Farming Systems, Food Security, Dietary Intakes, and Nutrition Status Among Young Children in Rural Tanzania Before...

Subsistence farming households are at risk of food insecurity and poor nutritional status due to dependence on farm production for consumption. This study aimed to examine the relationship between household farming systems, food security and infant nutrition status pre- and post-harvest. Households with mothers and infants and young children < 24 months were recruited from rural villages in Morogoro and Shinyanga, Tanzania. Demographics, anthropometrics, dietary intakes and household food insecurity were recorded. ANCOVA was used to examine differences and interactions between farming systems, seasons, food security, and nutrition status. The results showed high food insecurity pre-harvest, highest within the Mixed Crop Livestock (MCL) farming system (82%) and Mixed Food Crop (MFC) farming system (74%). Post-harvest, food insecurity was lowest for MCL households (21%) and highest for Single Food Crop (SFC) households (49%). MFC infants and young children had lower WAZ and LAZ and Cash Crop (CC) infants and young children had higher WAZ and LAZ pre-harvest. Within the MFC and MCL farming systems, a significant increase pre to postharvest in MUAC was observed (p < 0.01 and p < 0.001, respectively). This study highlighted high food insecurity, poor dietary intakes and poor nutrition status pre-harvest. Our findings revealed that the CC farming system had a greater income-generating pathway and that MCL and MFC families had food group diversification post-harvest. Therefore, interventions to improve nutrition status should improve both farming systems, while addressing seasonal gaps through food storage and preservation, market access and nutrition education for better child nutrition.