Field Exchange - Issue 22

The more cynical amongst us in the emergency nutrition sector may sometimes be heard complaining that there is nothing new in this profession and that we just keep re-inventing the wheel - 'the problems are the same, as are the solutions.' However, a cursory glance over this issue of Field Exchange gives lie to any such claim. There are plenty of new developments. For example, the piloting of a newly developed product called QBmix (a micronutrient rich condiment) by MSF amongst IDPs in Angola to help combat the endemic pellagra problem that has plagued this population for a number of years (see field article by Evelyn Depoortere). The study shows that QBmix may offer a cheaper, and logistically simpler, alternative to fortified CSB, as a means of preventing further outbreaks. There is also a field article in this issue about an indigenous crop grown in south and southwest Ethiopia - 'Enset' (or false banana) and being promoted by the development agency Self Help International The crop appears to have many potential uses which have a positive impact on food security. According to the author, there may be potential for promoting this local drought resistant crop in other food insecure areas of Ethiopia and for disseminating knowledge widely about its potential for reducing food insecurity.