Contribution Of Agro-Biodiversity To Dietary Diversity And Nutritional Status Of Women Of Reproductive Age In Rongai Sub-County, Kenya

ABSTRACT

The causes of malnutrition among women of reproductive age are complex but it is mainly attributed to diets lacking diversity. Agro-biodiversity is widely perceived as a promising strategy to improve dietary diversity and ultimately nutritional status. The main objective of this study was to assess the relationship between agro-biodiversity, dietary diversity and nutritional status of women aged 15-49 years in two different agro-ecological zones (low and high agricultural potential areas) of Rongai Sub-County, Nakuru County, Kenya. A cross sectional research design was adopted for the study. A multi-stage cluster sampling was used to select 384 participants. Agro-biodiversity was measured using Shannon-Wiener index, species count/richness, and production diversity score. Data from the qualitative 24-hour dietary recall was used to determine minimum dietary diversity (MDD) for women of reproductive age. Weight and height were taken and used to compute body mass index of the women. All data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 20.0, 2011. Diversity of crops was significantly (P