Interlinking dietary diversity, production diversity, and climate change: Non-separable farm household model approach

The level of production diversity is an indirect measure of diet quality and nutritional security. But production decisions are impaired by changes in climate. This study provides an empirical application of the non-separable household model by linking the effect of exogenous variations in production decisions, via climate variability, on household dietary diversity. Climate-induced production shocks cause fluctuations in food supply and market prices and, thereby, decrease dietary diversity and nutritional security. To combat the effects of climate change on subsistence farm households and improve nutritional security, production diversity and farm income are equally important, and agricultural policy should aim to enhance both.