About MAPS

What is the problem?

Micronutrients such as: folic acid, iron, iodine, selenium, zinc, and vitamins A, Bs, C, D, E, K are essential for human health and are mostly acquired from the food we eat. Although humans require small quantities of these micronutrients, inadequate intake of one or more of these cause micronutrient deficiency (MND) which have serious ramifications on the health of individuals affected and the economy of the country in which they live. Micronutrient deficiencies are global problems and can be significant concerns in sub-Saharan Africa. With the burgeoning human population and anticipated changes in climate which impact on food availability, MNDs are likely to remain important problems. Hence, it is crucial to better understand MNDs at various scales and time-horizons, to support evidence gathering for policy interventions and program investments.

Micronutrient Action Policy Support (MAPS) tool will deliver a co-designed, web-hosted tool, to enable the best possible estimates of MNDs to be communicated at national and sub-national scales in Africa. The MAPS tool will be a unique enabling environment for the wider Agriculture-Nutrition community and beyond. Through novel functionality, this tool will allow users to view and explore MND risks at various spatial and temporal scales. The tool will provide users with dietary micronutrient supply estimates of all nations in Africa using national-scale data, which can be spatially disaggregated by population data. Where survey data on food consumption (e.g. Household Consumption and Expenditure Surveys, HCES) or food composition (e.g. GeoNutrition surveys) are available for a nation, these data will support delivery of sub-national estimates of dietary micronutrient supplies and risks of deficiency. Where both types of data are available with good spatial resolution for the geography of interest, these will provide the most spatially disaggregated estimates possible.