DOI: 10.11648/j.ijae.20261104.17 ISSN: 2575-3843

Agricultural Commercialization and Household Dietary Diversity: Evidence from Smallholder Farmers in Tanzania

Selemani Omari, Charles Katiya
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Agricultural commercialization is widely promoted as a strategy for improving rural livelihoods and reducing poverty among smallholder farmers. However, its association with household dietary outcomes remains unclear, particularly in developing countries where households often balance income generation with food production. This study examined the association between cash crop production and household dietary diversity among smallholder farmers in Tanzania. The study used secondary data from the Tanzania National Panel Survey (NPS) 2020/21 and focused on 86 farming households with complete information on dietary diversity and crop production. Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) was used as an indicator of dietary quality. Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression was employed to examine the association between cash crop production and household dietary diversity, followed by a robustness analysis using robust standard errors. The results showed that participation in cash crop production was significantly associated with lower household dietary diversity. Households engaged in cash crop production recorded lower HDDS than those not engaged in cash crop production, indicating that agricultural commercialization did not necessarily correspond to more diverse diets. Education level was the only socio-economic characteristic positively associated with dietary diversity, whereas food crop production, age, gender, marital status, and main occupation showed no significant associations with dietary diversity. The findings are consistent with the Agricultural Household Model, which emphasizes that farm households make production and consumption decisions simultaneously under resource constraints. The study concludes that agricultural commercialization alone may be insufficient to improve household dietary diversity and should be complemented by nutrition-sensitive extension services, farmer education, and policies that promote balanced crop production systems.

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