A mixed‐methods approach to construct program‐impact pathways and highlight the role of an agricultural and market development program in supporting household food security and dietary diversity among smallholder farmers in Guatemala (1014.9)

Abstract

There is a critical need to understand what agricultural interventions are most effective in supporting food security, a determinant of nutrition security. We constructed and linked impact pathways based on a mixed‐methods approach to highlight the role of WFP’s Purchase for Progress (P4P), a program that promotes agricultural productivity and connects smallholder farmers to markets, in supporting food security (FS) and dietary diversity (DD). Socioeconomic variables and FS and DD were measured and associated in 271 P4P and 101 control households using a cross‐sectional design in Guatemala. The Most Significant Change, a qualitative methodology, was applied to a subset sample (46 P4P; 11 control) to explain relationship of P4P core tenets and measured variables. Each pathway factor was laid out along the hypothesized PIP using as blueprints P4P’s program theory and current conceptual frameworks linking agriculture, FS and nutrition. Factor inclusion was supported by evidence from three sources: our study, P4P’s monitoring and evaluation, and current literature. A six‐step process integrated information: data weighting, entry, preparation, analysis, interpretation and final integration. P4P promotes household FS and DD among smallholder farmers by enabling four PIPs: income, agricultural productivity via crop diversification and production practices, market access, and empowerment strategies. PIP research illustrates the role of P4P activities in underpinning nutrition security, specifically by supporting FS and DD among smallholder farmers in Guatemala.Grant Funding Source: Supported by: Ayre international research fellowship (JRL), Hatch (JEA), USDA‐ISE (WGH, NJE, & JEA)