Does household participation in food markets increase dietary diversity? Evidence from rural Malawi

Food markets have been found to be, in many settings, important in shaping diets and nutritional outcomes. However, more evidence and improved metrics are needed to understand these relationships. We examined relationships between food market participation and household dietary diversity in populations of rural Malawi facing hunger and poor nutrition. We analysed, using Poisson regression, survey data from 400 households in two districts of rural Malawi in post-harvest and lean seasons of 2017/18. We also developed a new metric of food purchases to support our examination of food market participation. The findings include clear associations between food purchase diversity and household dietary diversity, and suggest households engaging more with food markets are more likely to have diversified diets and better nutrition. •A new metric of food purchase diversity is used to measure food market participation.•Households with higher food market participation had higher dietary diversity.•The association of farm production diversity with dietary diversity was less clear.•Food market participation supported food security during the lean season.•Highlights importance of household incomes to increase food market participation.