Household Dietary Diversity Score Research Articles

Food insecurity and dietary diversity among food aid recipients in urban and rural areas at the covid‐19 outbreak: An exploratory study

AbstractThe covid‐19 pandemic has affected food aid. This paper reports an exploratory study to estimate the prevalence and degree of food insecurity, household dietary diversity score (HDDS), and the association with demographic, social, and economic characteristics of health status in a sample of food aid recipients in urban and rural areas of Catalonia, Spain. Cross‐sectional data on food insecurity, dietary diversity, household income, health, and sociodemographic characteristics were obtained from the survey taken at seven different food aid distribution points from urban and rural locations. Sixty‐six percent of the participants identified as new users since the covid‐19 crisis. Only 12.5% of the sample lived in households where all adults were unemployed, and 44.8% were employed. Almost a third of the sample (32.3%) reported having someone in their household who suffered from a diet‐related illness or disease. The prevalence of severe food insecurity was 52.1%, followed by 28.1% suffering moderate food insecurity. New food aid users due to covid‐19 pandemic showed a significantly higher prevalence of food insecurity. No significant differences were found in terms of HDDS. This paper provides evidence that much of the gap in food insecurity is related to dietary diversity and children in households considering different urban or rural areas.

Assessment of Indigenous Hill People of Meghalaya, India regarding Household Food Access

Background: While the broad issue of food security has generally received attention of the researchers, the particularities in hills and mountains has remained neglected. Thus, to provide some insights on food insecurity regarding mountain specificities, the current study aims to evaluate household food access of indigenous hill people in Meghalaya, India. Methods: Food access is a measure of household’s ability to acquire available food over a given period.  In the current study, a sample of 900 people from indigenous population were randomly selected from rural Khasi, Garo and Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya. Household food access was explored with the following indicators: household wealth and income; household dietary diversity score (HDDS), and food consumption score (FCS). Data collection was done during December, 2019 to September, 2020. Results: The sample households are characterised by the predominance of marginal farmers (93% to 97%). Most of them were in the category of borderline food security with the FCS of between 21.5 to 35.0. Starchy staples were considered the main component of their diet. Their dietary diversity was significantly correlated with income (correlation coefficient=0.22) and wealth (correlation coefficient=0.38) at 0.01 level of significance. Conclusion: As dietary diversity at household is related to income and wealth, scarcity of income and wealth regarding indigenous hill population was an obvious reason for poor dietary diversity and the resultant poor dietary quality at the household level. To increase local food production and improve dietary diversity of indigenous hill people, revitalizing and strengthening local food systems is of great significance.

Circular bioeconomy practices and their associations with household food security in four RUNRES African city regions

Achieving the United Nation’s 2030 agenda which aims, among other goals, to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns, requires a sustainable resource use model deployed at scale across global food systems. A circular bioeconomy (CBE) model of resource use has been proposed to reuse of organic waste in agricultural production to enhance food security. However, despite several initiatives recently introduced towards establishing a CBE in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), minimal scientific efforts have been dedicated to understanding the association of CBE practices and food security. This study use data from 777 smallholder farm households from DRC, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and South Africa, to examine associations between three CBE practices (use of organic waste as compost, as livestock feed, and sorting waste) and household food security. Using different regression and propensity score matching models (PSM). Result reveal that using CBE practices more likely adds a 0.203 score of food insecurity access prevalence (HFIAP), 1.283 food insecurity access scale (HFIAS-score) and 0.277 for household dietary diversity score (HDDS) among households using CBE practiced groups. Associations regarding using organic waste as compost are generally positive but insignificant, while those with sorting waste are significantly and consistently negative. Thus, CBE innovations aiming to enhance household food security could prioritize organic waste valorization into livestock feed consider socio economic aspects such as access to land, access to market, education level, using mobile phone, income and city regions where interventions took place. However, prior sorting of waste is necessary to enable effective waste valorization.

The effect of carbon farming training on food security and development resilience in Northern Ghana

ABSTRACT Carbon farming has recently been advocated for as climate change and variability mitigation and/or adaptation strategy in global agriculture. In this study, we address an important research question of whether carbon farming training can improve household resilience capacity as well as food security by employing internationally standardized indicators. Household resilience capacity and its components are measured using the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)’s resilience capacity index while the food security measures used include household and child food insecurity experience scale (FIES and CFIES), food consumption score (FCS) and household dietary diversity score (HDDS). We relied on doubly robust treatment effect estimators to account for potential selection bias and heterogeneity. We find that carbon farming training has no statistically significant effect on overall household resilience capacity. However, we find a large and statistically significant effect on key components of resilience (specifically, access to basic services, assets and social safety nets) and a marginal improvement in adaptive capacity. We also find statistically significant effect on FCS and HDDS but not for the other food security indicators (FIES and CFIES). Overall, the results suggest that agricultural training programs, particularly climate change adaptation capacity building initiatives, could improve important welfare measures in developing countries.

Pathways and policy options for food and nutrition gaps in arid agricultural farming systems in the Tigray Region, north Ethiopia

Food and nutrition security is a major global challenge especially indeveloping countries.Agriculture is main means of livelihoods and hunger is drastically increasing from time to time especially due to effects of climate change, conflict and other manmade and natural calamities in these countries. Similarly, the Tigray Region is one of the Ethiopia's most food and nutrition insecure regions with agriculture serving as the main source of income and employment. This study was therefore conducted to fill the gap in understanding the socioeconomic situation, bio-physical environment, institutional setting and policy landscape by analysing the existing circumstances in Tigray Region. This research employed quantitative data sets collected from 300 randomely selected Productive Saftey Net Program (PSNP) beneficiarieries and Non-PSNP households using probability proportional to size. The Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) used as a proxy measure to nutrition security as our data is 24 h recall and food gap months as proxy to food security. Besides, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) method is used to construct household asset index. The results of the study revealed that there are clear and significant differences of the PSNP and Non-PSNP households, and gender in land holding (p<0.01%), asset ownership(p<0.01%), food gap months(p<0.01%), dietary diversity(p<0.01%), exposure to hazards and risks, copping strategies, yield, access to agricultural extension services, access to improved varieties (varietal diversification). The male headed households, and Non-PSNP households are better off than the female headed and PSNP households' counterparts. Thus, provision of practical training, conducting farmer's participatory research, field days, promoting and creating access to farmers' preferred high yielding improved varieties and management practices available in the research and extension consortium, support in research and development that develops and disseminate appropriate technologies to help farmers to lower their food gap months is highly important. In addition, sustainable intensification, off-farm employment alternatives, and engaging in agribusiness activities that create resilient livelihood options to those resource poor farm households, strengthening the formal and informal seed system would help to reduce food gap months, improve HDDS, build resilience of the food and nutrition insecure households. Therefore, customized extension services and packages are important for addressing the food and nutrition security gaps by setting goal, outcome and output indicators for future interventions in the research and development arena in filling food gap months, dietary diversity and household asset building through collaboration among relevant stakeholders in the food system.

Food safety and dietary diversity in African urban cities: evidence from Ghana

BackgroundFood safety is integral to food security and is increasingly becoming a significant concern in the urban areas of Africa, which are rapidly growing in population. In the case of Ghana, many urban households depend on traditional open-air markets for most of their food needs. However, these urban food markets also depend on domestic food supply chains, which are prone to risks, including poor hygiene and sanitation and weather seasonality. Food safety compliance has associated costs which increase the unit cost of food products. Thus, higher food price is a risk factor to food availability and accessibility—fundamental pillars of food security.MethodWe use food microbial data and food retail data from food market surveys in major cities in Ghana to assess the safety of selected fresh food commodities and how retailers handle the food products they sell. Additionally, based on a two-wave balanced panel household data, we used fixed effects Poisson and Correlated Random Effects (CRE) Probit models to estimate the effect of weather seasonality on the incidence of diarrhoea and urban household dietary diversity score (HDDS). A final sample of 609 households and 565 market respondents participated in the study.ResultsOur findings show that selected food samples tested positive for Staphylococcus aureus and E.coli and had aflatoxin B1 levels above 5.0 ppb. Additionally, the household incidence of diarrhoea/vomiting, a proxy for food safety status, is higher in the dry season. In the dry season, the household incidence of diarrhoea/vomiting increases on average by a probability of 38% points compared to the rainy season. Regarding HDDS, the average HDDS is 7.3; however, we did not find the effect of seasonality on HDDS to be significant.ConclusionsAlthough urban food availability and household dietary diversity are not challenges for many urban households, food safety is a challenge in the major food markets in Ghanaian cities and is associated with weather seasonality. Foods available in traditional open-air markets are not always safe for consumption, undermining households’ food security. Weak enforcement of food safety regulations contributes to the food safety challenges in Ghanaian urban food markets.

A systematic review of dietary data collection methodologies for diet diversity indicators.

The purpose of the current study was to critically assess the gaps in the existing methodologies of dietary data collection for diet diversity indicators. The study proposed the importance of smartphone application to overcome the drawbacks. The review paper identified and assessed the conventional methodologies used in diet diversity indicators including Minimum Dietary Diversity for Women (MDD-W), Minimum Dietary Diversity of Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices (IYCF-MDD), and Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS). The 80 research studies from 38 countries were critically assessed on the basis of their research aim, study design, target audience, dietary data collection methodology, sample size, dietary data type, dietary data collection frequency, and location point of dietary data collection. Results indicated that most studies employed interviewer-administered 24-h recall assessing the dietary diversity. The review paper concluded that smartphone application had potential to overcome the identified limitations of conventional methodologies including recall bias, social-desirability bias, interviewer training, and cost-time constraints.

Enhancing dietary diversity and food security through the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices in Nigeria: a micro level evidence

AbstractThe paranoid belief that climate change will gradually reduce the ability of the world to meet the demand for food serves as the rationale for Nigerian smallholder farmers’ advocacy of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) techniques. The study investigates the effects of CSA practice on the food security status of rural farming households in Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed in selecting 480 rural farming households across three selected states from Southwest, Nigeria. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Obtained results showed that 59.79% of the respondents were food insecure while severe and depth of food insecure among the farming households were 0.0711 and 0.1913 respectively. The result of the household dietary diversity score revealed the diverse consumption-ability of the respondents and the contributions of CSA practice in their farming system. This implies that households engaged in climate-smart farming are more likely to achieve higher levels of food consumption score, dietary diversity, and food security. The probit regression revealed that the food security status among rural farming households was significantly influenced by household heads’ gender, farm size, and contact with extension agents as well as adopted CSA practices such as crop diversification, agroforestry, and use of Fadama land for agricultural activities. This research concludes that CSA lowered the probability of food insecurity among rural farming households in Nigeria. Accordingly, the study suggests that the government and the key players should encourage the use of CSA practices in order to ensure agricultural sustainability and food security in agrarian communities by reducing the impact of climate change.

Wild Foods Are Positively Associated with Diet Diversity and Child Growth in a Protected Forest Area of Madagascar

BackgroundConcurrent losses in biodiversity and human dietary diversity are evident in Madagascar and across many food systems globally. Wild food harvest can mitigate nutrition insecurities but may also pose species conservation concerns. ObjectivesThis study aimed to examine the association of wild plant and animal species consumption during hunger season with diet diversity and child growth near the Alandraza-Agnalavelo protected forest in Southwestern Madagascar. Second, we studied the conservation status of the consumed wild plants. MethodsMethods from public health nutrition (24-h recall dietary intake, anthropometry using World Health Organization [WHO] Growth Standards), ethnobotany, and forest ecology (ecologic studies of abundance, habitat preference, associated species, food chemistry assays, and species richness) were applied. ResultsMalnutrition in children (n = 305) was highly prevalent: stunting (32.3%); wasting (18.8%); and low-dietary diversity (4% meeting WHO minimum dietary diversity threshold). Animal foods were consumed in small quantities, providing <10% of Dietary Reference Intakes for all limiting nutrients. Twenty-two wild plant species were consumed during hunger season, prominently tubers (Dioscoreaceae), and leafy greens (Asteraceae, Blechnaceae, Portulacaceae, and Solanaceae). Eight of the 9 target species were identified as abundant and “Least Concern,” whereas Amorphophollus taurostigma was abundant and “Vulnerable.” Regression modeling showed wild food consumption was associated with an increased household dietary diversity score [β = 0.29 (0.06 standard error); P < 0.001], and total wild animal foods positively correlated with height-for-age Z score [β = 0.14 (0.07 standard error); P = 0.04]. ConclusionsWild plant and animal foods may be an important element of food systems to support human nutrition while maintaining ecosystem viability.

Benefits of farmer managed natural regeneration to food security in semi-arid Ghana

AbstractPromoting Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) aims to increase the productive capacities of farmer households. Under FMNR, farmers select and manage natural regeneration on farmlands and keep them under production. While FMNR contributes to the wealth of farming communities, its contribution to household food security has rarely been researched. We, therefore, used a mixed-methods approach to address the research gap by measuring FMNR’s contribution to food security among farmer households in the Talensi district of Ghana. We adopted the Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) and Food Consumption Score (FCS) to estimate food security status among 243 FMNR farmer households and 243 non-FMNR farmer households. Also, we performed a Chi-square test of independence to compare the frequency of each food group (present vs not present) between FMNR adopters and non-FMNR adopters to establish the relationship between adopting FMNR and consuming the FCS and HDDS food groups. Our results reveal that FMNR farmer households are more food secure than non-FMNR farmer households. The HHDS of the FMNR farmer households was 9.6, which is higher than the target value of 9.1. Conversely, the HHDS of the non-FMNR farmer households was 4.3, which is lower than the target value of 9.1. Up to 86% and 37% of the FMNR farmer households and non-FMNR farmer households fell within acceptable FCS; 15% and 17% of FMNR farmer households and non-FMNR farmer households fell within borderline FCS. While none of the FMNR farmer households fell within poor FCS, 46% of non-FMNR farmer households fell within poor FCS. Adopting FMNR is significantly related to consuming all food groups promoted and benefiting from FMNR practices. The paper recommends enabling farmers in semi-arid environments to practice and invest in FMNR for long-term returns to food security.

Do Wealth and Market Access Explain Inconsistent Relationships between Crop Diversity and Dietary Diversity? Evidence from 10 Sub-Saharan African Countries

Despite the robust literature base that has explored links between household crop diversity and children’s dietary diversity, evidence continues to yield mixed results regarding the efficacy of crop diversity in improving childhood dietary outcomes. Given the variance in the association between agrobiodiversity and dietary diversity, we identified wealth and distance to markets as potential factors that may impact these relationships. Through a series of Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regressions, this study examines the associations between crop diversity and dietary diversity among households at different levels of wealth in 10 sub-Saharan African countries. Drawing on the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series and Demographic and Health Surveys system, we find that the significance and direction of the association between crop diversity (as proxied using the Simpsons Diversity Index) and children’s dietary diversity (as measured using the Household Dietary Diversity Score) vary by wealth quintile across countries and households: in richer households, crop diversity has a negative effect on dietary diversity, and in poorer households, there is no significant effect. This study indicates the need to understand contextual factors that impact the relationship between agricultural diversity and dietary diversity to inform development policies.

Climate smart agriculture impact on food and nutrition security in Ethiopia

IntroductionThe objective of this study was to analyze how innovations in Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) contribute to improving the food and nutrition security of smallholder households, thereby promoting sustainable food systems.MethodsA cross-sectional household survey was conducted among a multi-stage sample of 424 smallholder farmers drawn from five different agroecosystems. To examine households’ food and nutrition security, we used food consumption score (FCS) and modified household dietary diversity score (HDDS) in propensity score matching (PSM) and endogenous switching regression (ESR) estimation models.ResultsPSM results showed that crop residue management, compost, and agroforestry have a significant effect on improving households’ food and nutrition security by 21.3, 13.6, and 16.6%, respectively, whereas Soil and water conservation (SWC) has reduced adopters’ food security by 12.9%. However, the conditional average treatment effect, or ESR result, reveals that households’ food and nutrition security has improved as a result of the adoption of crop residue management, compost, SWC, and agroforestry.DiscussionAlthough the impact of crop residue management, compost, and agroforestry is positive, the effect of SWC on household food security has been inconclusive. Hence, it is important to upscale the adoption of multiple CSA innovations to improve smallholder household’s food security in the face of climate change.

Factors associated with food security among small-holder farming households in Lesotho

BackgroundFood insecurity and malnutrition are persistent challenges worldwide and Lesotho is not an exception. Hunger and poverty have worsened with the dawn of COVID-19 pandemic and on-going Russia–Ukraine war. The study seeks to assess food security and associated socio-economic factors among farming households in Lesotho. Household food security has been assessed using Household Food Access Scale (HFIAS) and Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS). Questionnaires were employed to collect data from 236 farming households.ResultsThe HFIAS results show that 40% of the farming households were food secure, 18% were mildly food insecure, 32% were moderately food insecure and 10% were severely food secure and severe food insecurity mostly experienced in the highlands. HDDS results indicated that the farming households had consumed 8 to 12 food groups 7 days prior to data collection, the mean HDDS is 9.68. Households that are involved in commercial farming had more (9.98) diverse diets than those in subsistence farming (8.67). Households in the highlands have the lowest diet diversity (9.0) among the four agro-ecological zones. A logistic regression analysis indicated that the socio-economic factors associated with food security were household income, household size, marital status and education status of the respondent.ConclusionsThe findings depict that over half (60%) of the farming households experience varied degrees of food insecurity. Contrary to this, the farming households had consumed highly varied diets in the past 7 days. The socio-economic factors that influence the attainment of food security household food security were household size, household income, education and marital status. The findings suggest that agricultural development interventions must be more sensitive to household food security and nutrition, which includes training farmers on nutrition and food security issues. Furthermore, socio-economic factors must be considered in the development of interventions, since they influence the food security of the farming households.

Do food security indicators vary between male and female-headed households? Evidence from legume farmers in Western Kenya

IntroductionFood security is an important aspect of sustainable development at global, national and local levels. However, differences in resource endowments and control thereof, may privilege some households and regions than others. As a result, households’ diets may be varied leading to differences in food security status. Various initiatives that seek to diversify diets through legume integration on farms have been promoted in developing countries; but, their effects on household food security remains undocumented. In order to address the above knowledge gap, this study compares the food security indicators of male and female-headed households that integrate legumes in their farms in Nandi County, Kenya.MethodsUsing cross-sectional data from 374 respondents, various food security scores were computed. Subsequently, the ordinary least squares regression model was applied to determine factors that influence the food security scores.Results and discussionThe results revealed that the food security scores were in the normal range; acceptable food consumption score of 62.20 and medium household dietary diversity score of 5.24. In both the male- and female-headed households; land size, access to credit and distance to nearest open-air market from the household significantly affected food security scores positively, while number of meals per day had significant negative effect. Further, in the male-headed households, the food security score was positively affected by household size and years of farming experience, while the household head’s age negatively affected the food security score. These findings provide useful insights on the need to target specific interventions that support the attainment of desired levels of food security in male- and female-headed households based on their distinct levels of resource endowments and control.

Smallholder aquaculture diversifies livelihoods and diets thus improving food security status: evidence from northern Zambia

BackgroundMuch has been made of the potential for aquaculture to improve rural livelihoods and food and nutrition security in Africa, though little evidence exists to back such claims. This study, conducted in northern Zambia, assessed the benefits of adopting aquaculture by comparing a sample of households with (n = 177) and without fishponds (n = 174).ResultsOn-farm food production was assessed by summing all crop and livestock activities and calculating a production diversity score (PDS) of key food groups. Aquaculture households had greater crop diversification and were more associated with key nutritious foods grown on the farm, possibly due to additional water irrigation capabilities. A greater diversity of cultivated crops led to better household dietary diversity scores (HDDS). We further assessed the frequency of consumption of 53 food items (including 30 fish species) over a period of 4 weeks via a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). Using the Simpson’s Index, aquaculture households had greater diversity and evenness in the distribution of foods and fish species consumed, particularly for foods grown on the farm. Using livelihood and dietary factors in a multilevel probit regression on the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS), we found that adopting aquaculture gave households almost two times more likelihood of improving their food security status. Households could further improve their food security outcomes by growing and consuming certain vegetables, especially those that could be integrated along pond dykes.ConclusionsThe study suggests three clear pathways to food security. (1) Increasing wealth and income from the sale of fish and integrated vegetables and/or crops, which can be used to purchase a diversity of foods. (2) Increasing food and nutrition security via the direct consumption of fish and vegetables grown on the farm. (3) Improving irrigation capabilities in integrated aquaculture–agriculture systems that has direct impact on pathways 1 and 2. Aquaculture should be promoted in the region for its crop diversification and food security benefits, so long as it fits the local farming system and livelihood context. Moving away from productivist approaches to nutrition-sensitive aquaculture widens the scope of uncovering the many benefits of pond farming in smallholder systems.

The impact of watershed on household food security: A comparative analysis

Watersheds provide a substantial contribution to household food security. The study investigates whether watershed development and management practices (WDMP) can help with food security challenges, and it compares the impact of WDMP on household food security status among practitioners and non-practitioners in the central highlands of Ethiopia and identified the determinants factors. The study employed a mixed research design with a cross-sectional approach. Household Dietary Diversity Score and Household Food Insecurity Access Scale were used to estimate households' food security status and An Ordered logit econometric model was applied to identify determinant factors. The study resulted in 44.65 % of non-practitioners and 18.30 % of practitioners had a low level of dietary diversity; whereas, 43.40 % of non-practitioners and 38.56 % of practitioners were severely food insecure. The household head's age, the number of laborers, income, livestock size, and agricultural land size highly determined the food security status of households. The HDDS and HFIAS findings reveal a statistically significant difference between WDM practitioners and non-practitioners. Therefore stakeholders must stress the promotion of WDMP to achieve food security.

Effect of Seasonal Floods on Farmers’ Household Food Security in the Kassena Nankana Municipal of Ghana.

The Kassena Nankana Municipality has experienced an increase in the frequency and severity of seasonal floods, threatening the livelihoods of local farmers. These floods disrupt agricultural activities and exacerbate regional food insecurity. This study examined the extent to which floods affected local farmers’ food security. Interviews were conducted with 150 farm households from five different communities. To understand the nature, scope of the flooding and damages caused by the floods, descriptive statistics were employed. The floods’ effect on farmers’ food security were examined using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) econometric modelling. The Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance (FANTA) Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Food Consumption Score (FCS) models were used to assess food security levels. The majority of the floods in the area were caused by heavy rains. These floods resulted in total asset losses of GHS 653,640.6 (USD 116,722.00), with maize crops bearing the brunt of the damage at GHS 106,712.00. (USD 19,056.00). Properties worth GHS 276,275.00 (USD 49,335.00) were destroyed, including houses, animal pens, storage rooms, bicycles, and motorbikes, and with estimated loss of 3,383 birds. Due to the floods, two people died and 201 people became ill. Food security was found to be positively associated with factors such as male-headed households, age, income, and access to credit. The size of a household had a negative impact on food security. The study recommended targeted policies to improve agricultural productivity and support smallholder farmers, such as loan and social security schemes, women’s empowerment, and the establishment of irrigation facilities to improve regional food security.

Food Insecurity and its Association with Dietary Diversity: A Cross-Sectional Study in Rural Households in Jammu.

Food insecurity is a matter of public health concern as it is associated with adverse health outcomes particularly among vulnerable population. Accessibility and availability of nutritious and culturally appropriate food is paramount to achieve zero hunger. To assess the prevalence of household food insecurity, to estimate the household dietary diversity and its association with household food insecurity. Using multistage sampling 381 rural households were surveyed. Household Food Insecurity Access Scale and House hold Dietary Diversity Scale were used as study instruments. Chi square test was used to compare the two groups and P < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Prevalence of household insecurity was 33.3% (127) among the surveyed households and 8.1% (31) had severe food insecurity. The mean HFIS score was 6.85 ± 4.82. The household Dietary diversity score was 8.14 ± 1.54 for food secure and 6.51 ± 1.38 for severely food insecure households. There was a statistically significant difference in intake of milk and milk products, fruits, eggs and meat/poultry among food secure and insecure households (P < 0.001 respectively). Food insecurity was high in rural households and was associated with lower dietary intake of foods from protein group, necessitating a need to reinforce the food security programmes in rural India with focus to enhance protein rich diet.

Determinants of household dietary diversity score in food insecure areas of West Amhara region, Ethiopia

Determinants of household dietary diversity score in food insecure areas of West Amhara region, Ethiopia

Nourishing the farms, nourishing the plates: Association of climate‐smart agricultural practices with household dietary diversity and food security in smallholders

AbstractClimate‐smart agricultural (CSA) practices are increasingly being promoted as nature‐based solutions to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farm households amid a sharp increase in climate‐change anomalies. However, the extent to which CSA practices contribute to smallholder food security and dietary diversity remains unclear. In this study, we use panel and nationally representative data from Tanzania to examine the association between two climate‐smart agricultural practices, namely, improved maize varieties and maize‐legume intercropping, and food security in smallholder farm households. We use maize yield per acre, adult‐equivalent food expenditure, and household dietary diversity scores to measure household food security, representing three of the four food security pillars: availability, access, and utilization. We also examine the complementarity and potential advantages of combining improved maize seeds with fertilizers. Using standard panel data estimation approaches, we find a positive association between the adoption of improved maize varieties and maize‐legume intercropping and an increase in food production measured through higher crop productivity. However, we do not find a corresponding improvement in household dietary diversity or increased food expenditure, despite the higher crop production. Several factors might explain this outcome, including the challenges faced by farmers in accessing markets to sell surplus produce, the influence of established dietary habits, gender issues, and other local factors that promote the consumption of cereal‐based foods such as maize. Our findings suggest that CSA practices may help improve food production and availability, but more effort is needed to translate increased food production into improved dietary diversity and better food security among smallholder farmers in sub‐Saharan Africa. [EconLit Citations: C23, D12, D13, D24, Q12, Q16, Q18, Q54].