Undernutrition and low dietary diversity remain big problems in many developing countries. A large proportionof the people affected are smallholder farmers. Hence, it is often assumed that further diversifying small-farmproduction would be a good strategy to improve nutrition, but the evidence is mixed. We systematically reviewstudies that have analyzed associations between production diversity, dietary diversity, and nutrition insmallholder households and provide a meta-analysis of estimated effects.

Recent research has analyzed whether higher levels of farm production diversity contribute to improved diets in smallholder farm households. We add to this literature by using and comparing different indicators, thus helping to better understand some of the underlying linkages. The analysis builds on data from Indonesia, Kenya, and Uganda. On the consumption side, we used 7-day food recall data to calculate various dietary indicators, such as dietary diversity scores, consumed quantities of fruits and vegetables, calories and micronutrients, and measures of nutritional adequacy.