Nutritional Outcomes of Farm Households in Nigeria: To What Extent does Farm Production Diversity influence Households' Diets?

Abstract

It has been widely confirmed that diversity in farm production is a strategy for enhancing nutritional outcomes of smallholders as malnutrition remains widespread in the poor population most especially the Sub-Sahara Africa smallholder households'. Hence, the question of what extent does farm production diversity influence nutritional outcomes of farm households' in Nigeria. This study used 2012-2016 nationally representative households panel data. Two measures of smallholder nutritional outcomes quantities of food calories consumed, and dietary diversity were used as the outcome variable. A food group-based index was used in the estimation of farm production diversification. The farm households have low farm diversity with an index of 0.31. Seasonal analysis of the nutritional outcomes revealed seasonal consumption poverty as the average calorie consumption and dietary diversity were higher in the seasons of the post-harvest than in the post-planting. Production diversity has a positive significant influence on the nutritional outcomes of farm households'. Other demographic drivers of nutritional outcomes were location (rural areas), limited market access, sex, age, and income of the household heads. This study confirmed that even-though, farm production diversity is a crucial factor influencing households' nutritional outcomes, it is important that policy issues aimed at improving households' nutritional outcomes focus on increasing farm production and market-related aspects of smallholder agriculture.

Keywords: Calorie, Consumption, Livestock, Market, Season