Food security and child malnutrition in the regions of Maradi, Tahoua and Tillabéri in Niger: The status, the causes, and transformative change

Abstract

This research was undertaken in the agropastoral regions of Maradi, Tahoua and Tillabéri in Niger. The first study covered 900 households and assessed farmers production methods, income, household expenditure, gender issues and food security using four different indicators. The second study assessed causes for child malnutrition by combining a household survey (450 households) with measurement of the upper arm circumference of 1618 children aged 6 to 59 months from these households. A logistic regression analysis was used to identify the causes for malnutrition. The number of food-insecure months in the households were on average 3.54 months per year and 11.4% of the children belonged to the group defined as suffering from 'global acute malnutrition'. Cereal yields were below 250 kg ha-1 and only 33% of the households were able to sell any of their cereal harvest. The households spent 66% of their total expenditure on the purchase of food. Money spent on diversifying their nutrition was very limited and horticulture production focused on temperate crops. The indicators for nutrition diversity, food quality and household perception of food security were low. The major causes identified for food insecurity and child malnutrition were low agricultural production, low nutritional diversity, women's autonomy in agriculture (control over income) and poor sanitation. To address these challenges, we propose a mix of incremental and transformative changes, including strengthening the role of women, promotion of precision farming, nutrient-sensitive agriculture, eco-sanitation, and training on improved nutrition and childcare.