Crop diversity, sustainable food and nutritional security among smallholder farmers in Ghana
ISSN: 0007-070X
Article publication date: 7 August 2023
Issue publication date: 14 November 2023
Abstract
Purpose
The nexus between sustainable agri-food production and food security outcomes of farm households in sub-Saharan Africa is attracting policy attention. This study analyzes the effects of crop diversity on the incidence of food scarcity, dietary diversity, and the sale and consumption of own crops.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses panel data collected in 2015 and 2018 on a randomly selected sample of 2553 households from 49 villages in northern Ghana. The study employed a fixed effects modeling approach in the empirical analysis.
Findings
The study finds that crop diversity is positively associated with better dietary diversity, reduced hunger, lower food expenditure, and higher consumption of own produce. The results show positive effects of crop diversity on the total harvested output and sale of agricultural production. Whilst sales improved sustainable food and nutrition security by providing purchasing power to buy nutritional inputs in the market, consumption of own produce rather improved food availability by reducing food scarcity and malnutrition.
Practical implications
Crop diversity is one of the pathways for promoting sustainable agri-food production systems to ensure the food and nutritional security of vulnerable populations and promote biodiversity to achieve environmental goals in sub-Saharan Africa. Crop diversity reduces food expenditure and raises rural incomes through improved outputs and sales, which empowers farm households to diversify their dietary options to be able to overcome incidences of hunger and malnutrition in periods of food scarcity.
Originality/value
The present study improves the understanding of sustainable agri-food production through crop diversity and its implications on food and nutrition security outcomes. The panel data and fixed effects modelling approach address the endogeneity problem between crop diversity and household tastes and preferences.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This paper forms part of a special section “Promoting Sustainable Food Production: Challenges, Practices, Impacts, and Solutions”, guest edited by Wanglin Ma, Hung-Hao Chang, Victor Owusu, Puneet Vatsa and Hery Toiba.
Since acceptance of this article, the following author(s) have updated their affiliations: Raymond Boadi Fremmpong is a member of Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence, University of Bayreuth.
Citation
Fremmpong, R.B., Gross, E. and Owusu, V. (2023), "Crop diversity, sustainable food and nutritional security among smallholder farmers in Ghana", British Food Journal, Vol. 125 No. 12, pp. 4372-4395. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-12-2022-1060
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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