Understanding the link between smallholder farm production diversity and market participation in shaping household dietary diversity in rural Tigray, northern Ethiopia
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Date
2025
Authors
Gashie, Tsegay Balcha
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Publisher
University College Cork
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Abstract
Smallholders have long been the focus of development research for many reasons. They constitute a substantial segment of the population in developing countries, mainly cultivating less than two hectares of land, producing and supplying most of the food to local markets, and consuming a significant portion of their food production. Despite this, food insecurity, malnutrition, and hunger disproportionately affect them. The factors contributing to this include low levels of production, weak market linkages, and limited access to diverse foods.
Increasing farm production diversity and market access have been proposed as crucial strategies to enhance smallholder dietary diversity. In addition, commercialization is recognized as a key strategy to increase smallholder productivity and income, which can also increase availability and accessibility of dietary diversity. Debates persist, however, regarding the effectiveness of the proposed strategies due to the context-specific nature of farm production diversity, market access, and dietary diversity, around the relative importance of farm production diversity versus market access in influencing smallholder dietary diversity, and whether low or high farm production diversity increases smallholder commercialization.
This research aims to contribute to these debates using data from a survey conducted in rural Tigray in northern Ethiopia. Primary data was collected from a cross-sectional household survey of 396 smallholder farmers in Tigray in September–October 2020. Smallholders in Tigray, like others in sub-Saharan Africa, are primarily dependent on agriculture for their livelihood, and they are among the highly deprived populations by all standards of malnutrition. Mixed methods approach used, and data were collected using multistage stratified simple random and purposive sampling methods. The quantitative research used descriptive statistics, Ordinary Least Squares, Poisson, and Structural Equation Modelling econometric methods of analysis, while the qualitative research relied on thematic analysis methods to arrive at the findings.
The findings indicate that both market access and farm production diversity are major influences of smallholder household dietary diversity. Market access and farm production diversity have a complementary non-linear effect on household dietary diversity. The nonlinear effect signals that each unit increases in market access or farm production diversity, or both may not bring an equal increase in household dietary diversity.
Using simultaneous equation analysis, a bidirectional link between commercialization and smallholder farm production diversity is revealed. Farm production diversity influences commercialization, and likewise, commercialization also influences farm production diversity. Social protection programs such as food transfer and PSNP foods contribute notably to dietary diversity, particularly for the poorest households. This highlights the necessity for targeted, sustainable social protection through the establishment and strengthening of public, private, or community-based support systems for the poor, disabled, and marginalized households.
Overall, improving market access through investments in transportation and irrigation smallholder commercialization and household dietary diversity. Promotion of high value short-gestation marketable crops and livestock varieties make a substantial contribution in improving smallholder household dietary diversity, farm productivity, and income in Tigray and similar contexts.
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Keywords
Household dietary diversity , Farm production diversity , Market participation , Smallholder households , Tigray , Ethiopia
Citation
Gashie, T. B. 2025. Understanding the link between smallholder farm production diversity and market participation in shaping household dietary diversity in rural Tigray, northern Ethiopia. PhD Thesis, University College Cork.