Does household participation in food markets increase dietary diversity? Evidence from rural Malawi

This is the final version. Available on open access from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordFood markets have been found to be, in many settings, important in shaping diets and nutritional outcomes. However, more evidence and improved metrics are needed to understand these relationships. We examined relationships between food market participation and household dietary diversity in populations of rural Malawi facing hunger and poor nutrition. We analysed, using Poisson regression, survey data from 400 households in two districts of rural Malawi in post-harvest and lean seasons of 2017/18. We also developed a new metric of food purchases to support our examination of food market participation. The findings include clear associations between food purchase diversity and household dietary diversity, and suggest households engaging more with food markets are more likely to have diversified diets and better nutrition.Drivers of Food Choice (DFC) Competitive Grants ProgramsUK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development OfficeBill & Melinda Gates Foundatio

Food choice responses to changes in the price of a staple crop: a discrete choice experiment of maize in rural Malawi

Price and affordability are important drivers of food choice, particularly for rural smallholder farming households in Malawi, experiencing extreme poverty, food insecurity, and lack of dietary diversity. Lowering the cost of staple crops such as maize targeted by agricultural input subsidy programmes (AISPs) may potentially increase consumption of the staple crop, but it might also lead to consumption of a more diverse range of foods. Using a discrete choice experiment, this study investigated food choice responses to changes in maize price in rural Malawi. Study participants (n = 400) were given a series of choice tasks for which they were asked to choose between food baskets with varying cost, reflecting local prices and with maize at both high and low price. Baskets contained different types of foods including maize, rice, cabbage, small-dried fish, and/or a soft drink. The data were analysed using mixed logit models including investigation of heterogenous effects based on socio-demographic characteristics, food security and actual market purchases. Individuals revealed a preference, as expected, for lower cost food baskets. Small-dried fish and cabbage were the highest valued food products. At a low cost of maize, the expected utility from a basket with maize was greater than a basket with other items, particularly among households with high- and low-food purchases, low socioeconomic status, living in Phalombe District, and experiencing food insecurity, indicating that among such populations a low price of maize will not necessarily lead to increases in dietary diversity. In contrast, among households living in Lilongwe District, with high SES and food secure, a lower maize price will not lead to a loss in dietary diversity as they prefer a basket containing non-maize products over maize. The findings suggest that achieving food security and dietary diversity may require a range of policy approaches addressing different pathways of impact as opposed to relying on subsidizing inputs for staple crop production

Aflatoxin risk management in commercial groundnut products in Malawi (Sub-Saharan Africa): a call for a more socially responsible industry

This study was performed as a follow-up to a study from 2013, to assess the impact of management interventions on aflatoxin incidence and levels in commercial groundnut products in Malawi. Sixty-seven samples of commercial groundnut products were analyzed for aflatoxin using a fluorometric method. Total aflatoxin levels ranged from 1.5 to 1200 μg/kg in raw groundnuts and 83–820 μg/kg in groundnut flour from vendors. In branded groundnut flour and peanut butter from supermarkets, aflatoxin levels ranged from 13 to 670 μg/kg and 1.3 to 180 μg/kg, respectively. About 93, 88, 78 and 72% of the samples analyzed contained aflatoxin levels above regulatory limit used in Malawi (3 μg/kg), EU (4 μg/kg), most developing countries (10 μg/kg), and the USA (20 μg/kg), respectively. Despite much effort, aflatoxin levels remain persistently high in commercial groundnut. Considering the difficulty of achieving an efficient government regulation system due to resource constraint, the authors recommend the promotion of a socially responsible groundnut processing industry that has consumer welfare as its central feature

How effectively might agricultural input subsidies improve nutrition? A case study of Malawi’s Farm Input Subsidy Programme (FISP)

Agricultural input subsidy programmes (AISP) are often considered an important means of improving agricultural productivity and food security in developing countries. However, the impact of AISP on food choice and nutrition is unclear, not least because staple crops targeted tend to be calorie-dense but nutrient-poor. AISP targeting maize, for example, may increase maize production and consumption and reduce intake of nutrient-rich foods. Alternatively, a fall in maize prices may enable consumers to purchase other goods including other food items. Using mixed-methods approaches, this paper examines the impact of a prominent AISP, Malawi’s Farm Input Subsidy Program (FISP), on overall food choice. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. Quantitative data were collected through household, individual and market surveys, and a discrete-choice experiment. Hypothesised impact pathways from AISP to food choice and dietary diversity, and prior literature, suggest Malawi’s FISP could be contributing to improved dietary diversity. However, analyses from our surveys, discrete-choice experiment, interviews, and focus group discussions do not suggest any significant FISP impact on food choices and dietary diversity. Our findings suggest this lack of impact could be due to how the FISP policy is designed and implemented – but that even with changes, as with the Affordable Inputs Programme which replaced the FISP in 2020, it may still be an inefficient means of addressing dietary diversity in rural Malawi. The results highlight issues needing consideration by policymakers and the agri-nutrition community to advance discussion and research for how best to design AISP and other public policy to address malnutrition in all its forms