Seasonal availability calendars show the importance of vegetables during the challenging lean seasons in Africa

Seasonal patterns of food availability, meaning the wide array of species that are abundant during specific months of a year in a given place, are at the heart of food systems and celebrated worldwide (e.g., mushroom season, strawberry season, oyster season). We know that dietary diversity, or consumption of a wide variety of foods within and across food groups is a central tenant for a healthy diet – and dietary diversity can be boosted by consumption of seasonal foods. The concept of balance or proportionality of foods on the plate is another central tenant of a healthy diet. Yet, eating a balanced and seasonally appropriate diet is often overshadowed in food security policies and interventions by a focus on staple and animal source foods. This brief describes the results from participatory explorations of seasonal food availability in different countries in Africa.