IMPROVED DIVERSIFICATION

Improved crop diversification is vital because it strengthens food, nutrition and income security at national and household levels. In addition, it enhances resilience against climate change, improves soil health, and promotes nutrition-sensitive agriculture. Diversification into nutrient-dense crops such as cassava, sweet potato, plantain, sorghum, millet, legumes, fruits and vegetables contributes to improved dietary diversity and better nutrition outcomes, including for vulnerable groups such as children, women, and people with non-communicable diseases such as diabetes. By reducing reliance on a single crop (maize) households can better withstand climate shocks, pest and disease outbreaks, and market price fluctuations while improving household food nutrition security and livelihoods.

Limited integration of nutrition-sensitive agriculture interventions in agricultural programmes has also resulted in low awareness and adoption of diversified crop production and diets, inadequate consumption of nutrient-rich crops, limited knowledge on food preparation and utilization, and insufficient nutrition messaging targeting farming households and key decision-makers.