Households In Rural Areas Research Articles

Determining food intake, the requirement, and weighing the relative risk between food secure and insecure households in rural areas of Ethiopia: The case of West Hararghe zone

The severity of food insecurity in Ethiopia is among the worst globally, with record-breaking food assistance needs by various factors. This study tries to uncover various aspects of food security related to food availability, food access, food utilization and food stability dimensions of food security. The study was executed in the west Hararghe zone of the Oromia region of Ethiopia. Its main objective was to determine the food security status of households, with specific objectives aiming at computing individual daily kilo calorie intake, determining the average food requirement, comparing the relative risk between food secure and insecure households and identifying factors that affect household food security status. A multi-stage sampling procedure, involving the purposive selection of; the Zone and Woreda, and a simple random selection of households, to draw the required number of representative sample respondents, was adopted. Hence, from 4163 total households, 134 were selected for collecting primary data. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, relative risk analysis using Cohorts and independent tests using ANOVA. Food security status was measured using the Household Food Balance Model (HFBM). Using this model, the study obtained 1973 kilo calories per individual per day intake and 2108 kilo calorie as their requirement, which indicated households were energy deficient by 135 kilo calorie with 2-sided-value < 0.1 critical level (t= -1.747, df =133 & sig2-sided. 0.083). Independent test results showed that farm income (at p-value < 0.1), gross product (at p-value < 0.05), age of household head (at p-value < 0.1), years of owning land (at p < 0.1) and family size (at p-value < 0.1) contributed significantly to food security status. Cross-tabulation showed a linear relationship between food security and higher education level (at p-value < 0.05), which urges a concern in improving farming societies’ literacy to the desired level. In the study areas, about 91.8% of the population produces crops depending on the seasonal rainfall and their daily kilo calorie consumed depends on it; this is statistically correlated with the food insecurity problem at p-value < 0.1 critical level (lambada = 1.75 & sig. = 0.08). Therefore, to tackle the food insecurity problem, alternative method of crop production should be devised such as the establishment of irrigation schemes, water harvesting structures, and water conservation practices, among others. Key words: food security, calorie requirement, food availability, relative risk

Rural transformation and sustainable livelihood approaches under regional environmental policies: Evidence from two villages in the Yangtze River Delta metropolitan region, China

AbstractHasty and often uncontrolled urbanization and industrialization in metropolitan regions have pressured fragile rural ecosystems and large‐scale rural livelihoods in China. Through in‐depth observation and face‐to‐face interviews with key insiders in the villages of China's largest metropolitan region, the Yangtze River Delta, findings show that environmental policies in this region have profoundly influenced the local institutional processes and rural transformation. Through the lens of a modified sustainable livelihoods approach (MSLA), two institutional processes in formulating livelihoods strategies have stood out from case villages—state sponsorship exemplified by Yu village and grassroots entrepreneurship exemplified by Daxi village—and achieved sustainable livelihood outcomes in both collective level and household level. In particular, state‐sponsored development in Yu village was strongly supported by local leadership and trust between local cadres and villagers. In contrast, grassroots entrepreneurial development in Daxi village emphasized rural entrepreneurs' self‐learning and self‐governance capacities. As such, we argue that making sustainable livelihood strategies is not a unidirectional process like top‐down or bottom‐up, albeit multifaceted alternatives intertwined with dynamic institutional processes for collectives and households in rural areas. Ultimately, we call for more vivid and in‐depth case studies to nuance regional geography and its contextual attributes in further sustainable livelihood research in rural areas.

APPRAISAL OF ACCESS TO CLEAN FUELS BY FOOD VENDORS IN ILARO, YEWA SOUTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

The extensive use of solid fuels in food preparation such as firewood and charcoal presents problems for the environment, human health, and the economy. In Nigeria, more than 175 million people rely on traditional biomass for daily cooking. While significant research has been done on access to clean cooking fuels among households, particularly households in rural areas, there is a gap in the study of access to clean fuels among food vendors in developing countries, including Nigeria. This study explores factors influencing access to clean cooking fuel among food vendors in Nigeria. The study adopts a cross-sectional survey design, a pretested questionnaire was administered to all the registered food vendors in the study area. The results show that a significant number of the food vendors in the study area use solid fuels such as firewood and coal. Probit regression result indicates that education and income are significant factors that increase predicted probability of the use of clean fuel among food vendors. Empirical findings also show that financial constraints, availability and distribution of clean fuel, technical issues, and lack of information on the importance of clean fuel usage are some of the attention-seeking challenges inhibiting the adoption of clean cooking fuels among food vendors. Thus, the study suggests the need for integrated strategies that aim at increasing awareness of the benefits of adopting clean cooking fuels among food vendors, improving the affordability of clean cooking fuels, and providing technical assistance for transitioning into clean cooking fuels. KEYWORDS: Cooking Fuels, Food Vendors, Clean Energy Nigeria

Households' Debts Among Rural and Agriculture-based Households in Indonesia

Household debts reflect financial insecurity for households to maintain their standard of living because it reflects the financial commitment that must be paid to other parties. However, the share of debts among different household classes, especially among agriculture and rural households in Indonesia still needs to be discovered. This research investigates the distribution of households’ debts in rural areas in Indonesia by utilizing data from the Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS) Wave 5 (2014). This research shows that households in rural areas have lower average debts than those in urban areas. At the same time, households in rural areas outside Java Island have higher average debts than their counterparts in Java Island. Two significant contributors to households’ debts are household size and household head educational attainment, where both variables show a positive and significant effect. The government must focus on rural development, including agricultural-based households, creating small but financially strong households, and increasing food self-sufficiency. Keywords: agriculture, debts, households, rural

Income Generation Opportunities through Secondary Agriculture towards Sustainability in Angul District of Odisha: A Case Study

Aims: The aim of the study was for attempting various Income Generation interventions to address poverty, unemployment and lack of economic opportunities which could increase participants’ ability towards secured livelihoods. Secondary agriculture is essentially a way of business development that aids in providing farming households in rural areas with income and employment. Place and Duration of the Study: The study was conducted in Krishi Vigyan Kendra Angul, Odisha between 2016-17 to 2021-22. Methodology: PRA survey of the village followed by group discussions and other approaches were conducted to identify the constraints and accordingly the process planning was performed for strengthening their livelihood. By the technological interventions from Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Angul the famers took trainings for grasping ideas & scientific knowledge about the enterprises. Periodically some critical inputs under various programme were also provided from the KVK. Results: As a result, year after year the farmers practicing bee-keeping could able to earn in an average of Rs. 5,14,100/- from 180 bee boxes by selling pure honey & bee-colonies. Besides this, another group of farmers with improved colour poultry breeds under backyard condition with an average yield of 1.62 kg could earn an average net return of Rs. 14,742/-. Conclusion: Given that the world's population is quickly growing, it is imperative for global agriculture to turn to secondary agriculture (honey bee and poultry farming) in order to provide opportunities not only for improving livelihood but also for nutritional security.

Performance of Pit Latrines and Their Herd Protection Against Diarrhea: A Longitudinal Cohort Study in Rural Ethiopia.

In sanitation policies, "improved sanitation" is often broadly described as a goal with little rationale for the minimum standard required. We conducted a secondary analysis of data collected as part of a cluster randomized controlled trial in rural Ethiopia. We compared the performance of well-constructed and poorly constructed pit latrines in reducing child diarrhea. In addition, we explored whether having a well-constructed household latrine provides indirect protection to neighbors if cluster-level coverage reaches a certain threshold. We followed up children aged younger than 5 years (U5C) of 906 households in rural areas of the Gurage zone, Ethiopia, for 10 months after community-led total sanitation interventions. A study-improved latrine was defined as having all the following: pit of ≥2 m depth, slab of any material, drop-hole cover, wall, roof, door, and handwashing facilities (water and soap observed). U5C in households with a study-improved latrine had 54% lower odds of contracting diarrhea than those living in households with a latrine missing 1 or more of the characteristics (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=0.46; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.27, 0.81; P=.006). Analyses were adjusted for child age and sex, presence of improved water for drinking, and self-reported handwashing at 4 critical times. The odds of having diarrhea among those with an improved latrine based on the World Health Organization/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Program (JMP) definition (i.e., pit latrines with slabs) were not substantially different from those with a JMP-unimproved latrine (aOR=0.99; 95% CI=0.56, 1.79; P=.99). Of U5C living in households without a latrine or with a study-unimproved latrine, those in the high-coverage villages were less likely to contract diarrhea than those in low-coverage villages (aOR=0.55; 95% CI=0.35, 0.86; P=.008). We recommend that academic studies and routine program monitoring and evaluation should measure more latrine characteristics and evaluate multiple latrine categories instead of making binary comparisons only.

Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining Impact on Soil and Agriculture: Evidence from Upper Denkyira East Municipality, Ghana

The gold mining industry in Ghana has made a substantial contribution to the country's economic growth by generating diverse employment opportunities, both directly and indirectly, in mining communities. This has the potential to mitigate poverty and improve the quality of life for individuals and households in rural areas, where climate change is having a disproportionate impact on small-scale farmers. Nevertheless, it is crucial to recognize that this sector has also resulted in detrimental environmental impacts. A total 150 key informants in Upper Denkyira East Municipality, comprising representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Forestry Commission, the Mineral Commission, and other stakeholders, were interviewed using standardize questionnaire to ascertain the impact of mining on the soil, agriculture and the environment. The study also employed inductively coupled plasma to assess the concentration of heavy metals in soils at a small-scale mining site. The soil analyses indicated high concentrations of heavy metals, such as mercury, arsenic, nickel, zinc, and iron. The Weighted Average Index, which was used to assess the impact of mining, revealed that communities face challenges such as deforestation, low crop yields, water pollution, land tenure issues, and a high cost of living. The study's analyses of measures to address small scale mining challenges revealed that alternative livelihood, law enforcement, training and support, and access to mining concessions were perceived as suitable for addressing artisanal and small scale mining. The study concluded that stricter mining regulations, promoting sustainable mining practices, and providing comprehensive training to miners on environmental protection and land reclamation can help mitigate the negative impacts of artisanal and small-scale mining. Additionally, supporting alternative means of livelihood for mining communities, such as agriculture or eco-tourism, can reduce reliance on mining and promote sustainable development.

Factors Influencing Access to Formal Credit by Pottery Households: Case Study in Bat Trang Village, Hanoi, Vietnam

Purpose:This paper aims to investigate the factors influencing pottery households’ access to formal credit in a craft village in Hanoi city, Northern Vietnam. Methods: By using Yamande’s formula, sample size of 167 households was determined. Descriptive statistics and Probit regression model were applied in quantitative data analysis. Results: Diversification of rural livelihood through the development of non-farm activities is one of important policies for holistic rural development in Vietnam. However, non-farm households in general and pottery households in particular have faced with capital shortage in production process. One of reasons for their capital limitation is difficulties in formal credit access. This research indicated that households’ credit access was influenced by factors including age, educational level, collateral value asset, and return from ceramic production after tax. Practical implications: This study presented important roles of formal credit for economic development of rural households in general and pottery households in particular. However, most households meet difficulties in accessing to formal credit due to their old age, lack of collateral assets and low return from their production. Originality: This study implied that policy makers in Vietnam should implement a specific credit support for non-farm households in rural areas. In addition, commercial banks should loose credit requirements on collateral value assets in order to help rural non-farm households to access to formal credit, particularly banking loan.

Social pension insurance and household risky asset investment: Evidence from China

Using the data from the 2013, 2015, and 2017 waves of the China Household Finance Survey, this paper explores the impact of participation in social pension insurance on household risky asset investment with the time-varying difference-in-difference model. The research findings indicate that, in urban areas, insured households are 2.3% more likely to invest in risky assets compared to uninsured households, and the share invested in risky assets is 0.8% higher. This positive effect is more pronounced for households with a higher level of risk preference. At the same time, there is no significant difference in the probability or proportion of risky assets allocation between insured and uninsured households in rural areas. These findings have important policy implications. When the government reforms the social pension insurance system or allocates public resources in the future, they can consider gradually breaking the dual urban-rural structure in the pension insurance system to alleviate concerns among rural households regarding uncertainties.

Migration choices for farming households in rural areas: Why new countryside locations are important for the inhabitants of traditional agricultural areas in central China

AbstractIn the urbanisation stage of bilateral urban–rural interaction, China is adopting various policies to achieve rural revitalisation and provide diverse destinations to which farmers can migrate. Most previous studies have focused on urban destinations; thus, new countryside locations are not as well understood in this context. This study focused on first migration practices to examine new countryside destinations for farmers in China. This study established a conceptual framework to explain the diverse migration destination options based on three aspects: human capital, economic characteristics, and social characteristics. Based on survey data from farming households in a traditional agriculture area in Xinxiang, a multiple logit model was used to examine why new countryside destinations were adaptive first migration destinations. The results indicated that farmers were influenced by land capital and low initial household incomes. Specifically, many farmers were attracted to new countryside locations close to their original villages because of the need for cultivated land and farming, thus providing a logical first move in the rural–urban migration process. Poorer households were willing to first improve their living conditions in this way. This suggests that new countryside construction can help achieve rural revitalisation.

Do hospitalizations push households into poverty in India: evidence from national data.

High percentage of OOP (Out-of-Pocket) costs can lead to poverty and exacerbate existing poverty, with 21.9% of India's 1.324 billion people living below the poverty line. Factors such as increased patient cost-sharing, high-deductible health plans, and expensive medications contribute to high OOP costs. Understanding the poverty-inducing impact of healthcare payments is essential for formulating effective measures to alleviate it. The study used data from the 75th round of the National Sample Survey Organization (Household Social Consumption in India: Health) from July 2017-June 2018, focusing on demographic-socio-economic characteristics, morbidity status, healthcare utilization, and expenditure. The analysis included 66,237 hospitalized individuals in the last 365 days. Logistic regression model was used to examine the impact of OOP expenditures on impoverishment. Logistic regression analysis shows that there is 0.2868 lower odds of experiencing poverty due to OOP expenditures in households where there is the presence of at least one child aged 5 years and less present in the household compared to households who do not have any children. There is 0.601 higher odds of experiencing poverty due to OOP expenditures in urban areas compared to households in rural areas. With an increasing duration of stay in the hospital, there is a higher odds of experiencing poverty due to OOP health expenditures. There is 1.9013 higher odds of experiencing poverty due to OOP expenditures if at least one member in the household used private healthcare facility compared to households who never used private healthcare facilities. In order to transfer demand from private to public hospitals and reduce OOPHE, policymakers should restructure the current inefficient public hospitals. More crucially, there needs to be significant investment in rural areas, where more than 70% of the poorest people reside and who are more vulnerable to OOP expenditures because they lack coping skills.

Factors Influencing Electricity Consumption in Rural Households

Over time, several relationships have been defined between electricity consumption and a region’s social and economic variables, with income as the main factor. This paper uses multiple correspondence analysis to identify the categories of dwellings and, from a graphical point of view (positioning maps), the effects of the different characteristics that influence the electricity consumption of households in rural areas of Cundinamarca, Colombia. In this analysis, the consumption of residential users responded mainly to what they can afford or acquire based on their income, consumption habits, and the characteristics of the technology. Furthermore, this study highlights the implications of these findings for policymakers and energy providers, providing valuable insights for developing targeted strategies to promote energy efficiency and sustainability in rural areas. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the dynamics of electricity consumption and highlights the importance of tailoring energy-related interventions to the specific socio-economic context of rural communities, in this case in Cundinamarca.

Effect of the farmer term of trade and farmworkers wages on rural unemployment and poverty in Indonesia

This study aims to determine the determinants of the welfare of agricultural sector workers who come from poor households in rural areas. The exchange rate of farmers and the wages of farm laborers will affect the level of employment in the agricultural sector, which in turn will affect the level of rural poverty. The methodology used in this study uses a panel data regression model with a recursive equation model. The best model for unemployment estimation is the random effect model, while the best model for poverty estimation is the fixed effect model. The results showed that the daily wage of farm laborers had a significant negative effect on unemployment. This may be due to the fact that higher wages will increase the number of workers who are willing to work in the agricultural sector, so unemployment will fall. While the unemployment variable has a significant positive effect on the level of rural poverty. The practical implication of these research findings is that to reduce poverty in rural areas, efforts from the government are needed to increase the wages of farm laborers, as the government sets minimum wages in the formal sector. The higher daily wages of agricultural laborers will attract unemployed people in villages to work in the agricultural sector.

Individual- and community-level factors associated with the presence of adequate iodized salt in households in Bangladesh: a multilevel modelling approach.

The aim of this study is to estimate the factors at both the individual and community levels related to the adequacy of iodized salt in households in Bangladesh. For this study we utilized the 2019 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey data. A total of 61242 households were chosen as samples from Bangladesh. In our study of socio-economic disparities, we applied a concentration indexing method. To identify the factors associated with the adequacy of iodine in salt at both the individual and community levels, we employed multilevel logistic regression. Aside from the multilevel regression used in the study, we also applied spatial analysis. The results indicated that the prevalence of iodine adequacy in household salt was found to be 57.8% (95% confidence interval 57.4 to 58.2). Rural areas have a higher concentration of iodine than urban areas. According to the multilevel model, younger women (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.70), Muslim women (aOR 0.89), illiterate women (aOR 0.80) and those from poor households (aOR 0.33) were found to be less likely to consume iodine in concentrated salt compared with their counterparts. Disabled women and those with low media exposure have a lower likelihood of iodine adequacy in salt compared to their reference group. Furthermore, households in urban areas exhibited higher odds of having iodine adequacy in salt compared with households in rural areas. Barisal, Chattogram, Dhaka, Khulna, Mymensingh, Rajshahi and Rangpur Divisions have lower iodine adequacy in salt compared with Sylhet Division. The findings reveal that religion, physical disability and exposure to media exert an equal influence on the presence of iodized salt intake. Moreover, women's age, wealth status, education level and the educational background of the household head positively contribute to the adequacy of iodine in household salt. In light of these results, policymakers are advised to prioritize efforts aimed at enhancing iodine concentration, with a particular focus on mass media advertising, especially in rural areas (excluding Sylhet Division).

Armed conflicts and household food insecurity: Effects and mechanisms

AbstractDespite extensive studies on the effects of armed conflict on household dietary diversity, food security, and nutritional outcomes, the underlying pathways remain underexplored. A better understanding of these mechanisms could unpack the subsequent effects of conflict‐induced food insecurity and oft‐reported nutritional shortcoming, as well as identify which policy interventions hold promise. We study the effects of terrorist violence in Burkina Faso on household dietary diversity, as proxied by food consumption scores (FCS), and investigate the underlying mechanisms. For this purpose, we combine nationally representative 5‐years panel data on households with spatial conflict data. We find negative and significant effects of conflict intensity on household food consumption scores. The decline in household FCS is a result of significant decreased dietary diversity in both food production and purchases. Although households in rural areas partially offset these reductions by food assistance, those reliant solely on farming as livelihoods remain the most affected. Further investigations show evidence that per‐capita farm income and food expenditure are pathways linking the intensity of armed conflict to reduced FCS in food purchases, whereas reduced dietary diversity in food production results from decline in crop production. Additional specification tests support our main findings, offering insights that can help policymakers faced with similar scaled‐armed conflicts. For instance, conflict‐sensitive interventions aimed at supporting crop production and farm income for affected households could effectively improve their dietary diversity and overall food security in a post‐conflict environment.

Adaptability and Livelihood Strategies of the Migrant Workers: A Review of Empirical Literature

Labor migration is regarded as one of the livelihood strategies of many households in rural areas. Although labor migration contributes positively to improving the livelihoods and living conditions of households, migrant workers also face many difficulties, challenges and risks at the place of immigration. This article summarizes the difficulties and challenges that migrant workers face at immigration, while also assessing the adaptability and livelihood strategies that the migrant workers choose when facing those negative factors.

Sociodemographic Characteristics Mediated by Poverty as Determinants of Homeownership in Indonesia.

This research focuses on homeownership status with antecedent variables of sociodemographic characteristics mediated by poverty, using panel data in 34 provinces in Indonesia during 2017-2023. This research uses a Path Analysis model with dummy variables, grouping regions into 2 groups, namely urban areas and rural areas. The research results show that GDP per capita and education have a significant negative effect on poverty both in urban and rural areas. Furthermore, family members and population density have a significant negative effect on poverty in both areas. Meanwhile, labor has no effect on poverty in the two regions as well as on homeownership in the city, but has a positive effect in rural areas. It was also found that male heads of household had a significant negative effect on poverty in urban areas but had no effect in rural areas, then poverty had a significant negative effect on house ownership in urban areas but had no effect in rural areas. Apart from that, education has no effect on homeownership in both urban and rural areas. Furthermore, homeownership is significantly influenced by population density and male head of household in rural areas but not significantly in urban areas.Increasing the ability to own a home can be done by alleviating poverty by providing cheap credit facilities to families who need a place to live. Furthermore, the government should pay attention to sociodemographic characteristicsin increasing people’s ability to own a home and it is hoped that there will be a follow-up with gender research on homeownership.

Groundwater Purification Using Bio-Sand Filter Modified with Iron Oxide-Coated Sand and Activated Carbon

Groundwater is the most used natural resource which serves different diverse purposes and alternative water supply for households mainly in rural areas. However, it is polluted by contaminants such as heavy metals, total hardness and coliform bacteria. One such promising water treatment technology for households in rural areas is the Bio-sand Filter (BSF) because of its low cost and efficient removal of contaminants. Although BSF is efficient to remove contaminants, there is still needed to improve the flow rate and the performance of removing pollutants from groundwater. Therefore, this study focused on the development of a laboratory-scale Modified Bio-sand Filter (MBSF) that was combined with Iron-oxide Coated Sand (IOCS) with Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) made from coconut shells to purify groundwater. Laboratory scale of filters were performed in this study. Groundwater was collected from household’s well water in Kean Svay district, Kandal province. The filters were operated by filling the water source with 10 liters per day and operated for 20 days. Heavy metals were measured by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) and Arsenator. Total hardness was analyzed by Ion Chromatography (IC). Target coliform bacteria such as E. coli and total coliform were cultured by spread plate method. Flow rate was observed by setting time for 1 minute and measure the volume of effluent water. By the results, all physicochemical parameters of MBSF were within the standard limit of drinking water. MBSF showed significantly better removal efficiency for arsenic with 100% than BSF while MBSF can also remove Mn and Fe which was under the drinking water standard of WHO and MIME. Total hardness was achieved more than 80% in MBSF, while BSF with only 40%. MBSF also performed slightly better than BSF as well in removing both E. coli and total coliform with more than 90% reduction. The flow rate of the MBSF was faster about two and a half times than the flow rate of BSF with the average of 0.15 L/min for MBFS and 0.06 L/min for BSF. The results from this study contributed to the improvement of household water treatment method for purifying groundwater efficiently in rural areas.

Health risk assessment of uranium intake from private residential drinking groundwater facilities based on geological characteristics across the Republic of Korea

Groundwater contributes to an average of 8 % of the total water source capacity in the Republic of Korea. Hence, private residential households in rural areas in Korea are still using groundwater for drinking without any regular water quality inspection. This can increase the risk of exposure to natural radionuclides like uranium through drinking groundwater. This study investigated the uranium level in drinking groundwater all over the country by analyzing 11,451 samples from private residential drinking groundwater facilities and compared the exposure amount and its associated carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk based on the geological characteristics of the aquifer. Results yield that although the average hazard quotient (HQ) and excess cancer risk (ECR) of exposure to natural uranium through drinking groundwater were respectively below 1 and 1 × 10−6 and do not indicate a potential health hazard, significantly high HQ and ECR up to respectively 70 and 4 × 10−4 in samples where the aquifer is the Jurassic granite observed. Accordingly, regular water quality investigation and onsite treatment methods are required to provide healthy drinking water in such areas.

Development of micronutrient dense composite flour for routine enrichment of complementary foods for children 6–24 months old in Acholi sub-region of Uganda

BackgroundThe use of local foods has been widely recognized as a sustainable strategy to address micronutrient deficiencies among resource-constrained households in rural areas in developing countries. Acholi sub-region of Uganda has recently recorded a high prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies due to inadequate iron, zinc, and calcium contents in complementary foods. Thus the sub-region was used as a case study to examine the potential of amaranth grain-silverfish-iron rich beans micronutrient dense composite flour in improving nutritional quality of complementary foods.DesignMicrosoft Excel was used to derive ingredient combinations based on the micronutrient requirements. Laboratory analyses were used to determine (1) nutritional quality; (2) functional properties and; (3) storage stability of the micronutrient-dense composite flour. Data was analysed using a one-sample t-test and analysis of variance by Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.ResultsThe micronutrient-dense composite flour contained 19 mg/100 g, 13 mg/100 g, and 354 mg/100 g of iron, zinc, and calcium, respectively. The cost (0.037–0.058 USD) of the micronutrient-dense composite flour required to meet the RDA for iron and zinc among children 6–24 months old was found lower than the cost (4.81 USD) of a sachet of standard micronutrient powder equivalent to RDA. The product exhibited low bulk density (0.68 g/l), high water solubility index (25.56–29.16%), and short reconstitution time (40.00–45.00 s), and remained safe during the entire 70 days of storage. Theoretically, daily enrichment of complementary foods for children 6–11 and 12–24 months old with 58 and 37 g of the composite, respectively would contribute 100% of the recommended dietary allowance for iron and zinc and 50% for calcium.ConclusionThe developed micronutrient-dense composite flour has the potential to improve the micronutrient quality of complementary foods. A concerted effort is required to promote its use as a strategy to address micronutrient deficiencies among children 6–24 months in resource-constrained settings.