Fridah Siyanga-Tembo

Small fish for small children: Dietary intake of small fish to reduce child malnutrition in Uganda

Small Fish for Small Children is an interdisciplinary PhD project whose aim is to examine the role of small fish in the diets of children in low-income households in northern Uganda. The project will assess the potentials and barriers to improving the nutrition of school meals by inclusion of small fish as a strategy to reduce child malnutrition. To address this aim, the project will seek to speak to the following objectives: How do economic, legislative, environmental and socio-cultural factors affect children’s fish access at home and in school, and how important is small fish in their overall diet? How is the acceptance and consumption of small fish processed into low-cost products (deep fried, smoked, sundried, fermented and milled) among 6–12 year-old school children? What are the available models for distribution and marketing of small fish products to low-income and vulnerable groups for improved nutrition in households and school feeding programmes? In the process of addressing these objectives, the project will also integrate fishery, health and educational policies. In doing so, the project not only aims to fill the knowledge gap on the dietary intake of small fish in school going children in northern Uganda and form the basis of policy recommendations on nutrition of school going children, but it will also contribute to global goals on hunger, health, inequalities, and education.