IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/ragrxx/v54y2015i3p62-86.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Association between irrigated farming and improved nutrition in farm households in Malawi

Author

Listed:
  • Todd Benson

Abstract

More intensive use of Malawi's water and agricultural land resources through increased irrigation is expected to enable Malawians gain greater access to more food and a more diverse range of foods. The nutritional status of the nutritionally vulnerable in Malawian communities should improve in consequence. However, there is little evidence from Malawi or elsewhere to confirm whether irrigation improves nutritional status at household level. Using data from the Third Malawi Integrated Household Survey of 2010/11 , this article presents a basic assessment of whether increased use of irrigated farming by smallholders in Malawi might result in better nutritional outcomes for children in Malawian farm households and more diverse diets in these households. The association between the use of irrigation by farm households and the growth performance of their children aged six months to five years was positive but weak and not significant (P>0.05). The positive association between irrigated farming and the diversity in the foods consumed by farm households was somewhat stronger and significant (P>0.05). In particular, irrigation is shown to be an important component in reducing seasonality in household dietary diversity.

Suggested Citation

  • Todd Benson, 2015. "Association between irrigated farming and improved nutrition in farm households in Malawi," Agrekon, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(3), pages 62-86, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:ragrxx:v:54:y:2015:i:3:p:62-86
    DOI: 10.1080/03031853.2015.1084940
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/03031853.2015.1084940
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/03031853.2015.1084940?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version below or search for a different version of it.

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Domenech, Laia & Ringler, Claudia, 2013. "The impact of irrigation on nutrition, health, and gender: A review paper with insights for Africa south of the Sahara," IFPRI discussion papers 1259, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    2. Kabunga, Nassul S., 2014. "Improved dairy cows in Uganda: Pathways to poverty alleviation and improved child nutrition:," IFPRI discussion papers 1328, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    3. Verduzco-Gallo, à ñigo & Ecker, Olivier & Pauw, Karl, 2014. "Changes in food and nutrition security in Malawi: Analysis of recent survey evidence," MaSSP working papers 6, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    4. Verduzco-Gallo, Íñigo & Ecker, Olivier & Pauw, Karl, 2014. "Changes in food and nutrition security in Malawi: Analysis of recent survey evidence:," MaSSP working papers 6, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    5. Burney, Jennifer A. & Naylor, Rosamond L., 2012. "Smallholder Irrigation as a Poverty Alleviation Tool in Sub-Saharan Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(1), pages 110-123.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Simone Passarelli & Dawit Mekonnen & Elizabeth Bryan & Claudia Ringler, 2018. "Evaluating the pathways from small-scale irrigation to dietary diversity: evidence from Ethiopia and Tanzania," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 10(4), pages 981-997, August.
    2. Thinah Moyo, 2024. "Smallholder Irrigation and Rural Livelihoods in Limpopo Province of South Africa: What is the Contribution to Household Food Security and Income?," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 8(2), pages 1241-1259, February.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. repec:ags:ijag24:346843 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Matita, Mirriam & Chiwaula, Levison & Wadonda Chirwa, Ephraim & Mazalale, Jacob & Walls, Helen, 2022. "Subsidizing improved legume seeds for increased household dietary diversity: Evidence from Malawi’s Farm Input Subsidy Programme with implications for addressing malnutrition in all its forms," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    3. Fabiana Natali & Giacomo Branca, 2020. "On positive externalities from irrigated agriculture and their policy implications: An overview," Economia agro-alimentare, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 22(2), pages 1-25.
    4. Sibande, L., 2018. "Implementation dilemma of agricultural policies: Trade-offs or synergies? Food and nutrition security implications of extension services and farm input subsidies," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277166, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    5. Domènech, Laia, 2015. "Is reliable water access the solution to undernutrition? A review of the potential of irrigation to solve nutrition and gender gaps in Africa South of the Sahara:," IFPRI discussion papers 1428, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    6. Babu, Suresh & Haggblade, Steven & Mkandawire, Elizabeth & Nankhuni, Flora & Hendriks, Sheryl L., 2016. "Micronutrient Policy Process In Malawi," Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security Policy Research Papers 259524, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics, Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security (FSP).
    7. Higgins, Daniel & Arslan, Aslihan & Winters, Paul, 2021. "What role can small-scale irrigation play in promoting inclusive rural transformation? Evidence from smallholder rice farmers in the Philippines," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 243(C).
    8. Faye, Amy & von Braun, Joachim, 2024. "Small-Scale Irrigation in the Sahel: Adoption Trends, Profitability, and Challenges," Discussion Papers 348393, University of Bonn, Center for Development Research (ZEF).
    9. Nelson Mango & Clifton Makate & Lulseged Tamene & Powell Mponela & Gift Ndengu, 2018. "Adoption of Small-Scale Irrigation Farming as a Climate-Smart Agriculture Practice and Its Influence on Household Income in the Chinyanja Triangle, Southern Africa," Land, MDPI, vol. 7(2), pages 1-19, April.
    10. Kelly Sharp & Hisham Zerriffi & Philippe Billon, 2020. "Land scarcity, resettlement and food security: Assessing the effect of voluntary resettlement on diet quality in Malawi," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 12(1), pages 191-205, February.
    11. George Kyriakarakos & Athanasios T. Balafoutis & Dionysis Bochtis, 2020. "Proposing a Paradigm Shift in Rural Electrification Investments in Sub-Saharan Africa through Agriculture," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-19, April.
    12. Sovacool, Benjamin K. & Bazilian, Morgan & Griffiths, Steve & Kim, Jinsoo & Foley, Aoife & Rooney, David, 2021. "Decarbonizing the food and beverages industry: A critical and systematic review of developments, sociotechnical systems and policy options," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    13. Maren Radeny & Elizaphan J. O. Rao & Maurice Juma Ogada & John W. Recha & Dawit Solomon, 2022. "Impacts of climate-smart crop varieties and livestock breeds on the food security of smallholder farmers in Kenya," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 14(6), pages 1511-1535, December.
    14. Charles Yaw Okyere & Ama Asantewah Ahene-Codjoe, 2022. "Irrigated Agriculture and Welfare: Panel Data Evidence from Southern Ghana," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 34(2), pages 583-610, April.
    15. Li, Jiaxin & Wang, Zihan & Cheng, Xin & Shuai, Jing & Shuai, Chuanmin & Liu, Jing, 2020. "Has solar PV achieved the national poverty alleviation goals? Empirical evidence from the performances of 52 villages in rural China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 201(C).
    16. Ulrik Beck & Karl Pauw & Richard Mussa, 2015. "Methods matter: The sensitivity of Malawian poverty estimates to definitions, data, and assumptions," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2015-126, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    17. Ruel, Marie T. & Quisumbing, Agnes R. & Balagamwala, Mysbah, 2017. "Nutrition-sensitive agriculture: What have we learned and where do we go from here?:," IFPRI discussion papers 1681, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    18. Joyce Chitja & Cobus J. Botha & Muthulisi Siwela & Fhatuwani Nixwell Mudau, 2022. "The Effect of Agronomic Management on Micronutrients of Vegetables Grown by Smallholders in Free State and KwaZulu-Natal Provinces of South Africa," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-13, October.
    19. Simone Passarelli & Dawit Mekonnen & Elizabeth Bryan & Claudia Ringler, 2018. "Evaluating the pathways from small-scale irrigation to dietary diversity: evidence from Ethiopia and Tanzania," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 10(4), pages 981-997, August.
    20. Chandni Singh & James Ford & Debora Ley & Amir Bazaz & Aromar Revi, 2020. "Assessing the feasibility of adaptation options: methodological advancements and directions for climate adaptation research and practice," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 162(2), pages 255-277, September.
    21. Mwangi, Joseph Kanyua & Crewett, Wibke, 2019. "The impact of irrigation on small-scale African indigenous vegetable growers’ market access in peri-urban Kenya," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 295-305.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:taf:ragrxx:v:54:y:2015:i:3:p:62-86. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/ragr20 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.