Micronutrient malnutrition affects millions of people in developing countries, especially vitamin A deficiency is a major health problem in Africa, and it affects the normal growth, vision, and immune system of children, and reduces the labor productivity of the countries. Linking nutrition with the adoption of OFSP increases the intake of both OFSP and other vitamin A-rich foods. Biofortification, which is development and dissemination of micronutrient-dense staple crops, is cheapest and sustainable means of providing households with micronutrient dense food crops such as Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP). However, the success of the biofortification effort depends on the adoption and adoption intensity of the crops. The theoretical linkage between adoption of Biofortified crops and improved dietary diversity is because of adoption of nutritious crops will lead to increased access and availability of food, which, in turn, leads to increased consumption of the OFSP products, resulting in diversified food groups. This study aims at understanding the influence of OFSP adoption and its intensity in improving woman and child dietary diversity and intake of vitamin A rich foods.

The study demonstrates the role of OFSP adoption and its intensity on dietary diversity and vitamin A rich food intake frequency by mother and a child, based on 2,269 , households randomly selected from Western Kenya, located in Mama Sasha project and control areas. The study has established the linkage between adoption and adoption intensity (share of OFSP area), and indices of mother and child dietary diversity and intake of vitamin A rich foods. Two-stage instrumental variable and ordered logit regression models were employed to test the role of adoption and adoption intensity on food indices. Two indices were identified: First, dietary diversity (food groups consumed in the previous 24 hours), it is indicated that consumption of staples dominates the food group with a fewer frequency of nutrient-rich fruits and vegetable consumption. The surveyed household reported consuming starchy staples (91%), dark green leafy vegetables (80%), fruits and vegetable rich in vitamin A (26%), other fruits and vegetables (58%), organ meat (2%), meat and fish (32%), egg (11%), legumes (31%), and milk products (80%); and the second index is consumption frequency of vitamin A-rich foods (in the previous 7 days). The validity of the econometric model employed to examine the link between demographic and environmental variables with the dietary diversity and vitamin A rich food intake frequency was established by diagnostic tests for endogeneity and misspecification. Comparing non-OFSP growing households, on the average woman and children in OFSP growing households, have about 15%, and 18%, more diversified diet, respectively. Similarly, the frequency of vitamin A rich food intake is about 10%, and 20%, higher for woman and children, living in OFSP growing households. Age of household head, mother’s education, wealth index, and a number of plots under sweetpotato, have significant positive effect on the dietary diversity and food intake. Households with limited access to a health facility, with many adults, and mother engaged in casual labor were more likely to have less diversified diets and lower frequency of vitamin A consumption.

Both the adoption of OFSP and the share of OFSP area in sweetpotato production have a significantly and positively influence woman and child dietary diversity and intake of vitamin A-rich foods.