How Do Fruit and Vegetable Markets Operate in Rural India? A Qualitative Study of the Impact of Supply and Demand on Nutrition Security.

BACKGROUND: Diets in rural India are cereal based with low intakes of micronutrient-rich foods. The value chains for nutrition approach aims to study supply and demand of such foods. This may aid in development of interventions to improve diets and livelihoods. OBJECTIVES: (1) To identify how fruit and vegetables are accessed, (2) to describe and map the structure of value chains for exemplar foods, (3) to understand how foods are priced, and (4) to explore factors that affect decisions about which crops are grown, marketed, and sold. METHODS: After stakeholder consultation, we identified 2 fruits (mango and guava) and 2 vegetables (shepu and spinach) as exemplar foods. Criteria for these exemplar foods were that they should be known to participants and there should be variability in intakes. We held 24 interviews with value chain actors including farmers, wholesalers, and vendors of the exemplar foods. Data collection was stopped when no new information emerged. We used inductive thematic coding for our analysis. RESULTS: The value chains for each of the exemplar foods were relatively simple and involved farmers, middlemen, and vendors at either city or village level. The main themes identified as being factors considered when making decisions about which foods to grow and sell were (1) farming resources and assets, (2) quality of produce, (3) environmental conditions, (4) financial factors, (5) transport availability, and (6) consumer demand. CONCLUSIONS: There are opportunities to intervene within fruit and vegetable value chains to increase availability, affordability, and access to produce in rural India. Future research is required to determine which interventions will be feasible, effective, and acceptable to the community and other stakeholders.

Barriers and Facilitators to Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Among Rural Indian Women of Reproductive Age.

BACKGROUND: Micronutrient deficiencies have been a serious public health problem among women of reproductive age in low- and middle-income countries including India, adversely affecting maternal and child health and human capital outcomes. Fruit and vegetables are important sources of micronutrients, and consumption of these foods is less than recommendations. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to identify perceived barriers and facilitators to fruit and vegetable consumption among women of reproductive age living in rural communities in the State of Maharashtra, India. METHODS: Women aged 18 to 40 years were recruited from 8 villages surrounding the city of Wardha, Maharashtra, India. We used qualitative methods and held 9 focus group discussions and 12 one-to-one interviews. The data collection was stopped when no new information emerged. We used inductive thematic coding to analyze the data. RESULTS: Women knew that fruit and vegetables were beneficial to health and expressed that they wanted to increase the intake of these foods for themselves and their children. Seven main themes were identified as being barriers or facilitators to fruit and vegetable consumption: (1) personal factors, (2) household dynamics, (3) social and cultural norms, (4) workload, (5) time pressures, (6) environmental factors, and (7) cost. CONCLUSIONS: Rural Indian women consumed fruit and vegetables infrequently and said they would like to consume more. Several potentially modifiable factors affecting the intake of fruit and vegetables were identified. Value chain analyses of fruit and vegetables in these communities will be important to identify opportunities to intervene and increase consumption.