Is Diversity in Agricultural Production Linked to Dietary Diversity Among Nepalese Women?

Abstract

Evidence linking agricultural production diversity (APD) to dietary diversity is scarce, but constitutes a potentially important contributor to improving dietary adequacy among women in low resource settings. Using cross-sectional data for 4,508 married women from a national nutrition surveillance system across 21 districts in 3 agro-ecological zones in Nepal, we assessed the extent to which high and low APD were associated with women's dietary adequacy (WDDS > 5 food groups) using multivariate logistic regression (adjusting for household food security, socioeconomic status, education, and food expenditure). There were no differences in WDDS between women in non-agricultural households vs. women in households with low APD scores (1-4) in any zone. In the terai, women in households with high APD (5-10 food groups) were twice as likely to have adequate WDDS as women in non-agricultural households (OR: 2.05; 95% CI 1.21 – 3.47, p=0.008). In mountain and terai zones, women from households with high APD were 1.62 (95% CI 1.07 – 2.45, p=0.023) and 1.81 (95% CI 1.12 – 2.94, p=0.016) times more likely, respectively, to have adequate WDDS than women in low APD households. In the hills, household APD had no significant effect on WDDS. Increases in household food security, socioeconomic status, education, and food expenditure were also associated with increased WDDS in each region. APD was positively associated with adequate WDDS in the mountains and terai, supporting a hypothesis that increased agricultural diversity may help improve dietary diversity of women in households. Supported by the USAID through the Nutrition Innovation Lab (prime Tufts Univ) and a Borlaug Fellowship through Purdue University's Center for Global Food Security.