Dietary Diversity, Nutritional Knowledge, and Food Expenditure Patterns among Farmer Households in Haryana

Abstract

In India, socio-economic disparities, limited nutritional knowledge, and unequal intra-household food distribution continue to influence dietary patterns and nutritional outcomes among farm families. Understanding the interplay between nutritional knowledge, food consumption, expenditure patterns, and socio-economic factors is essential for designing effective interventions to enhance dietary diversity and nutritional equity in rural agricultural communities. The primary objectives of the study were to assess nutritional knowledge, dietary consumption, food expenditure, and socio-economic determinants affecting intra-household nutritional equity. The study was undertaken in 2023-24 in Bhiwani and Sonipat districts of Haryana. The findings presented in this paper stem from a field study involving 60 farm families using a structured interview schedule and the survey method. The findings highlighted variations in nutritional knowledge and dietary diversity across farm households. Highest percentage of the respondents were having medium level of knowledge i.e. 56.67 per cent followed by 23.33 per cent and 20.00 per cent who were having low and high level of knowledge respectively. Expenditure on different food groups reflected economic priorities and accessibility, while socio-economic factors such as income, education, landholding size, and family structure significantly influenced dietary choices and intra-household equity in nutrition. Majorly consumed food groups were Cereals, Oils and fats (ranked I) followed by milk and Milk products (rank II), Vegetables (rank III), pulses and legumes (rank IV). Socio-economic variables such as caste and socio-economic status were found to be significant with HDDS (Household Dietary diversity Score). Similarly, size of family and annual income of family was highly significantly associated with HDDS. Farmer families on average were spending Rs. 2332.4/- from their income on purchase of food items. Out of which majority of expenditure in percentage was on oils and fats (20.24%), cereals and cereal products (16.61%), milk and other dairy products (14.83%) and vegetables (13.57%). The study underscores the need for targeted nutritional awareness programs and policy interventions to improve dietary diversity and equitable food distribution within farm families.