Women-led sustainable irrigation improved indicators of nutritional status in children from Northern Benin

Climate change threatens food security and child nutrition in Africa. This study assessed the impact of community-based, solar-powered drip irrigation gardens (SMGs) on the nutritional status of children in households reliant on local food production.

Women's groups (WGs) from 16 matched villages in Northern Benin were randomly assigned to receive SMGs (WG_SMG) or continue traditional irrigation (WG_C). Additional households without women's groups (NWG_SMG and NWG_C) were recruited from intervention and comparison villages. Children aged 1-5 years participated in baseline and one-year follow-up surveys. Outcomes included dietary diversity, anthropometry, anemia, and micronutrient status. Dietary diversity was assessed using the WHO minimum dietary diversity indicator, based on consumption from at least five of eight food groups in the previous 24 h. Anemia was defined as hemoglobin < 10.5 g/dL or < 11 g/dL, age dependent. Difference-in-differences analysis estimated treatment effects (TEs).

WG_SMG participation increased the percentage of children meeting minimum dietary diversity compared with all groups (TE: 0.64; p < 0.001). Hemoglobin concentrations increased in WG_SMG children versus all groups (TE: 0.53; p < 0.05), with reductions in anemia compared with WG_C (TE: - 0.15; p < 0.05). WG_SMG membership also improved weight-for-age z-scores (TE: 0.35; p < 0.05) and reduced wasting (TE: - 0.04; p < 0.01). Effects remained statistically significant when clustering at child or village levels.

Children from women-owned SMGs had improved dietary diversity, hemoglobin status, and growth outcomes while reducing anemia and wasting compared to controls. Expanding this technology may enhance food security and child nutrition in climate-vulnerable regions.