IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jfpoli/v97y2020ics0306919220301603.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Subsistence production, markets, and dietary diversity in the Kenyan small farm sector

Author

Listed:
  • Muthini, Davis
  • Nzuma, Jonathan
  • Qaim, Matin

Abstract

Undernutrition and low dietary quality remain widespread problems in poor population segments, especially among smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. Hence, the question how smallholder systems can be made more nutrition-sensitive is of particular relevance for research and policy. Recent studies analyzed whether increasing farm production diversity may help to improve nutrition. Most existing studies found a positive but small effect on dietary diversity on average. The underlying mechanisms were not examined in detail. This article tests the hypothesis that the effect of farm diversity on nutrition is small because production diversity is positively associated with dietary diversity obtained from subsistence production but negatively associated with dietary diversity obtained from the market. This hypothesis is confirmed with data from Kenya, using different indicators of production diversity and dietary diversity scores at household and individual levels. The results underline the important role of markets for smallholder diets and nutrition. Hence, strengthening markets and improving market access should be a key strategy to make smallholder systems more nutrition-sensitive.

Suggested Citation

  • Muthini, Davis & Nzuma, Jonathan & Qaim, Matin, 2020. "Subsistence production, markets, and dietary diversity in the Kenyan small farm sector," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:97:y:2020:i:c:s0306919220301603
    DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2020.101956
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306919220301603
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.foodpol.2020.101956?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kalle Hirvonen & John Hoddinott, 2017. "Agricultural production and children's diets: evidence from rural Ethiopia," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 48(4), pages 469-480, July.
    2. Barrett, Christopher B., 2008. "Smallholder market participation: Concepts and evidence from eastern and southern Africa," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 299-317, August.
    3. Alessandro Romeo & Janice Meerman & Mulat Demeke & Antonio Scognamillo & Solomon Asfaw, 2016. "Linking farm diversification to household diet diversification: evidence from a sample of Kenyan ultra-poor farmers," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 8(6), pages 1069-1085, December.
    4. Sylvester Ochieng Ogutu & Theda Gödecke & Matin Qaim, 2020. "Agricultural Commercialisation and Nutrition in Smallholder Farm Households," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 71(2), pages 534-555, June.
    5. Kibrom T. Sibhatu & Matin Qaim, 2018. "Farm production diversity and dietary quality: linkages and measurement issues," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 10(1), pages 47-59, February.
    6. Hazel Jean L. Malapit & Suneetha Kadiyala & Agnes R. Quisumbing & Kenda Cunningham & Parul Tyagi, 2015. "Women's Empowerment Mitigates the Negative Effects of Low Production Diversity on Maternal and Child Nutrition in Nepal," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(8), pages 1097-1123, August.
    7. Ecker, Olivier, 2018. "Agricultural transformation and food and nutrition security in Ghana: Does farm production diversity (still) matter for household dietary diversity?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 271-282.
    8. de Janvry, Alain & Fafchamps, Marcel & Sadoulet, Elisabeth, 1991. "Peasant Household Behaviour with Missing Markets: Some Paradoxes Explained," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 101(409), pages 1400-1417, November.
    9. A. Colin Cameron & Douglas L. Miller, 2015. "A Practitioner’s Guide to Cluster-Robust Inference," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 50(2), pages 317-372.
    10. de Janvry, Alain & Fafchamps, M. & Sadoulet, Elisabeth, 1991. "Peasant Household Behavior with Missing Markets: Some Paradoxes Explain," CUDARE Working Papers 198579, University of California, Berkeley, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
    11. Sibhatu, Kibrom T. & Qaim, Matin, 2018. "Review: Meta-analysis of the association between production diversity, diets, and nutrition in smallholder farm households," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 1-18.
    12. Gero Carletto & Marie Ruel & Paul Winters & Alberto Zezza, 2015. "Farm-Level Pathways to Improved Nutritional Status: Introduction to the Special Issue," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(8), pages 945-957, August.
    13. Martin C. Parlasca & Oliver Mußhoff & Matin Qaim, 2020. "Can mobile phones improve nutrition among pastoral communities? Panel data evidence from Northern Kenya," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 51(3), pages 475-488, May.
    14. Jones, Andrew D. & Shrinivas, Aditya & Bezner-Kerr, Rachel, 2014. "Farm production diversity is associated with greater household dietary diversity in Malawi: Findings from nationally representative data," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 1-12.
    15. Sibhatu, Kibrom T. & Krishna, Vijesh V. & Qaim, Matin, 2015. "Farm Production Diversity and Dietary Diversity in Developing Countries," 2015 AAEA & WAEA Joint Annual Meeting, July 26-28, San Francisco, California 205286, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    16. Lisa Jäckering & Theda Gödecke & Meike Wollni, 2019. "Agriculture–nutrition linkages in farmers’ communication networks," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 50(5), pages 657-672, September.
    17. Tammy Harris & Zhao Yang & James W. Hardin, 2012. "Modeling underdispersed count data with generalized Poisson regression," Stata Journal, StataCorp LP, vol. 12(4), pages 736-747, December.
    18. Fred Mawunyo Dzanku, 2018. "Rational But Poor? An Explanation for Rural Economic Livelihood Strategy," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 69(2), pages 365-381, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. María Priscila Ramos & Estefanía Custodio & Sofía Jiménez & Alfredo J. Mainar-Causapé & Pierre Boulanger & Emanuele Ferrari, 2022. "Do agri-food market incentives improve food security and nutrition indicators? a microsimulation evaluation for Kenya," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 14(1), pages 209-227, February.
    2. Wanglin Ma & Puneet Vatsa & Hongyun Zheng & Yanzhi Guo, 2022. "Does online food shopping boost dietary diversity? Application of an endogenous switching model with a count outcome variable," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 10(1), pages 1-19, December.
    3. Burrone, Sara & Giannelli, Gianna Claudia, 2023. "Do Households Where Women Own Land Fare Better for Food Security? Evidence for Tanzania," IZA Discussion Papers 16382, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. McMillan, Kayla & Corr, Seanna & Manko, Karli & Fereno, Christopher & Feryo, Matthew & Shah, Neena & Caffrey, Rachel & Herz, Lori, 2022. "Acceptability of nutritious children’s foods developed for markets in Sierra Leone," African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development (AJFAND), African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development (AJFAND), vol. 22(07).
    5. Cédric Gaillard & Eric O. Verger & Sandrine Dury & Marie Claude Dop & Jalila El Ati & . Medina Study Group, 2022. "Farm production diversity and women's dietary diversity: evidence from central Tunisia," Post-Print hal-03571856, HAL.
    6. Isaac Bonuedi & Lukas Kornher & Nicolas Gerber, 2022. "Agricultural seasonality, market access, and food security in Sierra Leone," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 14(2), pages 471-494, April.
    7. Bai, Yunli & Zeng, Xuanye & Zhang, Linxiu & Song, Yiching & Zeng, Xuanye, 2021. "Domestic decision-making, crop diversity, and household dietary diversity: Evidence from five developing countries in Asia," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315393, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    8. Gazali Issahaku & Lukas Kornher & Abu Hayat Md. Saiful Islam & Awal Abdul-Rahaman, 2023. "Heterogeneous impacts of home-gardening on household food and nutrition security in Rwanda," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 15(3), pages 731-750, June.
    9. Makaiko G. Khonje & Christone Nyondo & Lemekezani Chilora & Julius H. Mangisoni & Jacob Ricker‐Gilbert & William J. Burke, 2022. "Exploring adoption effects of subsidies and soil fertility management in Malawi," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 73(3), pages 874-892, September.
    10. Simphiwe Innocentia Hlatshwayo & Rob Slotow & Mjabuliseni Simon Cloapas Ngidi, 2023. "The Role of Smallholder Farming on Rural Household Dietary Diversity," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-16, February.
    11. van Asselt, Joanna & Useche, Pilar, 2022. "Agricultural commercialization and nutrition; evidence from smallholder coffee farmers," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    12. Mohammed, Feiruz Yimer & Khonje, Makaiko G. & Qaim, Matin, 2024. "Women’s roles in decision-making and nutrition-sensitive agriculture," Sustainable Food Systems Discussion Papers 347962, Georg-August-Universitaet Goettingen, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development.
    13. Mauricio R. Bellon & Gervais Ntandou-Bouzitou & Janet E. Lauderdale & Francesco Caracciolo, 2023. "Combining market and nonmarket food sources provides rural households with more options to achieve better diets in Southern Benin," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 15(2), pages 411-422, April.
    14. Olabisi, Michael & Obekpa, Hephzibah Onyeje & Liverpool-Tasie, Lenis Saweda O., 2021. "Is growing your own food necessary for dietary diversity? Evidence from Nigeria," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    15. Khonje, Makaiko G. & Nyondo, Christone & Mangisoni, Julius H. & Ricker-Gilbert, Jacob & Burke, William J. & Chadza, William & Muyanga, Milu, 2022. "Does subsidizing legume seeds improve farm productivity and nutrition in Malawi?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    16. Otilia Vanessa Cordero-Ahiman & Jorge Leonardo Vanegas & Christian Franco-Crespo & Pablo Beltrán-Romero & María Elena Quinde-Lituma, 2021. "Factors That Determine the Dietary Diversity Score in Rural Households: The Case of the Paute River Basin of Azuay Province, Ecuador," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-16, February.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Muthini, Davis & Nzuma, Jonathan & Qaim, Matin, 2018. "Subsistence Production, Markets, and Dietary Diversity in the Kenyan Small Farm Sector," Department of Agricultural and Rural Development (DARE) Discussion Papers 279791, Georg-August-Universitaet Goettingen, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development (DARE).
    2. Thomas Lemma Argaw & Euan Phimister & Deborah Roberts, 2021. "From Farm to Kitchen: How Gender Affects Production Diversity and the Dietary Intake of Farm Households in Ethiopia," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 72(1), pages 268-292, February.
    3. Eric O. Verger & Cédric Gaillard & Andrew D. Jones & Roseline Remans & Gina Kennedy, 2021. "Construction and Interpretation of Production and Market Metrics Used to Understand Relationships with Dietary Diversity of Rural Smallholder Farming Households," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-21, August.
    4. Tesfaye, Wondimagegn, 2022. "Crop diversification and child malnutrition in rural Ethiopia: Impacts and Pathways," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    5. Lovo, Stefania & Veronesi, Marcella, 2019. "Crop Diversification and Child Health: Empirical Evidence From Tanzania," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 168-179.
    6. Del Prete, Davide & Ghins, Léopold & Magrini, Emiliano & Pauw, Karl, 2019. "Land consolidation, specialization and household diets: Evidence from Rwanda," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 139-149.
    7. Sayla Khandoker & Alka Singh & Shivendra Kumar Srivastava, 2022. "Leveraging farm production diversity for dietary diversity: evidence from national level panel data," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 10(1), pages 1-20, December.
    8. Sven Bergau & Tim K. Loos & Orkhan Sariyev, 2022. "On- and Off-Farm Diversification and Travel Time to Markets: Linkages to Food Security in Rural Ethiopia," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 34(5), pages 2543-2560, October.
    9. Getahun, Tigabu & Fetene, Gebeyehu, 2021. "The Nexus of Production Diversity, Market Participation and Dietary Diversity: Insights from Ethiopia," Discussion Papers 316382, University of Bonn, Center for Development Research (ZEF).
    10. Abedin, Naveen & Haque, Samiul, 2021. "Effectiveness of agricultural diversification in promoting food security," 2021 Annual Meeting, August 1-3, Austin, Texas 313967, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    11. Schneider, Kate R., 2022. "Nationally representative estimates of the cost of adequate diets, nutrient level drivers, and policy options for households in rural Malawi," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    12. Bellon, Mauricio R. & Kotu, Bekele Hundie & Azzarri, Carlo & Caracciolo, Francesco, 2020. "To diversify or not to diversify, that is the question. Pursuing agricultural development for smallholder farmers in marginal areas of Ghana," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    13. Bai, Yunli & Zeng, Xuanye & Zhang, Linxiu & Song, Yiching & Zeng, Xuanye, 2021. "Domestic decision-making, crop diversity, and household dietary diversity: Evidence from five developing countries in Asia," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315393, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    14. Orkhan Sariyev & Tim K. Loos & Ling Yee Khor, 2021. "Intra-household decision-making, production diversity, and dietary quality: a panel data analysis of Ethiopian rural households," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 13(1), pages 181-197, February.
    15. Mauricio R. Bellon & Gervais Ntandou-Bouzitou & Janet E. Lauderdale & Francesco Caracciolo, 2023. "Combining market and nonmarket food sources provides rural households with more options to achieve better diets in Southern Benin," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 15(2), pages 411-422, April.
    16. Kihiu, Evelyne Nyathira & Amuakwa-Mensah, Franklin, 2021. "Agricultural market access and dietary diversity in Kenya: Gender considerations towards improved household nutritional outcomes," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    17. A. Lourme-Ruiz & S. Dury & Y. Martin-Prével, 2021. "Linkages between dietary diversity and indicators of agricultural biodiversity in Burkina Faso," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 13(2), pages 329-349, April.
    18. Tesfaye, Wondimagegn & Tirivayi, Nyasha, 2020. "Crop diversity, household welfare and consumption smoothing under risk: Evidence from rural Uganda," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    19. Chegere, Martin J. & Stage, Jesper, 2020. "Agricultural production diversity, dietary diversity and nutritional status: Panel data evidence from Tanzania," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    20. Sibhatu, Kibrom T. & Qaim, Matin, 2018. "Review: Meta-analysis of the association between production diversity, diets, and nutrition in smallholder farm households," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 1-18.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Nutrition-sensitive agriculture; Malnutrition; Food security; Smallholder farmers; Africa;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I15 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Economic Development
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • Q12 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Micro Analysis of Farm Firms, Farm Households, and Farm Input Markets

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:97:y:2020:i:c:s0306919220301603. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/foodpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.