ABSTRACT
Food insecurity and malnutrition are among the most concerning challenges faced in semi-arid rural areas. The main reasons for this are poor agricultural productivity due to land degradation, water scarcity and climate risks, and limited awareness of and accessibility to nutritious foods. We conducted action research to address food and nutrition insecurity in three locations in the semi-arid regions of Maharashtra. A set of interventions promoting the cultivation and consumption of local agro-biodiverse foods was initiated, which included crop planning, multi-layer farming, awareness of food and nutrition through cooking demonstrations and haemoglobin assessment. This set of interventions was provided only to a target group of households among other similar types of farming households. The objective of the study was to determine the impact of agriculture on food and nutrition security (Agri-FNS) through knowledge-enhancing inputs. A quasi-experimental research design was adopted. The study results suggest that the intervention group's dietary diversity score and haemoglobin level improved significantly over the control group. Moreover, most farmers in the intervention group expressed their satisfaction with Agri-FNS interventions and were interested in participating in future FNS activities.
