Journal Article

The impact of a Solar Market Garden programme on dietary diversity, women’s nutritional status and micronutrient levels in Kalalé district of northern Benin

Taren, Douglas, Burney, Jennifer, Alaofè, Halimatou, Naylor, Rosamond

2019

Overview

To examine the impacts of a Solar Market Garden 1-year solar-powered drip irrigation (SMG) programme in Kalalé district of northern Benin on mothers' nutritional status and micronutrient levels. Using a quasi-experimental design, sixteen villages were assigned to four groups: (i) SMG women's groups (WG); (ii) comparison WG; (iii) SMG non-WG (NWG); and (iv) comparison NWG. Difference-in-differences (DID) estimates were used to assess impacts on mothers' food consumption, diversity, BMI, prevalence of underweight (BMI < 18·5 kg/m2) and anaemia, and deficiencies of iron (ID) and vitamin A (VAD). Kalalé district, northern Benin. Non-pregnant mothers aged 15-49 years (n 1737). The SMG programme significantly increased mothers' intake of vegetables (DID = 25·31 percentage points (pp); P < 0·01), dietary diversity (DID = 0·74; P < 0·01) and marginally increased their intake of flesh foods (DID = 10·14 pp; P < 0·1). Mean BMI was significantly increased among SMG WG compared with the other three groups (DID = 0·44 kg/m2; P < 0·05). The SMG programme also significantly decreased the prevalence of anaemia (DID = 12·86 pp; P < 0·01) but no impacts were found for the prevalence of underweight, ID and VAD. Improving mothers' dietary intake and anaemia prevalence supports the need to integrate gender-based agriculture to improve nutritional status. However, it may take more than a year, and additional nutrition and health programmes, to impact the prevalence of maternal underweight, ID and VAD.

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Subject: Adolescent / Adult / Agricultural Irrigation - methods / Agricultural production / Agriculture / Anemia / Anemia, Iron-Deficiency - epidemiology / Benin / Benin - epidemiology / body mass index / Crops / Design of experiments / Diet / Diet - methods / Dietary intake / Drip irrigation / empirical research / Farmers / Female / Food / Food consumption / Food intake / Food supply / foods / Gardening / gardens / Gardens & gardening / Horticulture / Households / Humans / Iron / Iron - blood / Iron deficiency / Irrigation / Malnutrition / Markets / maternal nutrition / microirrigation / Micronutrients - blood / Middle Aged / Mothers / Multiculturalism & pluralism / Nutrition / Nutritional Status / Research Paper / Seasons / Solar Energy / Surveys and Questionnaires / Thinness - epidemiology / Underweight / Vegetables / villages / Vitamin A / Vitamin A - blood / Vitamin A Deficiency - epidemiology / women / Womens health / Young Adult