Effects of contract farming on diets and nutrition in Ghana

Abstract

Contract farming gained importance in many developing countries. While effects of contracting on smallholder farmers' incomes were analyzed in previous studies, diet and nutrition effects are not yet well understood. Here, we examine the effects of contract farming on dietary diversity and child anthropometrics, using survey data from the palm oil sector in Ghana. Contracting improves smallholder nutrition, but the effects vary by contract type. We distinguish between marketing contracts and resource-providing contracts that affect household labor use and gender roles differently. For both contract types, contracting female farmers has larger positive child nutrition effects than contracting male farmers.