Diversify, produce or buy? An analysis of factors contributing to household dietary diversity among shrimp and non-shrimp farmers in coastal Bangladesh

Amelie Bernzen,Ellen Mangnus,Franziska Sohns

doi:10.1007/s12571-021-01245-w

Amelie Bernzen, Ellen Mangnus + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-021-01245-w

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Abstract

Until the Covid-19 pandemic, Bangladesh had reported consistent improvements regarding its food and nutrition security (FNS) status, and yet, the country still features poor FNS outcomes among parts of its population. In rural coastal regions of the Ganges–Brahmaputra-Meghna delta, farming households’ vulnerability is particularly exacerbated by a range of environmental hazards, increasing challenges for agriculture to contribute to higher FNS levels. In the context of existing literature on the trade-offs between subsistence agriculture and cash-earning livelihood activities, vis-à-vis food and nutrition security outcomes, this article assesses the relative contribution of crop diversification vis à vis other factors on the households’ Food Consumption Score (FCS) in specific livelihood contexts. We provide differentiated analyses between primarily export-oriented shrimp farming and non-shrimp farming households, so policy makers can better address FNS targets. Quantitative data from 1,188 sample households across the delta were analysed through descriptive and linear regression analyses. Results show that households cultivating shrimp have a significantly higher dietary diversity than households that do not. Among shrimp farmers, crop diversification has the relatively strongest significant positive effect on dietary diversity, suggesting part of the aquacultural crops are geared towards subsistence. By contrast, crop diversification seems to have a negative effect on dietary diversity among households that do not produce shrimp, especially when different agricultural crops are combined. Importantly, both for shrimp and non-shrimp farmers, crop diversification systems combining agriculture with aquaculture, and agroforestry seem to improve diverse diets among households. While by no means a panacea to solving FNS challenges among rural households, we suggest that promoting specific crop diversification systems could be a beneficial pathway to improved FNS outcomes.

Highlights

Despite improvements in food and nutrition security (FNS)1 over the last few decades, the prevalence of undernutrition remains high in the Global South
To address this research gap, based on a range of multivariate linear regression models analysing household survey data collected in the coastal regions of the Ganges–BrahmaputraMeghna delta in Bangladesh, we examine and compare the contribution of households’ crop diversification to FNS outcomes, relative to demographic, socio-economic, physical, social, environmental and other livelihood-related factors, such as food production and consumption patterns
Our data does indicate a possible positive effect of the mentioned aquacultureagriculture combinations on FNS outcomes for non-shrimp farmers, the majority of which reside in the freshwater zones: we found farms using Agroforestry (FCS = 68.7***) and Rice & Fish (FCS = 68.3**) to have significantly higher Food Consumption Score (FCS) in their household than farms that do not (FCS = 59.9 / FCS = 60)

Summary

Introduction

Despite improvements in food and nutrition security (FNS) over the last few decades, the prevalence of undernutrition remains high in the Global South. Undernutrition is not merely the result of low food quantities or calories consumed. The quality of the diet including the diversity of food groups consumed, are of great importance. 1 “Food and nutrition security exists when all people at all times have physical, social and economic access to food of sufficient quantity and quality in terms of variety, diversity, nutrient content and safety to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life, coupled with a sanitary environment, adequate health, education and care” FAO/AGN (2011) as cited in Committee on World Food Security (2012). The question of how agriculture can best contribute to food and nutrition security remains debated, and is of particular importance to vulnerable individuals within farming households

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