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How does adopting hybrid maize affect dietary diversity on family farms? Micro-evidence from Zambia

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  • Smale, Melinda
  • Moursi, Mourad
  • Birol, Ekin

Abstract

Maize dominates as a staple food in Zambia, where the government has for many years promoted hybrid seed use in order to enhance the food self-sufficiency of poor rural families. Despite the policy importance of household nutrition in Zambia, we are not aware of any recent analyses that have related the use of hybrid seed to diets among smallholder maize growers. Previous research has demonstrated a linkage between indices of dietary diversity and healthy diets among women and children. We estimate two-stage, instrumental variables, Poisson, and ordered logit regression models to test the association between hybrid seed use and four indicators of dietary diversity: food group diversity (24-h), vitamin A diversity (7-day), food frequency (7-day), and frequency of consuming foods fortified with vitamin A (7-day). Results are robust to econometric method and indicator: women interviewed in maize-growing households that plant hybrid seed have more diverse diets.

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  • Smale, Melinda & Moursi, Mourad & Birol, Ekin, 2015. "How does adopting hybrid maize affect dietary diversity on family farms? Micro-evidence from Zambia," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 44-53.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:52:y:2015:i:c:p:44-53
    DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2015.03.001
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    2. Larson,Donald F. & Muraoka,Rie & Otsuka,Keijiro, 2016. "On the central role of small farms in African rural development strategies," Policy Research Working Paper Series 7710, The World Bank.
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    13. Kwon, Daye & Myers, Robert J. & Mason, Nicole M., 2022. "How do input subsidy programs affect smallholder households’ dietary diversity? Evidence from Zambia," 2022 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Anaheim, California 322493, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
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    16. Chekenya, Nixon S. & Yenibehit, Nanii & Dzingirai, Canicio, 2024. "Determinants of crop abandonment by smallholder maize farmers in Zambia," Agrekon, Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA), vol. 63(3), September.
    17. Teklewold, Hailemariam & Gebrehiwot, Tagel & Ayele, Mintewab, 2018. "The Impact of Multiple Climate Smart Practices on Gender Differentiated Nutrition Outcomes: Panel Data Evidence from Ethiopia," EfD Discussion Paper 18-14, Environment for Development, University of Gothenburg.
    18. Aloyce R. Kaliba & Anne G. Gongwe & Kizito Mazvimavi & Ashagre Yigletu, 2021. "Impact of Adopting Improved Seeds on Access to Broader Food Groups Among Small-Scale Sorghum Producers in Tanzania," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(1), pages 21582440209, January.
    19. Enid M. Katungi & Catherine Larochelle & Josephat R. Mugabo & Robin Buruchara, 2018. "The effect of climbing bean adoption on the welfare of smallholder common bean growers in Rwanda," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 10(1), pages 61-79, February.
    20. Darrouzet-Nardi, Amelia F. & Miller, Laurie C. & Joshi, Neena & Mahato, Shubh & Lohani, Mahendra & Rogers, Beatrice L., 2016. "Child dietary quality in rural Nepal: Effectiveness of a community-level development intervention," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 185-197.
    21. Tesfaye, Wondimagegn, 2022. "Crop diversification and child malnutrition in rural Ethiopia: Impacts and Pathways," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
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