DO HOUSEHOLD FISH PONDS IMPROVE FAMILY NUTRITION?  A STUDY IN NEPAL

James S. Diana*, N. P. Pandit, and Madhav Shrestha
 
University of Michigan
School for Environment and Sustainability
440 Church Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1041USA
jimd@umich.edu
 

Malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies are major concerns afflicting the people of Nepal and other countries in the region. Fish has been recognized as a nutritionally beneficial food source around the world, and small-scale fish culture has recently increased in this region with the inclusion of household ponds in rural communities. This study focused on the value of household ponds by comparing fish consumption and indicators of health for children and women in households with fishponds, to those without ponds. In Kathar, Chitwan and Kawasoti, Nawalparasi, 51 and 55 households, respectively, each including children between the ages of one and five years and owning at least one fish pond were recruited for participation through door-to-door visits. Similarly, in Majhui, Chitwan and Pragatinagar, Nawalparasi, 54 and 55 households, respectively, that did not own fish ponds were recruited.

Mothers from locations with fish ponds consumed significantly more fish than those without ponds (132% more), and also reported 126% higher rates of fish consumption by their children. Owners of household ponds also consumed fish more frequently (97% more) than did households without ponds. Health of children evaluated using details on stunting and wasting indicated that there were no significant differences between households with or without ponds. However, children from our study groups averaged 19% underweight, 18% stunted, and 12% wasted. These values are quite low, compared to 2013 estimates for the entire country for stunted (40.5%) and underweight (28.8%), but not for wasted (10.9%) children, and suggest that the inclusion of fish in child diets may provide essential nutrition to promote healthy growth and development for children in the region.