Engagement in Agriculture Protects Against Food Insecurity and Malnutrition in Peri-Urban Nepal

Urban Farm DB summary

This cross-sectional study examined whether agricultural activity among a peri-urban population in Bhaktapur district, Nepal, was associated with household food security, household and maternal dietary diversity, and nutritional outcomes for children and women. A survey of 344 mother-child pairs collected data on household agricultural practices, livestock ownership, food security, dietary diversity and expenditures, anthropometric measurements of children aged 5-6, maternal BMI, and maternal anemia, with adjusted and unadjusted odds ratios (AOR) calculated via logistic regression. Cultivation of land was associated with lower odds of child stunting (AOR: 0.55; 95% CI: 0.33-0.93) and household food insecurity (AOR: 0.33; 95% CI: 0.18-0.63), but not with maternal BMI or anemia. Livestock ownership (mostly chickens) was associated with lower food insecurity (AOR: 0.34; 95% CI: 0.16-0.73) but not with nutrition outcomes. Women in farming households ate green leafy vegetables significantly more often than women in nonfarming households, and children in households that grew vegetables had lower odds of stunting than children in households that cultivated land but did not grow vegetables (AOR: 0.49; 95% CI: 0.25-0.98). Given Nepal's rapid urbanization, the study states more attention is needed on the potential role of peri-urban agriculture in shaping diets and nutrition.