Impact of Irrigation on Food and Nutrition Security Among Rice Farmers in Benin

Investing in irrigation development has been a priority of agricultural policy in Benin since 1960. This has resulted in the development of several irrigation schemes in the country. This study assesses the impact of irrigation on food and nutrition security among rice producers in Benin. To do this, an endogenous switching regression model was used to control for the selection bias and endogeneity issues related to the participation in irrigation. The results show positive impact of participating in irrigation on dietary diversity and food consumption score. This confirms the potential of irrigation in improving food and nutrition security among rice farmers in Benin. Overall, the results call for public policies to further promote the development of irrigation schemes in Benin.