Market Foods, Own Production, and the Social Economy: How Food Acquisition Sources Influence Nutrient Intake among Ecuadorian Farmers and the Role of Agroecology in Supporting Healthy Diets

Ana Deaconu, Peter R. Berti, Donald C. Cole, Geneviève Mercille and Malek Batal
Additional contact information
Ana Deaconu: Nutrition Department, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, P.O. Box 6128, Succ. Centre-Ville, Montréal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
Peter R. Berti: HealthBridge Foundation of Canada, 1 Nicholas Street, Suite 1004, Ottawa, ON KIN 7B7, Canada
Donald C. Cole: Dalla Lana School of Public Health, 155 College St, Toronto, ON M5T 3M7, Canada
Geneviève Mercille: Nutrition Department, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, P.O. Box 6128, Succ. Centre-Ville, Montréal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
Malek Batal: Nutrition Department, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, P.O. Box 6128, Succ. Centre-Ville, Montréal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 8, 1-22

Abstract: Rural Ecuadorians are experiencing a double burden of malnutrition, characterized by simultaneous nutrient inadequacies and excesses, alongside the social and environmental consequences of unsustainable agriculture. Agriculture can support farmer nutrition by providing income for market purchases and through the consumption of foods from own production. However, the nutritional contributions of these food acquisition strategies vary by context. We surveyed smallholder women farmers ( n = 90) in Imbabura province to assess the dietary contributions of foods obtained through market purchase, own production, and social economy among farmers participating in agroecology—a sustainable farming movement—and neighboring reference farmers. We found that foods from farmers’ own production and the social economy were relatively nutrient-rich, while market foods were calorie-rich. Consumption of foods from own production was associated with better nutrient adequacy and moderation, whereas market food consumption was associated with a worse performance on both. Food acquisition patterns differed between farmer groups: agroecological farmers obtained 44%, 32%, and 23% of their calories from conventional markets, own production, and the social economy, respectively, while reference neighbors obtained 69%, 17%, and 13%, respectively. Our findings suggest that, in this region, farmer nutrition is better supported through the consumption of their own production than through market purchases, and sustainable farming initiatives such as agroecology may be leveraged for healthy diets.

Keywords: agriculture-nutrition pathways; biodiversity; agroecology; social economy; food intake; dietary diversity; diet quality; cross-sectional survey; Ecuador; Indigenous people (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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