Dietary diversity for ensuring food security

Abstract

10.8% of the population in the world, or more than 840 million people, are undernourished. The report of the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) states that although population growth has been slowing down in recent years, this growth is expected to increase in some countries until 2050. There is a high emergency of increasing food insecurity all over the world. In the case of Uzbekistan, the population is growing rapidly annually. Yet, in the country prevalence of both obesity and overweight are increasing. Additionally, micronutrient deficiencies remain high for women of reproductive age and children. In this article, one of the best indicators of food security in respect of food access is the Dietary Diversity Score (DDS) used to analyze and spread healthy diets in rural households of the Samarkand region. A total of 140 observations were taken from rural households. The mean Households DDS was 8.2. Results indicated most of the food groups consumed through their own production. However, more than 50% of all members in the households did not consume fruits, greens, pulses, and legumes due to a lack of food access. It seems there is a positive correlation between dietary diversity and own production in some circumstances, but not in all cases. In that case, own production is positively associated with dietary diversity in some situations, but not an absolute. Nevertheless, appropriate nutrition-sensitive agricultural programs will encourage both food production and consumption. Analysis shows nutrition information has a significant role in improving DDS. Promoting nutrition education via interventions, for example, information on healthy eating and a well-balanced diet through mass media, educational institution curriculum, and field days to upgrade better nutrition at household and individual levels.