Vol. 10 (5) : September-October 2019 issue
Green Farming Vol. 10 (5) : 651-655 ; September-October, 2019
Relationship between production diversity and dietary diversity : Evidence from different farm size group
K.D. VIJAYALAXMI1* and K.B. UMESH2
Department of Agriculture, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bengaluru - 560 065 (Karnataka)
Designation : 1Ph.D. Scholar *(vijayalaxmikhed39@gmail.com), 2Professor
Subject : Agriculture Extension Education
Paper No. : P-7707
Total Pages : 5
Received : 17 August 2019
Revised accepted : 05 September 2019
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Citation :
K.D. VIJAYALAXMI and K.B. UMESH. 2019. Relationship between production diversity and dietary diversity : Evidence from different farm size group. Green Farming Vol. 10 (5) : 651-655 ; September-October, 2019
ABSTRACT
The level of diversity in household diets is an indirect measure of diet quality and the extent to which nutritional needs of households are being met. There is also a positive relationship between dietary diversity and the three pillars of food security, viz., availability, access and utilization. Hence, the study has examined the link between production and consumption diversity of different farm size households in Semi-Arid Tropics of India. The household level panel data collected by International Crop Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is used for this study. Regression results show that on-farm production diversity is positively associated with dietary diversity. The larger family size with better educated household heads fared well on dietary diversity scores. Access to the Public Distribution System (PDS) also contributed to enhancement of dietary diversity through an indirect route, as PDS beneficiaries are better able to afford diverse food items. These results suggest that increasing on-farm diversity is one of the effective way to improve dietary diversity of farm households. From the point of policy, it is therefore important to focus interventions on improving dietary diversity and nutrition security with proper understanding of the production system and socio-economic setting of the households.
Key words :
Diet diversity, Farm households, Farm production diversity, Farm size groups, PDS.