Gender dynamics and dietary diversity among small scale legume farmers in Singida District, Tanzania

Abstract

The paper explores the association of consuming nutritious food groups including legumes with the relationship and the interactions between men and women small-scale farmers in Singida District, Tanzania. A cross-sectional design was used, and a sample size of 200 legume farmers comprising 88 males and 112 females was used. A 24-hour dietary recall checklist and a food frequency questionnaire were used to collect data by sorting out food groups. Groups of food items consumed were categorized into two levels of regularly consumed (three times or more per week) and rarely consumed (once per week). The qualitative data were analysed using content analysis while quantitative data were analysed quantitatively by computing descriptive statistics and a chi-square test. It was found that the association between gender and consumption of legume species was statistically significant (p < 0.05). The Pearson’s chi-square test showed a slight association between legume consumption and sex category. The results showed that socio-economic characteristics; including income level, access to resources, and decision-making; were significantly associated with households’ food consumption levels (p < 0.05). The study concludes that, due to a number of factors, such as women's limited access to resources and lack of women's involvement in nutritional decisions, gender dynamics within households are a barrier to diversity of food consumption at the household level. Therefore, the study recommends that men should be sensitized to increase the diversity of the food items they consume and recognize women’s roles as essential to ensure their right to equality and to an adequate standard of living.