Enhancing nutrition and cost efficiency in Kenyan school meals using neglected and underutilized species and linear programming: A case study from an informal settlement
Neglected and Underutilized Species (NUS) possess significant nutritional, social, and environmental benefits, yet their use, research focus, and market presence have diminished over time. Incorporating NUS into school meal programs can potentially boost childhood nutrition, promote healthy eating,...
| Autores principales: | , , |
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| Formato: | Journal Article |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
MDPI
2025
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/173666 |
| _version_ | 1855526858642161664 |
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| author | Proietti, Ilaria Jordan, Irmgard Borelli, Teresa |
| author_browse | Borelli, Teresa Jordan, Irmgard Proietti, Ilaria |
| author_facet | Proietti, Ilaria Jordan, Irmgard Borelli, Teresa |
| author_sort | Proietti, Ilaria |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Neglected and Underutilized Species (NUS) possess significant nutritional, social, and environmental benefits, yet their use, research focus, and market presence have diminished over time. Incorporating NUS into school meal programs can potentially boost childhood nutrition, promote healthy eating, encourage sustainable food production, preserve food culture and heritage, and support biodiversity conservation. School meals offered in Kenya are often monotonous and nutritionally inadequate. We conducted a case study on a school in an informal urban settlement in Nairobi, targeting students between ages 6–12, to demonstrate how incorporating NUS can result in better nutrition for school-age children, while making significant savings for schools. Using the School Meal Planner (SMP) PLUS software, the school meals offered were analyzed for nutrient adequacy and optimized including five NUS: African nightshade (Solanum spp.), spider plant (Cleome gynandra), Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea), bonavist or hyacinth bean (Lablab purpureus), and slender leaf (Crotalaria spp.). The optimization process was based on the commodity price fluctuations and nutrient composition of the local agrobiodiversity used. The study results show how NUS are a viable and healthy alternative to meet the recommended daily nutrient needs for school-aged children at affordable prices. The tool results showcased the effectiveness of linear programming in enabling national decision making for efficient school feeding program planning, by designing comprehensive, affordable food baskets using local agrobiodiversity. |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | CGSpace173666 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | MDPI |
| publisherStr | MDPI |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1736662025-12-08T10:29:22Z Enhancing nutrition and cost efficiency in Kenyan school meals using neglected and underutilized species and linear programming: A case study from an informal settlement Proietti, Ilaria Jordan, Irmgard Borelli, Teresa agrobiodiversity agrobiodiversidad school feeding composición de los alimentos alimentación escolar food affordability food composition-food nutrient content acceso al alimento-acceso a los alimentos Neglected and Underutilized Species (NUS) possess significant nutritional, social, and environmental benefits, yet their use, research focus, and market presence have diminished over time. Incorporating NUS into school meal programs can potentially boost childhood nutrition, promote healthy eating, encourage sustainable food production, preserve food culture and heritage, and support biodiversity conservation. School meals offered in Kenya are often monotonous and nutritionally inadequate. We conducted a case study on a school in an informal urban settlement in Nairobi, targeting students between ages 6–12, to demonstrate how incorporating NUS can result in better nutrition for school-age children, while making significant savings for schools. Using the School Meal Planner (SMP) PLUS software, the school meals offered were analyzed for nutrient adequacy and optimized including five NUS: African nightshade (Solanum spp.), spider plant (Cleome gynandra), Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea), bonavist or hyacinth bean (Lablab purpureus), and slender leaf (Crotalaria spp.). The optimization process was based on the commodity price fluctuations and nutrient composition of the local agrobiodiversity used. The study results show how NUS are a viable and healthy alternative to meet the recommended daily nutrient needs for school-aged children at affordable prices. The tool results showcased the effectiveness of linear programming in enabling national decision making for efficient school feeding program planning, by designing comprehensive, affordable food baskets using local agrobiodiversity. 2025-03-11 2025-03-18T06:19:14Z 2025-03-18T06:19:14Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/173666 en Open Access application/pdf MDPI Proietti, I.; Jordan, I.; Borelli, T. (2025) Enhancing nutrition and cost efficiency in Kenyan school meals using neglected and underutilized species and linear programming: A case study from an informal settlement. Sustainability 17(6): 2436. ISSN: 2071-1050 |
| spellingShingle | agrobiodiversity agrobiodiversidad school feeding composición de los alimentos alimentación escolar food affordability food composition-food nutrient content acceso al alimento-acceso a los alimentos Proietti, Ilaria Jordan, Irmgard Borelli, Teresa Enhancing nutrition and cost efficiency in Kenyan school meals using neglected and underutilized species and linear programming: A case study from an informal settlement |
| title | Enhancing nutrition and cost efficiency in Kenyan school meals using neglected and underutilized species and linear programming: A case study from an informal settlement |
| title_full | Enhancing nutrition and cost efficiency in Kenyan school meals using neglected and underutilized species and linear programming: A case study from an informal settlement |
| title_fullStr | Enhancing nutrition and cost efficiency in Kenyan school meals using neglected and underutilized species and linear programming: A case study from an informal settlement |
| title_full_unstemmed | Enhancing nutrition and cost efficiency in Kenyan school meals using neglected and underutilized species and linear programming: A case study from an informal settlement |
| title_short | Enhancing nutrition and cost efficiency in Kenyan school meals using neglected and underutilized species and linear programming: A case study from an informal settlement |
| title_sort | enhancing nutrition and cost efficiency in kenyan school meals using neglected and underutilized species and linear programming a case study from an informal settlement |
| topic | agrobiodiversity agrobiodiversidad school feeding composición de los alimentos alimentación escolar food affordability food composition-food nutrient content acceso al alimento-acceso a los alimentos |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/173666 |
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