The Egg Hub Model: A Sustainable and Replicable Approach to Address Food Security and Improve Livelihoods

作者：Srujith Lingala, Mathilda Freymond, Puja Peyden Tshering, Priyanka Kumari, Klaus Kraemer, Kalpana Beesabathuni · 发表于：Current Developments in Nutrition · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1016/j.cdnut.2024.103795 · 被引用次数：8 · 研究领域：Livestock and Poultry Management、Agricultural Innovations and Practices、Child Nutrition and Water Access

Background Despite progress in improving living standards and reduced poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition remain a significant issue worldwide. Childhood is a critical time for the intake of protein to support physical and cognitive growth, including animal-source foods like eggs which can effectively mitigate stunting in low- and middle-income countries. In Malawi, high malnutrition rates among women and children represent a significant public health challenge, but high-quality sources such as eggs remain costly, scarce, and rarely consumed by children in Malawi. The Egg Hub model, identified and piloted by local agri-food entrepreneurs and the Sight and Life Foundation in Malawi, tackles the obstacles faced by smallholder farmers, working to increase egg production, enhance availability, and improve consumption within rural communities by supporting small-scale farmers transition from unsustainable and unproductive backyard rearing to small-scale farm through access to high-quality inputs, training, loans, and a guaranteed market for their eggs. Objectives This paper provides a detailed account of the implementation of the pilot of the Egg Hub Model in Malawi including the demand creation process, the impact of the model on producers, consumers, and operators, and the social, economic, and environmental sustainability aspects of the model. Methods Qualitative and quantitative surveys (n = 217 consumers) were used for demand creation and qualitative surveys were used w...