Impact of the farmer input support policy on agricultural production diversity and dietary diversity in Zambia

There is conflicting evidence on the association between farm production diversity and dietary diversity, worldwide. Notwithstanding this, farmer input subsidy programmes aimed at promoting both agricultural production diversity and dietary diversity as the gateways for improving household nutritional status, have been a major agricultural policy thrust in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Zambia. However, information on the effects of Zambia's Farmer Input Support Policy (FISP) on farm production diversity and household dietary diversity appears to be scanty. The aim of this study therefore was twofold; first to assess the link between FISP and agricultural production diversity and secondly, the association between agricultural production diversity and dietary diversity in Zambia. To estimate these relationships, Matching algorithm strategies and Poisson regression were applied to a nationally representative sample of 7934 households that participated in the 2015 Rural Agricultural Livelihoods Survey conducted by Zambia's Central Statistical Office (CSO) and Indaba Agricultural Policy Research Institute (IAPRI).The relationship between FISP and production diversity was found to be positive in all the diversity measures (crop count, agricultural income diversity and household income diversity) except the Simpson crop production index. During the period under consideration (2013/14 season), FISP had a significant impact on household dietary diversity as well. However, mixed results were obtained on the efficacy of FISP on monthly food inadequacy. There was also no evidence to support the link between production diversity and household dietary diversity. The inconclusive result on the ability of FISP to increase monthly food availability, and zero effect on crop area diversification, may indicate a limitation of the chemical fertilizers. There may be a need to equally subsidise the use of non-chemical fertilization inputs which are sustainable in the long run.