Analyzing the impact of irrigation on dietary diversity: a comparison between farmer-led and public irrigation in Kenya

Abstract Irrigation is often celebrated as a means of intensifying agricultural production and improving food and nutrition security. In the context of semi-subsistence smallholder agriculture irrigation can have a positive impact on dietary diversity through various pathways. However, studies on the linkages between irrigation and rural household nutrition show mixed results. This study argues that irrigation is not a simple agricultural input factor but is embedded in socio-technical conditions. It compares two different irrigation arrangements to understand how irrigation can contribute to transforming local food systems through different pathways. The impact of irrigation on dietary diversity and the potential impact pathways (agricultural income, production diversity and women’s empowerment) are analyzed using a propensity score matching (PSM) approach. The analysis is repeated for subsets of farmer-led and public irrigation to explore how different irrigation arrangements lead to different outcomes. The results show that both farmer-led and public irrigation have a positive impact on agricultural income and dietary diversity. The positive effect on dietary diversity was stronger in farmer-led irrigation while the income effect was stronger in public irrigation arrangement. However, the positive impact on dietary diversity appears to be dampened by a reduction in production diversity, particularly in the case of public irrigation. This study highlights that irrigation development may lead to a more diverse diet, strengthen the income pathway but weaken the production diversity pathway with the extent of this effect depending on the irrigation arrangement. Therefore, policy makers should be aware of this trade-off and seek to support irrigation that allows increased production for urban markets without compromising the dietary intake of rural households.