Same Diet Different Produce: Gardening Programs and Childhood Consumption in Rural Zambia

Undernutrition, often from inadequate healthcare and feeding practices, impacts half of all children in rural Zambia. Advances in nutrition, established economic theory, and studies of agricultural markets suggest programs to... [ view full abstract ]

Undernutrition, often from inadequate healthcare and feeding practices, impacts half of all children in rural Zambia. Advances in nutrition, established economic theory, and studies of agricultural markets suggest programs to encourage household gardening as a solution. I test the idea with data from a randomized control trial in rural Zambia between 2011 and 2015. The trial allows a comparison of two interventions: one with programs for agriculture and female empowerment, another adding programs for health education. The impacts of the interventions are statistically identical. Both considerably increase agricultural diversity in households. But neither affects the consumption of diverse crops by children. Without changes in consumption, gardening programs cannot combat childhood undernutrition in rural Zambia.