Irrigated farming and improved nutrition in Malawian farm households
This chapter provides selected findings from an assessment of whether increased use in the dry season of irrigated farming by smallholders in Malawi might improve household-level dietary diversity or child nutrition outcomes. We find no strong association between the use of irrigation by farm househ...
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| Format: | Book Chapter |
| Language: | Inglés |
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International Food Policy Research Institute
2018
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/147306 |
| _version_ | 1855519820068421632 |
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| author | Benson, Todd |
| author_browse | Benson, Todd |
| author_facet | Benson, Todd |
| author_sort | Benson, Todd |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | This chapter provides selected findings from an assessment of whether increased use in the dry season of irrigated farming by smallholders in Malawi might improve household-level dietary diversity or child nutrition outcomes. We find no strong association between the use of irrigation by farm households in Malawi and the growth performance of those households’ children. However, we do find that irrigating households tend to have more diverse diets than households that do not irrigate, leading to the hypothesis that irrigation enables households to produce a wider range of crops for home consumption than they can with purely rainfed production. In line with these results, we also find that irrigation reduces the negative effects of seasonal food insecurity. The insight we take from these findings is that one of the principal contributions that irrigation can make to improved nutrition outcomes, particularly for subsistence farming households, is to ensure reliable, year-round access to a diverse diet that facilitates access to micronutrient-rich foods, such as vegetables. |
| format | Book Chapter |
| id | CGSpace147306 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| publishDateRange | 2018 |
| publishDateSort | 2018 |
| publisher | International Food Policy Research Institute |
| publisherStr | International Food Policy Research Institute |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1473062025-11-06T03:56:38Z Irrigated farming and improved nutrition in Malawian farm households Benson, Todd child nutrition impact capacity development agriculture smallholders nutrition irrigation food security food prices poverty diet diversification dietary diversity This chapter provides selected findings from an assessment of whether increased use in the dry season of irrigated farming by smallholders in Malawi might improve household-level dietary diversity or child nutrition outcomes. We find no strong association between the use of irrigation by farm households in Malawi and the growth performance of those households’ children. However, we do find that irrigating households tend to have more diverse diets than households that do not irrigate, leading to the hypothesis that irrigation enables households to produce a wider range of crops for home consumption than they can with purely rainfed production. In line with these results, we also find that irrigation reduces the negative effects of seasonal food insecurity. The insight we take from these findings is that one of the principal contributions that irrigation can make to improved nutrition outcomes, particularly for subsistence farming households, is to ensure reliable, year-round access to a diverse diet that facilitates access to micronutrient-rich foods, such as vegetables. 2018-02-22 2024-06-21T09:13:07Z 2024-06-21T09:13:07Z Book Chapter https://hdl.handle.net/10568/147306 en https://doi.org/10.2499/9780896292864 Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Benson, Todd. 2018. Irrigated farming and improved nutrition in Malawian farm households. In Agriculture, food security, and nutrition in Malawi: Leveraging the links, eds. Noora-Lisa Aberman, Janice Meerman, and Todd Benson. Chapter 6, Pp. 61-66. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://hdl.handle.net/10568/147306 |
| spellingShingle | child nutrition impact capacity development agriculture smallholders nutrition irrigation food security food prices poverty diet diversification dietary diversity Benson, Todd Irrigated farming and improved nutrition in Malawian farm households |
| title | Irrigated farming and improved nutrition in Malawian farm households |
| title_full | Irrigated farming and improved nutrition in Malawian farm households |
| title_fullStr | Irrigated farming and improved nutrition in Malawian farm households |
| title_full_unstemmed | Irrigated farming and improved nutrition in Malawian farm households |
| title_short | Irrigated farming and improved nutrition in Malawian farm households |
| title_sort | irrigated farming and improved nutrition in malawian farm households |
| topic | child nutrition impact capacity development agriculture smallholders nutrition irrigation food security food prices poverty diet diversification dietary diversity |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/147306 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT bensontodd irrigatedfarmingandimprovednutritioninmalawianfarmhouseholds |