The Influence of Agricultural Input Support on the Nutritional Outcomes among Refugee Children 0–59 Months in West Nile SubRegion of Uganda

The Uganda refugee policy seeks a long-term development approach that promotes self-reliance, local integration, and economic development of refugees and their host communities, allowing refugees to own land for homestead and engage in subsistence farming. This study assessed the nutritional status of children aged 0–59 months from households that received agricultural inputs in form of land, tools, and seeds as a form of assistance. The study used a mixed-method approach. Questionnaires were administered to 392 households to obtain information on agricultural inputs provided. Anthropometric measurement tools were used for collecting anthropometric information on mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), weight, and height of children 0–59 months to assess the physical growth and nutritional status of the children aged 0–59 months expressed as percentages. Qualitative data was obtained through focus group discussions and key informant interviews. STATA 18.0 was used to convert nutritional data into percentages. Prevalences of underweight, stunting, and wasting among children 0–59 months whose caregivers received agricultural inputs were found to be generally moderate. However, based on MUAC screening, 0.77% of children 0–59 months had severe malnutrition (MUAC<11.5cm), 4.59% had moderate malnutrition (MUAC of 11.5 to <12.5cm) and the majority of children were normal (MUAC>2.5cm). Conclusively, access to farm seeds significantly influenced nutritional outcomes while, access to land and farm tools did not produce a statistical significance on the prevalence of underweight, stunting, and wasting among children 0–59 months. Humanitarian agencies should scale up the support for agricultural inputs to improve household food production and income.