Table 2 Summary of the methodological approaches, tools used and variables captured for objective 1
Objectives and sub objectives | Methodological approaches and activities | Tools used | Source for primary data Or secondary data | Variables captured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Characterize the food environment | ||||
Appreciate knowledge and perception of specific tribal communities regarding their use of indigenous foods Assess any shift in dietary patterns in these communities vis-à -vis indigenous food intake | Gathering traditional food list data ✓ Traditional food seasonality and popularity in the community among various age groups ✓ Little used or currently unused traditional foods known to elders ✓ Developing traditional food list ✓ Selecting short list of potential micronutrient rich foods for more detailed study ✓ Patterns of harvest, storage and preparation ✓ Identifying shifts in dietary patterns (if any) and perceptions regarding indigenous foods | PRA exercises using qualitative tools Focus group discussions, in-depth interviews Study tools adapted from CINE (Centre for Indigenous Peoples' Nutrition and Enviroment) protocol [28] | Community, adults, elders, traditional healers, community workers Secondary data on published literature, reports, documents | List of indigenous foods List of indigenous foods, not used currently Potential micronutrient rich indigenous foods Information on harvest, storage and preparation Information on present vs previous diets |
Map the biodiversity and assess availability, access and utilization of indigenous foods by these communities | Village transect to understand the social, physical and ecological characteristics of the community and its surrounding area Village map | Village transect question guide Village map | Group of village adults (men and women) who know the territory well e.g. village elders, religious leaders, community leaders, frontline workers like anganwadi workers and Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) | Infrastructure like kind of households, electricity, road; irrigation facility and water sources, types of trees, useful plants, location for productive activity like agriculture, livestock, human settlements, type of vegetation, type of soil, plots, types of crops, grazing and forest land, visible problems that may affect food security, schools, shops, markets, places of worship, medical facility Location of the social and ecological characteristics, natural and physical resources, neighborhoods within the community, vulnerable households, patters of access and control over resources for food security. |
Characterize farming systems to understand constraints and opportunities for improving indigenous food production and Resilience of present farming system to climatic variability | Agricultural diversity Food from the market ✓ Historical timelines and climate trends ✓ Changing farming practices and crop ranking ✓ Climate risk and coping mechanism | Household survey (tab based questionnaire for electronic data capture) Market survey Qualitative Focus groups discussions and key informant interviews Climate risk and coping mechanism matrix | Information from households on farming system/agricultural practices, crops species grown in the agricultural fields and backyards, products collected from forests Vendors and shop owners, community members Men and women of all ages, include elderly members | Agricultural diversity calculated from MFAD and Shannon entropy index for the region Crop species richness in the tribal communities Present use of indigenous varieties vs hybrid varieties Present products in the market, accessibility to the community, cost and affordability of nutrient rich food items Main climate events in the past, climate tendencies over the years, periods of food insecurity or even famine. Impact on livelihood strategies, natural resources and food systems. Changes in farming practices, their causes and consequences, impact of changes in farming practices, the impact of changes in food security, main characteristics of indigenous crops. Types of climate risk, consequences of climate risk and the existing adaptive capacity |
Examine barriers and facilitators to increase sustainable production, procurement and consumption of indigenous foods | FGDs with community members, community leaders | Men and women in the community | Types of products (food and non-food items) collected, livelihood strategies (including the intensification of subsistence production), beliefs Types of products (food and non-food items) cultivated, grown (land, kitchen garden, ponds) Identify livelihood strategies, including the intensification of subsistence production Beliefs, perceptions and practices on foraging or hunting Traditional and legal rights to access forest areas Seasonality of forest products (food and non-food items) Traditional roles of foraging/hunting Transition into market economy- emerging market-based opportunities for forest products Access to food items sold in the market, or community stores Access to food items from government schemes like PDS (Public Distribution System (PDS), Anganwadi centres | |