Household consumption and demand for bean in Uganda: Determinants and implications for nutrition security

Pulses are vital for nutrition security and considered a cost-effective option for improving the diets of low-income consumers in developing countries. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest proportion of people living in extreme poverty and highest per capita pulse consumption in the world. Most studies on pulse demand have largely depended on aggregated data at regional level and there is little information on household level consumption patterns across sub-population groups within the same geographical location. This study uses the most recently collected LSMS-ISA data in Uganda, which is nationally representative, to analyze household food demand, with a focus on bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) consumption in order to unmask differences between poorer and better-off households in urban and rural areas. An augmented Quadratic Almost Ideal Demand System (QUAIDS), accounting for censoring, is used to estimate household food demand, where bean is included as its own food group. Household spending on bean increases with wealth but food budget share spent on bean declines with wealth. As household expenditure increases, demand for bean increases, however the magnitude of this increment decreases as income rises and is of smaller magnitude in urban areas; an indication that urbanization has led to changes in consumer preferences. Demand for bean among rural and urban poor households is more responsive to changes in price compared with urban non-poor households, making the former more vulnerable to price volatility.