Impacts of Urban Agriculture Annual Report.p65 - International ...

What should I feed my child?Perceptions of foods for young childrenamong Lima mothersWhat types of food do people give their children?Are choices made on the basis of custom, economy,education – or a combination of these? A study wasconducted in a handful of communities on the outskirtsof Lima to determine caregivers’ perceptions and habitsregarding child nutrition, specifically their use of animalbasedproducts in the diet of young children betweensix and twenty four months old.19The study, carried out jointly in 2003 by Urban Harvestand Peru’s Nutritional Research Institute (IIN), is set tohelp develop future programs and educational materialaimed at combating infant malnutrition with anemphasis on incorporating animal-based products suchas meats, milk and eggs into babies’ meals.A vital source of protein, vitamins, iron, zinc and calcium,animal-source foods are important for human growthand development, particularly during children’s firstyears of life, when mental and physical development ismost rapid and when the incorporation of foodscomplementary to breast milk is of utmost importance.Access to meat and other animal-based products,however, is limited in rural and peri-urban areas such asthe four shantytowns where the study was carried out,as these products are more difficult and more expensiveto obtain than say, vegetable crops or processed goods.In Peru, of the half million children under the age of five,one in four suffers from chronic malnutrition and onein every two has anemia—a disorder caused by a dietaryiron or vitamin deficiency.Through this and other projects, the International PotatoCenter (CIP) and partner institutions are committed toimproving children’s nutrition and overall health byencouraging mothers to adopt good feeding habits,disseminating information on the health benefits ofconsuming animal-based products, and providingrecommendations on the incorporation of suchproducts into daily meals.The methodology used in this particular study includedin-depth one-on-one and group interviews withcaregivers—including home animal breeders—as wellas written surveys and questionnaires. During the initialinformation gathering process, project leaders appliedthe Pile Sort technique, which involves users groupingcards into piles according to specific topics. This simpleand effective information sorting method helpedstructure the content of the study.Study results brought to light, among other things,reasons why caregivers prefer one animal-basedproduct over another: the availability of such productsand the perception (and current use) of these products.Caregivers in these communities generally prefer tofeed their children chicken liver, chicken meat, milk andegg as their main source of animal-based goods. Fish,chicken meat, and yogurt are the products that they