Person: Kassie, M.
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Kassie
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M.
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Kassie, M.
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0000-0002-5898-3877 2 results
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- Farm production, market access and dietary diversity in Malawi(Cambridge University Press, 2016) Koppmair, S.; Kassie, M.; Qaim, M.The association between farm production diversity and dietary diversity in rural smallholder households was recently analysed. Most existing studies build on household-level dietary diversity indicators calculated from 7d food consumption recalls. Herein, this association is revisited with individual-level 24 h recall data. The robustness of the results is tested by comparing household- and individual-level estimates. The role of other factors that may influence dietary diversity, such as market access and agricultural technology, is also analysed. Design A survey of smallholder farm households was carried out in Malawi in 2014. Dietary diversity scores are calculated from 24 h recall data. Production diversity scores are calculated from farm production data covering a period of 12 months. Individual- and household-level regression models are developed and estimated. Setting Data were collected in sixteen districts of central and southern Malawi. Subjects Smallholder farm households (n 408), young children (n 519) and mothers (n 408). Results Farm production diversity is positively associated with dietary diversity. However, the estimated effects are small. Access to markets for buying food and selling farm produce and use of chemical fertilizers are shown to be more important for dietary diversity than diverse farm production. Results with household- and individual-level dietary data are very similar. Conclusions Further increasing production diversity may not be the most effective strategy to improve diets in smallholder farm households. Improving access to markets, productivity-enhancing inputs and technologies seems to be more promising.
Publication - Pathways to sustainable intensification in Eastern and Southern Africa: looking forward, achieving impact(CIMMYT, 2016) Marenya, P.P.; Kassie, M.Nearly a decade and a half into the 21st century, hunger and malnutrition are still harsh realities for more than one billion people around the world. In addition to this, the challenge of feeding a growing world population that is projected to reach 9 billion by 2050 has to be met despite a declining resource base and in particular dwindling supplies of water and land. Achieving this challenge while protecting the natural ecosystem that supports agriculture and other human needs will involve finding smarter ways to produce more with less. To do this in ways that create opportunities for those on land, earning only a meagre income, is no easy task.
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