Seasonal variation in maternal dietary diversity is reduced by small‐scale irrigation practices: A longitudinal study

Abstract

Some agricultural practices, such as irrigation, have the potential to buffer seasonal dietary gaps and through increased production and consumption improve diets, particularly of the rural poor relying on subsistence farming but also for rural and urban households purchasing irrigated produce on local markets. The study aimed to evaluate the effect of seasonality and irrigation on women's diet in rural Ethiopia. Using a longitudinal study design, three rounds of surveys were conducted among women of reproductive age (15-49 years). Data on socioeconomic status, food consumption and haemoglobin concentration was collected. Energy and nutrient intakes were estimated using an interviewer-administered multiple-pass 24-h recall. Women's dietary diversity score (WDDS), the proportion of women meeting the minimum dietary diversity for women (MDDW), haemoglobin concentration, the prevalence of anaemia and energy and nutrients intakes were compared between irrigators and nonirrigators and by season. Associations between MDDW/WDDS and irrigation status were assessed using fixed-effect models, after adjusting for covariates. WDDS was low (3-4 out of 10 food groups) and exhibited high seasonal variability (p < 0.05). Diets were predominantly cereal-based, with little consumption of nutrient-dense foods like fruits and animal source foods. High seasonal variability in energy, protein, vitamin C, calcium, iron and zinc intakes were observed (p < 0.01). Irrigators were more likely to meet the MDDW than women from non-irrigating households (p < 0.05). No cases of malaria were reported from the three rounds of screening. There is a high seasonal variation in women's diet, but this could be partly offset by irrigation practices.

Seasonality and Day-to-Day Variability of Dietary Diversity: Longitudinal Study of Pregnant Women Enrolled in a Randomized Controlled Efficacy Trial in Rural Burkina Faso

“…Prior analyses of the seasonality of individual- or household-level dietary diversity range from (fixed- or mixed-effects) regression ( 19 , 33–39 ) to time-series summaries of (bi)monthly ( 19 , 40 , 41 ) or seasonal values ( 34 , 39 , 42–52 ), followed by the fit of a regression model that takes a 12-month periodicity (annual model) into account ( 8 , 40 ), and models including an interaction term between dietary diversity indices and survey timing to assess effect modification on nutrient intake ( 47 , 54 , 55 ). However, those methods can lead to over-parameterization or may introduce abrupt changes by the arbitrary choice of seasonal cutoffs (e.g., lean compared with plenty).…”

Irrigation as a Crucial Tool for the Attainment of Sustainable Development Goals through Hunger and Poverty Alleviation in Ethiopia: A Review

“…Irrigation also improves maternal dietary and nutritional status of children. Women from households that practiced irrigation in Robit and Dangila districts of the Amhara region had a higher dietary diversity coupled with higher vitamin C and calcium intakes compared to women from non-irrigating households (Baye et al 2021). Irrigation also improved dietary diversity of women from households that allegedly encountered drought by around 9% in Ethiopia (Mekonnen et al 2022).…”

Trends in Irrigated Crop Production in Ethiopia During the Period of Sustainable Development Goals

“…Irrigation also reduced seasonal variation in maternal dietary diversity in a study conducted in watersheds of Robit and Dangila districts of the Amhara region. Women from households that practiced irrigation had a higher dietary diversity coupled with higher vitamin C and calcium intakes compared to women in non-irrigating households of these districts [53]. This helps in the realization of the SDGs as it provides women with nutritious food, keeping mothers as well as their babies healthy.…”