Community-led solutions to make healthy food more available

Through initiatives supported by IDRC, communities are tackling these issues head-on by developing innovative solutions that make healthy and nutritious food more accessible. 

In Namibia, local entrepreneurs are adding value to wild, indigenous fruits, turning them into marketable products. In Ghana, bold new food policies, like a tax on sugary drinks, are transforming the way people access healthier options. In Colombia, researchers and farmers are collaborating to introduce nutrient-rich potato varieties that address local food security needs. Together, these projects showcase a powerful blend of traditional knowledge, scientific research and community-led action aimed at creating sustainable, inclusive food systems for the future.

Adding value to marketable indigenous harvests

On the dusty plains just outside Ondangwa, Namibia, Maria Ndegu and her family have built a promising business from the fruits of the land. Maria is part of a local initiative to collect indigenous plants such as marula fruit, jackalberry fruit and hibiscus. These underused wild plants are now transformed into a greater diversity of products, like jams, syrups and juices, providing a new source of income and nutrition for her family and community.

“Marula fruit used to go to waste because no one knew what to do with it,” Ndegu explained, although there is a traditional fermented drink made from it.

The Ndegu family’s work highlights a growing trend in Southern Africa, where small-scale producers are adding value to native plants. However, this transformation didn't happen by itself. It was enabled through support and training provided by experts like Penny Hiwilepo-van Hal, a food scientist at the University of Namibia.

“We wanted to bridge the gap between traditional knowledge and modern processing,” the senior lecturer explained. “By working directly with communities, we could understand how they use these plants and help them elevate their methods to create products suitable for the market.”

The University of Namibia received funding for this research from a national science granting council, thanks to a broader initiative supported by IDRC and several other donors to strengthen the capacities of research granting councils in sub-Saharan Africa.

Hiwilepo-van Hal and her team screened indigenous plants for their nutritional benefits and developed and shared processing techniques and business plans to improve their sale. The next challenge, she said, is to domesticate these plants to ensure they are available longer than just in their short seasonal window and in greater quantity.

The research team has made a concerted effort to engage with local communities at every stage of the project. This participatory approach ensures that the resulting products, such as hibiscus jam and wild orange juice, not only meet market standards, but also retain their unique cultural value.

The impact has been significant. For example, Hiwilepo-van Hal recently noticed indigenous fruits like hibiscus and wild oranges in the supermarket, a testament to the newfound appreciation for these traditional products that used to be only available from street vendors. 

For people like Maria Ndegu, the project has opened doors to economic independence: “Our business is growing. It’s not just about making jam or juice, it’s about creating a better future for our community.”

Bold policies make it easier to eat healthy in Ghana

As an activist in the thick of efforts to make it easier for Ghanaians to eat healthily, Jeffrey Opoku welcomed a policy introduced in March 2023 — a 20% tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. 

“I believe the sugar tax can significantly change beverage choices across all age groups,” said this youth leader involved in several campaigns, such as Act4Food, aimed at raising national awareness about the need for healthier diet.

Opoku’s optimism comes at a crucial time for Ghana. The country, like many across Africa, faces a double burden of malnutrition — both undernutrition and rising rates of obesity. Non-communicable diseases such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension are projected to become the leading causes of death by 2030, driven by unhealthy diets and poor food environments. In response, the Government of Ghana is committed to designing policies that can reverse these trends.

The tax on sugar-sweetened beverages placed the country among the pioneers in creating healthier consumer food environments. It is the first milestone achievement in a broad push for policy changes on food, spearheaded by the University of Ghana’s School of Public Health. Supported by a partnership between IDRC and The Rockefeller Foundation, the university has been building evidence and mobilizing a coalition of government agencies, researchers and civil society organizations toward this goal. 

Amos Laar, professor of public health nutrition at the University of Ghana, emphasizes the need to build on the momentum with broader policy measures. 

"The 20% tax on sugary beverages was a significant step forward, but it’s just the beginning," he said. "To truly transform Ghana’s food environment, we need a comprehensive approach that includes stronger regulations on marketing unhealthy foods to children and clearer front-of-package labeling.”

The coalition is also advocating for public procurement reforms to direct government departments and programs, for example schools and hospitals, toward buying healthy foods: changes that would help activists like Jeffrey Opoku achieve their goals.

“Our coalition’s work isn’t about one policy,” said Laar. “It’s about creating a healthier, more equitable food system for all Ghanaians."

Laar’s hope is that Ghana’s progress will inspire similar policies across the continent, paving the way for healthier, more sustainable food environments for future generations.

Healthier potatoes bring opportunities for Colombian farmers

More than a decade ago, farmers like Luis Aza in the highlands of Nariño, in southwestern Colombia, were increasingly struggling with low potato yields. Drought and crop diseases that were new to their altitude levels threatened this staple food, leaving families vulnerable to food insecurity and malnutrition. Now, with improved yellow potato varieties developed through the plant-breeding efforts they participated in, these farmers are enjoying higher yields and healthier harvests. They are also seeing how the collaborative approach they engaged in with researchers continues to combine science and traditional knowledge to address many more food security and nutrition issues. 

“These new potatoes have made a huge difference in our fields,” said Aza, who has been involved since the early stages of the research.

The work began in 2012 under a partnership between Universidad Nacional de Colombia and Canada’s McGill University that aimed to combat malnutrition. The potato varieties resulting from this research supported by IDRC and Global Affairs Canada contain 19% more iron and 17% more zinc than traditional types — helping address issues like anemia in rural communities. The potatoes have more than tripled average yields (from 12 to 37 tons per hectare) and offer moderate resistance to diseases like late blight, leading to an 18% increase in income for farmers.

The project initially aimed to reach 1.5 million consumers but has benefited 13 million Colombians, thanks to strong collaboration with local seed producers, private companies and national institutions. The partners established a sustainable seed system to ensure that farmers’ access to high-quality seeds would continue, without relying on external subsidies. 

“With the community, we tackled the situation, in a comprehensive way and with a special focus on women and girls, to incorporate the new potatoes in the diet, but also to diversify the diet. Because the potatoes are not enough. So, we worked with other crops — with vegetables, with fruits and also with protein from small animals — with the institution that is responsible in Colombia for the well-being of families and children,” explained Teresa Mosquera Vásquez, professor in agricultural science and director of rural research and extension at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia.

Using the same collaborative approach, Mosquera Vásquez now leads research, with Indigenous peoples in the departments of Cauca and Nariño as co-researchers, to enhance the sustainability of their food systems and biodiversity, while respecting community aspirations and ancestral knowledge.

ⓘ Photography credits 

Top image: Bryon Lippincott | Woman preparing rice seedlings for planting outside Hanoi in Northern Vietnam.    
Slider 1:  Robin Hammond/Panos Pictures | A farmer and shop owner, Katrina Simeone, in Oshipala, Namibia, talks with some young customers.   
Slider 2: Amos Laar | Civil society organizations organized marches to sensitize Ghanaians about the harmful effects of sugar-sweetened beverages and the benefits of taxing these products.  
Slider 3: Universidad nacional de Colombia | Farmers were pleased with the higher yields obtained with new potato varieties they helped to select and breed.