Determinants of dietary diversity for women of reproductive age (WRA) and under-five children from small-holder farming households in Lesotho

Abstract

Malnutrition is one of the biggest threats to the global community. At household level, women and children are among the most vulnerable groups. It is expected that farming households will have better food security, owing to food production and income generation from selling agricultural produce. This paper sought to assess the dietary diversity and the associated factors thereof on women and children in farming households in Lesotho. Multivariate regression analysis was used to identify the determinants of the dietary diversity scores. The results showed that only 20.6% of the women of reproductive age consumed a minimum of five food groups or more, with a mean dietary diversity score of 5.63. The majority (78%) of under-five children had low dietary diversity (mean = 2.12), as they consumed less that 4 food groups. The regression analysis indicated that women’s age group, household size, household monthly income and being a beneficiary of an agricultural program were associated with women’s dietary diversity. On the other hand, the determinants identified for children’s dietary diversity were education status, gender and marital status of the caretaker. Interventions that aim to improve women and children’s diet quality are still much needed as levels of dietary diversity are not satisfactory. The determinants must also be further explored and considered in development planning. A nutrition-sensitive approach to agricultural programs is important as it capacitates farming households on both agricultural production and nutrition that are needed. Nutrition-sensitive agriculture maximises the contribution of agriculture to yield nutrition outcomes.