Increasing Household Diet Diversity and Food Security in Rural Rwanda Using Small-Scale Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture: A Community-Engaged Proof-of-Concept Study.

Malnutrition and food insecurity remain high in rural Rwanda, where residents consume a low-diversity diet provided through subsistence farming. Agricultural interventions using kitchen gardens may improve diet diversity in some populations. However, little is known about their efficacy when developed using community-based participatory research in combination with nutrition education focused on the empowerment of women. The objective of this study was to develop and implement a kitchen garden and nutrition education intervention using a community-engaged model and examine its impact on household diet diversity and food security. Using a mixed methods community-level design, we assessed a 16-week intervention implemented in Cyanika, Rwanda. Stratified purposeful sampling was used to select women participants representing 42 households. Household diet diversity scores (HHDS) and hunger scores were calculated at the baseline, post-intervention and one-year follow-up. HDDS increased after intervention from a pre-intervention intake of 2.59 [1.3] food groups/day, to 4.85 [1.6] at four months post-intervention and at one year post-intervention, reaching 5.55 [1.3]. There were no significant changes in household hunger scores. Our results indicate that collaborative community-engaged nutrition-sensitive agricultural interventions can increase household diet diversity; however, future work should explore whether this type of intervention strategy can lead to sustained changes and impact nutritional adequacy in this population.

Suitability of maize crop residue fermented by Pleurotus ostreatus as feed for edible crickets: growth performance, micronutrient content, and iron bioavailability.

Small-scale farming of edible insects could help combat public health challenges such as protein energy malnutrition and anemia, but reliable low-cost feeds for insects are needed. In resource-limited contexts, where grains such as maize are prohibitively costly for use as insect feed, the feasibility of insect farming may depend on finding alternatives. Here, we explore the potential to modify plentiful maize crop residue with edible mushroom mycelium to generate a low-cost feed adjunct for the farmed two-spotted cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus. Mushroom farming, like insect agriculture, is versatile; it can yield nutritious food while increasing system circularity by utilizing lignocellulosic residues from row crops as inputs. Pleurotus ostreatus, is an edible basidiomycete capable of being cultivated on corn stover (Zea mays). Mushroom harvest results in abundant "spent" substrate, which we investigated as a candidate feed ingredient. We created six cricket feeds containing fermented Pleurotus substrate plus an unfermented control, measuring cricket mass, mortality, and maturation weekly to evaluate cricket growth performance impacts of both fungal fermentation duration and mushroom formation. Pasteurized corn stover was inoculated with P. ostreatus mycelium and fermented for 0, 2, 3, 4, or 8 weeks. Some 4 and 8-week substrates were induced to produce mushrooms through manipulations of temperature, humidity, and light conditions. Dried fermented stover (40%) was added to a 1:1 corn/soy grain mix and fed to crickets ad libitum for 44 days. The unfermented control group showed higher survivorship compared to several fermented diets. Control group mass yield was higher for 2 out of 6 fermented diets. Little variation in cricket iron content was observed via ICP-spectrometry across feeds, averaging 2.46 mg/100 g. To determine bioavailability, we conducted in vitro Caco-2 human colon epithelial cell absorption assays, showing that iron in crickets fed fruiting-induced substrates was more bioavailable than in unfruited groups. Despite more bioavailable iron in crickets reared on post-fruiting substrates, we conclude that Pleurotus-fermented stover is an unsuitable feed ingredient for G. bimaculatus due to high mortality, variability in growth responses within treatments, and low mass yield.

A blueprint for strengthening climate and health literacy through professional adaptability.

Responding effectively to intensifying climate change hazards to protect human health in personal and professional settings is an urgent and pressing challenge. This will require collaboration and subject matter expertise of people across the life course and occupations. In this perspective piece, we build on a previously published compilation of climate and health literacy elements to explore tangible opportunities to strengthen climate and health understanding among individuals spanning educational levels, professional settings, and societal needs. Educational materials addressing climate change and health linkages have historically focused on K-12, college, post-graduate education, and continuing medical education, with less attention devoted to reaching students in trade schools and other professional settings. Here, we outline a flexible blueprint for strengthening climate and health literacy among all people by targeting education in a way that is relevant for each age group or profession. In particular, we discuss the idea of professional adaptability as a way to design practical climate and health training for people currently in the workforce.

Chitin and omega-3 fatty acids in edible insects have underexplored benefits for the gut microbiome and human health.

A healthy gut microbiome is critical for nutrient metabolism, pathogen inhibition and immune regulation, and is highly influenced by diet. Edible insects are good sources of protein and micronutrients, but unlike other animal-derived foods, they also contain both dietary fibre and omega-3 fatty acids that can modulate gut microbiota. Here we explore the potential impacts of insect consumption on the microbiome. Laboratory, animal and human studies indicate that insect fibre in the form of chitin and its derivatives can modify gut microbiota with beneficial outcomes. Some insects also contain favourable omega-3/omega-6 ratios. We identify gaps in the literature-especially a dearth of human studies-that must be addressed to better understand health impacts of entomophagy. Insects, already eaten across the globe, can be farmed using fewer resources than conventional livestock. Widening the research scope offers an opportunity to advance use of edible insects to address interconnected environmental and health challenges.

Maintaining Laboratory Cultures of Gryllus bimaculatus, a Versatile Orthopteran Model for Insect Agriculture and Invertebrate Physiology.

Gryllus bimaculatus (De Geer) is a large-bodied cricket distributed throughout Africa and Southern Eurasia where it is often wild-harvested as human food. Outside its native range, culturing G. bimaculatus is feasible due to its dietary plasticity, rapid reproductive cycle, lack of diapause requirement, tolerance for high-density rearing, and robustness against pathogens. Thus, G. bimaculatus can be a versatile model for studies of insect physiology, behavior, embryology, or genetics. Cultural parameters, such as stocking density, within-cage refugia, photoperiod, temperature, relative humidity, and diet, all impact cricket growth, behavior, and gene expression and should be standardized. In the burgeoning literature on farming insects for human consumption, these crickets are frequently employed to evaluate candidate feed admixtures derived from crop residues, food-processing byproducts, and other low-cost waste streams. To support ongoing experiments evaluating G. bimaculatus growth performance and nutritional quality in response to variable feed substrates, a comprehensive set of standard protocols for breeding, upkeep, handling, measurement, and euthanasia in the laboratory was developed and is presented here. An industry-standard cricket feed has proven nutritionally adequate and functionally appropriate for the long-term maintenance of cricket breeding stocks, as well as for use as an experimental control feed. Rearing these crickets at a density of 0.005 crickets/cm3 in screen-topped 29.3 L polyethylene cages at an average temperature of 27 °C on a 12 light (L)/12 dark (D) photoperiod, with moistened coconut coir serving both as hydration source and oviposition medium has successfully sustained healthy crickets over a 2-year span. Following these methods, crickets in a controlled experiment yielded an average mass of 0.724 g 0.190 g at harvest, with 89% survivorship and 68.2% sexual maturation between stocking (22 days) and harvest (65 days).

Developing A Definition Of Climate And Health Literacy.

A new generation of activists is calling for bold responses to the climate crisis. Although young people are motivated to act on climate issues, existing educational frameworks do not adequately prepare them by addressing the scope and complexity of the human health risks associated with climate change. We adapted the US government's climate literacy principles to propose a definition and corresponding set of elements for a concept we term climate and health literacy. We conducted a scoping review to assess how the peer-reviewed literature addresses these elements. Our analysis reveals a focus on training health professionals; more international than US domestic content; and limited information about data and models, fossil fuels, and equity. We propose developing a framework that builds on the elements to support a broader educational agenda that prepares students and future leaders to recognize the complex health ramifications of a changing climate.

Comparison of cricket diet with peanut-based and milk-based diets in the recovery from protein malnutrition in mice and the impact on growth, metabolism and immune function.

Some evidence suggests that edible insects could be used to treat malnutrition following protein deficiency. However, additional studies are needed to better assess the potential of edible insects as a therapeutic food supplement and their long-term impact on recovery from malnutrition. The goals of this study were to investigate the effectiveness of a cricket-based diet in recovery from protein-malnutrition in early life, and to compare cricket protein to more traditional sources used for food fortification and supplementation. Protein-malnutrition was induced by administration of an isocaloric hypoprotein diet (5% protein calories) in young male mice for two weeks during puberty, followed by a six-week recovery period using a cricket-, peanut- or milk-based diet. We examined the impact of protein-malnutrition and subsequent recovery on body weight, growth and select biomarkers of inflammation and metabolism. Protein-malnutrition resulted in growth retardation, downregulation of inflammatory markers in spleen tissue, decreased levels of serum triglycerides, and elevated serum levels of leptin and adiponectin. The cricket-based diet performed equally well as the peanut- and milk-based diets in body weight recovery, but there were differences in immune and metabolic markers among the different recovery diets. Results suggest edible crickets may provide an alternative nutrient-dense protein source with relatively low environmental demands for combating the effects of early-life malnutrition compared to more traditional supplementation and fortification sources. Additional investigations are needed to examine the short and long term impacts of different recovery diets on metabolism and immune function.

Fostering Strategies to Expand the Consumption of Edible Insects: The Value of a Tripartite Coalition between Academia, Industry, and Government.

Although many insect-based foods are nutritious and often an inexpensive option for human and domesticated animal consumption, there remains a negligible market for such foods in many countries. Several environmental and economic considerations underscore the potential value of insect-based foods, and emerging science suggests that diets incorporating such foods might also convey some genuine health benefits. However, if expanded markets for insect-based foods in cultures naïve to entomophagy are to be pursued, it will be important to develop multifaceted and coordinated strategies to 1) delineate authentic health benefits, 2) explore means of optimizing insect husbandry and food processing, 3) examine cultural barriers to acceptance, 4) formulate workable approaches to marketing, and 5) address relevant food regulations. We sought to construct a multidisciplinary coalition whose goals are to investigate the above-mentioned 5 issues. Eighteen individuals from government, industry, and academia, with collective expertise in the fields of entomology, insect husbandry, human nutrition, sustainable agriculture, entomophagy, consumer product development and marketing, food-processing technologies, food regulatory affairs, and the anthropology of food selection, convened a 1-d summit and formed a tripartite organization to integrate their varied perspectives. Collaborative efforts are underway among members of this coalition to accomplish these multiple goals. Coordinating efforts between accomplished experts in relevant fields of academia, government, and industry will greatly expand our knowledge of and appreciation for the potential benefits of insect-based foodstuffs to individuals, to society, and to the sustainability of the global food supply, and thereby inform us as to how to proceed in a judicious and intelligent manner.

Impact of Edible Cricket Consumption on Gut Microbiota in Healthy Adults, a Double-blind, Randomized Crossover Trial.

Edible insects are often considered a nutritious, protein-rich, environmentally sustainable alternative to traditional livestock with growing popularity among North American consumers. While the nutrient composition of several insects is characterized, all potential health impacts have not been evaluated. In addition to high protein levels, crickets contain chitin and other fibers that may influence gut health. In this study, we evaluated the effects of consuming 25 grams/day whole cricket powder on gut microbiota composition, while assessing safety and tolerability. Twenty healthy adults participated in this six-week, double-blind, crossover dietary intervention. Participants were randomized into two study arms and consumed either cricket-containing or control breakfast foods for 14 days, followed by a washout period and assignment to the opposite treatment. Blood and stool samples were collected at baseline and after each treatment period to assess liver function and microbiota changes. Results demonstrate cricket consumption is tolerable and non-toxic at the studied dose. Cricket powder supported growth of the probiotic bacterium, Bifidobacterium animalis, which increased 5.7-fold. Cricket consumption was also associated with reduced plasma TNF-α. These data suggest that eating crickets may improve gut health and reduce systemic inflammation; however, more research is needed to understand these effects and underlying mechanisms.

Global gene expression profiles suggest an important role for nutrient acquisition in early pathogenesis in a plant model of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection.

Although Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that does not often naturally infect alternate hosts, such as plants, the plant-P. aeruginosa model has become a widely recognized system for identifying new virulence determinants and studying the pathogenesis of the organism. Here, we examine how both host factors and P. aeruginosa PAO1 gene expression are affected in planta after infiltration into incompatible and compatible cultivars of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.). N. tabacum has a resistance gene (N) against tobacco mosaic virus, and although resistance to PAO1 infection is correlated with the presence of a dominant N gene, our data suggest that it is not a factor in resistance against PAO1. We did observe that the resistant tobacco cultivar had higher basal levels of salicylic acid and a stronger salicylic acid response upon infiltration of PAO1. Salicylic acid acts as a signal to activate defense responses in plants, limiting the spread of the pathogen and preventing access to nutrients. It has also been shown to have direct virulence-modulating effects on P. aeruginosa. We also examined host effects on the pathogen by analyzing global gene expression profiles of bacteria removed from the intracellular fluid of the two plant hosts. We discovered that the availability of micronutrients, particularly sulfate and phosphates, is important for in planta pathogenesis and that the amounts of these nutrients made available to the bacteria may in turn have an effect on virulence gene expression. Indeed, there are several reports suggesting that P. aeruginosa virulence is influenced in mammalian hosts by the availability of micronutrients, such as iron and nitrogen, and by levels of O(2).

Oxalate contributes to the resistance of Gaillardia grandiflora and Lupinus sericeus to a phytotoxin produced by Centaurea maculosa.

Centaurea maculosa Lam. is a noxious weed in western North America that produces a phytotoxin, (+/-)-catechin, which is thought to contribute to its invasiveness. Areas invaded by C. maculosa often result in monocultures of the weed, however; in some areas, North American natives stand their ground against C. maculosa and show varying degrees of resistance to its phytotoxin. Two of these resistant native species, Lupinus sericeus Pursh and Gaillardia grandiflora Van Houtte, were found to secrete increased amounts of oxalate in response to catechin exposure. Mechanistically, we found that oxalate works exogenously by blocking generation of reactive oxygen species in susceptible plants and reducing oxidative damage generated in response to catechin. Furthermore, field experiments show that L. sericeus indirectly facilitates native grasses in grasslands invaded by C. maculosa, and this facilitation can be correlated with the presence of oxalate in soil. Addition of exogenous oxalate to native grasses and Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh grown in vitro alleviated the phytotoxic effects of catechin, supporting the field experiments and suggesting that root-secreted oxalate may also act as a chemical facilitator for plant species that do not secrete the compound.