Linking Farm Production To Household Diets: Evidence From Two Low Potential Areas In Kenya

Despite the role played by small-scale farmers in agricultural production, majority of these farmers' households in developing countries consume diets that are of low quality. This consumption of poor quality diets is a major factor contributing to the high burden of malnutrition. Farm enterprise diversification as one of nutrition-sensitive agriculture interventions, improve nutritional status by supporting consumption of nutritious foods. This study aimed at examining the role of farm enterprise diversity on household diet quality among small-scale farmers in two low potential areas in Kenya. The cross-sectional study targeted 320 randomly selected small-scale farmers' households in Makueni and Nyando Sub-Counties and semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect data. From the results, livestock count had a positive significant effect on household diet quality at 5% significance level. This finding indicates that household dietary diversity (HDD) can also be achieved through the income pathway since people can purchase a variety of other foods from the market using the income they earn. Thus, there is a need to sensitize small-scale farmers on the importance of producing a variety of crops and animal species for household consumption and sale for improved HDD.