a mixed methods approach, this stud...
Rural livelihoods in Ethiopia are vulnerable due to their reliance upon variable rainfall and the... more Rural livelihoods in Ethiopia are vulnerable due to their reliance upon variable rainfall and the lack of access to irrigation. Irrigation coverage in the country is low, as the existing systems tend to cover state-run and commercial operations. There is significant potential for irrigation to play a transformative role in rural lives and livelihoods. Much of the evidence available in Ethiopia focuses upon technical studies of irrigation systems or impacts on households after gaining access to irrigation. This article highlights the causes and pathways of change. We focus on more financially-viable and environmentally-sound smalland medium-scale systems, versus the large-scale operations that have attracted much governmental attention. We draw on two case studies, located in different agro-ecological settings: a cereal-based farming system and a root cropbased farming system. We highlight unintended consequences, such as the spread of malaria and shift away from food crops, creating...
BACKGROUND Child well-being, which includes physical, mental, and social health, has a critical e... more BACKGROUND Child well-being, which includes physical, mental, and social health, has a critical effect on academic performance. Schools face many challenges in meeting needs for child well-being. Schools in low-resource areas, including the Mississippi Delta, face greater challenges when meeting student needs. METHODS Eleven focus groups with middle school students and 12 interviews with teachers, staff, and administration in one Mississippi Delta middle school were completed in 2019. The Social Ecological Model and Theory of Organizational Readiness for Change were used as a framework for the study. RESULTS Focus group data with middle school students and interviews with teachers, staff, and administrators show that academic stressors play a major role in student well-being; yet, teachers, staff, and administrators face immense pressure to achieve high test scores. However, students seem to be encouraged by a positive school environment, which could help minimize some stressors. CONCLUSIONS It seems that small improvements to the school environment could have a significant effect on student well-being, especially when school infrastructure and limited resources do not support comprehensive changes.
Objective:The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the attitude towards food prescrip... more Objective:The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the attitude towards food prescriptions (FRx) interventions among clinicians and identify potential barriers to their use in clinical practice.Design:The current study employed an exploratory research design using in-depth semi-structured interviews. Research participants were selected from primary care facilities, family practice offices and obesity clinics located in Mississippi and Louisiana.Setting:Providers selected for participation in the current study serve predominantly rural, low-income communities in the US South.Participants:From an original population of fifty healthcare providers that included physicians, registered dieticians and nurse practitioners, from Oxford, Tupelo, Batesville, Jackson, and Charleston, MS and New Orleans, LA. Fifteen healthcare providers agreed to participate, including three physicians, four registered dieticians, three nurses and three nurse practitioners.Results:The current study f...
Abstract Focus on interdisciplinary research has become necessary for contemporary research endea... more Abstract Focus on interdisciplinary research has become necessary for contemporary research endeavors to keep pace with the complex issues facing society. However, the current academic system has not adapted to foster interdisciplinary research among university faculty and researchers. Faculty seeking promotion and tenure often experience pressure to complete individual scholarly work to gain appropriate recognition for the promotion and tenure process. This commentary outlines a series of recommendations for faculty, department chairs, centers and institutes, and university administration to promote interdisciplinary research based on experiences with a university initiative intended to foster interdisciplinary research. Many of these recommendations, such as increasing communication, are activities that faculty and chairs can implement immediately. Other recommendations will take more time and financial investment from universities. The authors hope this commentary helps other institutions innovate efficiently to support interdisciplinary research that can address the growing complexity of problems facing our communities and the world.
Background High rates of food insecurity, poverty, lack of educational attainment and limited hea... more Background High rates of food insecurity, poverty, lack of educational attainment and limited health-promoting resources have contributed to a largely obesogenic environment in rural Mississippi. Health behavior, however, depends not only on the objective environment but also on how a person perceives that environment. Objective The purpose of this study was to identify adolescents’ perceptions of healthy eating and health in a small, rural town in the Mississippi Delta. Study Design, Settings, Participants Subjects were a convenience sample of 14 adolescents, between ages 10 and 18, who were recruited to participate at a local food pantry. Measurable Outcome/Analysis Qualitative interviews included questions concerning knowledge, perceptions, and definitions of physical activity and healthy eating, as well as available resources for obtaining health-related information. A thematic approach was used to analyze interview transcripts. Results Participants displayed an overall lack of knowledge of and saw little value in healthy eating and physical activity. Informational resources were identified as gym and health class in school, parents, sports coaches, television and the grocery store; although, gym and health class were mentioned predominately for promoting physical activity, not healthy eating. Because of the lack of maintained sidewalks or a fitness center, physical activity outside of the gym class only takes place during sports-related events. Adolescents identified their parent's cooking as both a facilitator and barrier to eating healthy. Conclusion Utilizing school gym class as a platform to teach nutrition education for adolescents would provide knowledge and awareness in a setting that participants deem informative. Also, a parent-child cooking class teaching practical skills and cooking techniques in an after-school setting can improve cooking at home, which is currently labeled a barrier. This study provided important insight for future research studies by describing barriers to healthy behaviors for adolescents in this rural community, as well as identifying existing and needed resources. Funding University of Mississippi.
Agricultural intensification and extensification are standard responses to ecological and economi... more Agricultural intensification and extensification are standard responses to ecological and economic vulnerability among smallholder communities. Climate change has exacerbated this vulnerability and thrown the complexity of and critical need for managing a healthy natural resource base while increasing on-farm productivity into sharp light. Sustainable intensification is one of many mechanisms for accomplishing this balancing act. This study examines the adoption of sustainable intensification practices, namely input packages focused on tef row planting—designed to boost yield and promote more efficient use of inputs. This study utilized a mix methods approach to survey 115 smallholder farmers in the South Wollo zone of the Amhara region in Ethiopia. This study found that cash and capital, more so than contact with the AIS, influenced farmers’ decisions to adopt row planting input packages. Khat production was an important source of cash for inputs and was more likely to be available to farmers with irrigation schemes. Long-term, farmers who cultivate khat may not successfully engage in SI, as khat replaces traditional food crop production in the region. Yet, for farmers who do not grow khat, long-term investment in SI practices is unlikely unless access to affordable credit options is improved.
Abstract Resilience has become a key component of how practitioners and scholars conceptualize su... more Abstract Resilience has become a key component of how practitioners and scholars conceptualize sustainable communities. Given sustainability’s focal role in shaping international development funding, policies and programming it is imperative that we critically engage with the concepts embedded within the resilience discourse – including prescriptions for increased diversity. This article contributes to a discourse that questions this common recommendation for diversification, particularly as it relates to agricultural livelihoods and smallholder production. We provide examples from Ethiopia that demonstrate the two limitations of diversification. The first, that some forms of diversification are, in fact, maladaptive and reduce resilience. The second, that diversification is not always equal – some forms of diversification are only accessible to the most vulnerable. As the 2030 Agenda moves ahead in shaping what is considered important, and therefore funded and measured, we argue that much more context-specific nuance is required within the resilience discourse.
BACKGROUND: Child well-being, which includes physical, mental, and social health, has a critical ... more BACKGROUND: Child well-being, which includes physical, mental, and social health, has a critical effect on academic performance. Schools face many challenges in meeting needs for child well-being. Schools in low-resource areas, including the Mississippi Delta, face greater challenges when meeting student needs. METHODS: Eleven focus groups with middle school students and 12 interviews with teachers, staff, and administration in one Mississippi Delta middle school were completed in 2019. The Social Ecological Model and Theory of Organizational Readiness for Change were used as a framework for the study. RESULTS: Focus group data with middle school students and interviews with teachers, staff, and administrators show that academic stressors play a major role in student well-being; yet, teachers, staff, and administrators face immense pressure to achieve high test scores. However, students seem to be encouraged by a positive school environment, which could help minimize some stressors. CONCLUSIONS: It seems that small improvements to the school environment could have a significant effect on student well-being, especially when school infrastructure and limited resources do not support comprehensive changes.
During 2018 and 2019 seasons, Sultani fig trees were sprayed three times (at growth start, just a... more During 2018 and 2019 seasons, Sultani fig trees were sprayed three times (at growth start, just after fruit setting and at one month late) with some amino acids namely (tryptophane, methionine and cysteine) enriched with three micronutrients namely boron, zinc, iron percentages concentration 0.05 to 0.8 %. The study focused on the influence of these micronutrients on some growth and fruiting characteristics of Sultani fig cv. Spraying Sultani fig cv. with any of these nutrients three times each at 0.05 to 0.8 % considerably enhanced all growth characters, percentages of N, P, K, Mg and Ca, yield and fruit quality in relative to the check treatment. In ascending order, spraying boron, zinc, iron and amino acids was accompanied with enhancing growth, nutritional status, yield and fruit quality. The best results with regard to yield and fruit quality of Sultani fig cv. were obtained with spraying amino acids enriched with boron, zinc and iron three times at 0.8 %.
To address systemic malnutrition, food insecurity, and a need to manage natural resources sustain... more To address systemic malnutrition, food insecurity, and a need to manage natural resources sustainably, within the context of an agricultural economy, the Ethiopian government has invested more than 15% of the national development budget in agriculture programs as part of the Agriculture Development Led Industrialization (ADLI) plan (MARD 2010; Berhanu and Poulton 2014). This paper explores one such program – row plating of Eragrostis tef (tef). Tef is an important staple crop, with critical nutrient content for child growth and development (Stallknecht et al. 1993). Despite the use of demonstration plots and input packages, adoption of tef row planting in the study region, South Wollo, is minimal. This paper uses a political ecology framework to provide historical context to this issue of non-adoption; as well as, a much needed critique of current innovation programs from the point of view of those most marginalized by modernization efforts. Using a mixed methods approach, this stud...
Rural livelihoods in Ethiopia are vulnerable due to their reliance upon variable rainfall and the... more Rural livelihoods in Ethiopia are vulnerable due to their reliance upon variable rainfall and the lack of access to irrigation. Irrigation coverage in the country is low, as the existing systems tend to cover state-run and commercial operations. There is significant potential for irrigation to play a transformative role in rural lives and livelihoods. Much of the evidence available in Ethiopia focuses upon technical studies of irrigation systems or impacts on households after gaining access to irrigation. This article highlights the causes and pathways of change. We focus on more financially-viable and environmentally-sound smalland medium-scale systems, versus the large-scale operations that have attracted much governmental attention. We draw on two case studies, located in different agro-ecological settings: a cereal-based farming system and a root cropbased farming system. We highlight unintended consequences, such as the spread of malaria and shift away from food crops, creating...
BACKGROUND Child well-being, which includes physical, mental, and social health, has a critical e... more BACKGROUND Child well-being, which includes physical, mental, and social health, has a critical effect on academic performance. Schools face many challenges in meeting needs for child well-being. Schools in low-resource areas, including the Mississippi Delta, face greater challenges when meeting student needs. METHODS Eleven focus groups with middle school students and 12 interviews with teachers, staff, and administration in one Mississippi Delta middle school were completed in 2019. The Social Ecological Model and Theory of Organizational Readiness for Change were used as a framework for the study. RESULTS Focus group data with middle school students and interviews with teachers, staff, and administrators show that academic stressors play a major role in student well-being; yet, teachers, staff, and administrators face immense pressure to achieve high test scores. However, students seem to be encouraged by a positive school environment, which could help minimize some stressors. CONCLUSIONS It seems that small improvements to the school environment could have a significant effect on student well-being, especially when school infrastructure and limited resources do not support comprehensive changes.
Objective:The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the attitude towards food prescrip... more Objective:The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the attitude towards food prescriptions (FRx) interventions among clinicians and identify potential barriers to their use in clinical practice.Design:The current study employed an exploratory research design using in-depth semi-structured interviews. Research participants were selected from primary care facilities, family practice offices and obesity clinics located in Mississippi and Louisiana.Setting:Providers selected for participation in the current study serve predominantly rural, low-income communities in the US South.Participants:From an original population of fifty healthcare providers that included physicians, registered dieticians and nurse practitioners, from Oxford, Tupelo, Batesville, Jackson, and Charleston, MS and New Orleans, LA. Fifteen healthcare providers agreed to participate, including three physicians, four registered dieticians, three nurses and three nurse practitioners.Results:The current study f...
Abstract Focus on interdisciplinary research has become necessary for contemporary research endea... more Abstract Focus on interdisciplinary research has become necessary for contemporary research endeavors to keep pace with the complex issues facing society. However, the current academic system has not adapted to foster interdisciplinary research among university faculty and researchers. Faculty seeking promotion and tenure often experience pressure to complete individual scholarly work to gain appropriate recognition for the promotion and tenure process. This commentary outlines a series of recommendations for faculty, department chairs, centers and institutes, and university administration to promote interdisciplinary research based on experiences with a university initiative intended to foster interdisciplinary research. Many of these recommendations, such as increasing communication, are activities that faculty and chairs can implement immediately. Other recommendations will take more time and financial investment from universities. The authors hope this commentary helps other institutions innovate efficiently to support interdisciplinary research that can address the growing complexity of problems facing our communities and the world.
Background High rates of food insecurity, poverty, lack of educational attainment and limited hea... more Background High rates of food insecurity, poverty, lack of educational attainment and limited health-promoting resources have contributed to a largely obesogenic environment in rural Mississippi. Health behavior, however, depends not only on the objective environment but also on how a person perceives that environment. Objective The purpose of this study was to identify adolescents’ perceptions of healthy eating and health in a small, rural town in the Mississippi Delta. Study Design, Settings, Participants Subjects were a convenience sample of 14 adolescents, between ages 10 and 18, who were recruited to participate at a local food pantry. Measurable Outcome/Analysis Qualitative interviews included questions concerning knowledge, perceptions, and definitions of physical activity and healthy eating, as well as available resources for obtaining health-related information. A thematic approach was used to analyze interview transcripts. Results Participants displayed an overall lack of knowledge of and saw little value in healthy eating and physical activity. Informational resources were identified as gym and health class in school, parents, sports coaches, television and the grocery store; although, gym and health class were mentioned predominately for promoting physical activity, not healthy eating. Because of the lack of maintained sidewalks or a fitness center, physical activity outside of the gym class only takes place during sports-related events. Adolescents identified their parent's cooking as both a facilitator and barrier to eating healthy. Conclusion Utilizing school gym class as a platform to teach nutrition education for adolescents would provide knowledge and awareness in a setting that participants deem informative. Also, a parent-child cooking class teaching practical skills and cooking techniques in an after-school setting can improve cooking at home, which is currently labeled a barrier. This study provided important insight for future research studies by describing barriers to healthy behaviors for adolescents in this rural community, as well as identifying existing and needed resources. Funding University of Mississippi.
Agricultural intensification and extensification are standard responses to ecological and economi... more Agricultural intensification and extensification are standard responses to ecological and economic vulnerability among smallholder communities. Climate change has exacerbated this vulnerability and thrown the complexity of and critical need for managing a healthy natural resource base while increasing on-farm productivity into sharp light. Sustainable intensification is one of many mechanisms for accomplishing this balancing act. This study examines the adoption of sustainable intensification practices, namely input packages focused on tef row planting—designed to boost yield and promote more efficient use of inputs. This study utilized a mix methods approach to survey 115 smallholder farmers in the South Wollo zone of the Amhara region in Ethiopia. This study found that cash and capital, more so than contact with the AIS, influenced farmers’ decisions to adopt row planting input packages. Khat production was an important source of cash for inputs and was more likely to be available to farmers with irrigation schemes. Long-term, farmers who cultivate khat may not successfully engage in SI, as khat replaces traditional food crop production in the region. Yet, for farmers who do not grow khat, long-term investment in SI practices is unlikely unless access to affordable credit options is improved.
Abstract Resilience has become a key component of how practitioners and scholars conceptualize su... more Abstract Resilience has become a key component of how practitioners and scholars conceptualize sustainable communities. Given sustainability’s focal role in shaping international development funding, policies and programming it is imperative that we critically engage with the concepts embedded within the resilience discourse – including prescriptions for increased diversity. This article contributes to a discourse that questions this common recommendation for diversification, particularly as it relates to agricultural livelihoods and smallholder production. We provide examples from Ethiopia that demonstrate the two limitations of diversification. The first, that some forms of diversification are, in fact, maladaptive and reduce resilience. The second, that diversification is not always equal – some forms of diversification are only accessible to the most vulnerable. As the 2030 Agenda moves ahead in shaping what is considered important, and therefore funded and measured, we argue that much more context-specific nuance is required within the resilience discourse.
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Papers by Anne Cafer