# Relationship between Village Chicken Availability and Dietary Diversity along a Rural–Urban Gradient

## TL;DR

This study explores how the availability of village chickens affects household dietary diversity in rural to urban areas of South Africa.

## Contribution

The study reveals new insights into how village chicken flock sizes correlate with dietary diversity and food consumption patterns along a rural–urban gradient.

## Key findings

- Village chicken flock sizes increase with distance from the city center.
- Consumption of vegetables and livestock-derived foods is positively linked to village chicken availability.
- Dietary diversity improves as village chicken flock sizes and distance from urban centers increase.

## Abstract

Dietary diversity is one of the fundamental factors of nutritional security and a proxy used to measure diet quality. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between village chicken availability and the dietary diversity of households along a rural–urban gradient. Face-to-face interviews were conducted using a structured questionnaire in rural (n = 100), peri-urban (n = 100), and urban (n = 100) areas of Pietermaritzburg uMgungundlovu District, KwaZulu-Natal, in South Africa. A positive relationship between distance from the city center and village chicken flock sizes (p < 0.001) was observed. Consumption of vegetables increased with an increase in distance from the city center (p < 0.01). A quadratic relationship was observed between distance from the city center and consumption of livestock-derived foods (LDFs) (p < 0.05). Consumption of LDFs increased with an increase in village chicken flock sizes (p < 0.05). Consumption of vegetables increased with an increase in village chicken flock sizes (p < 0.01). Food variety score (FVS) increased with an increase in distance from the city center (p < 0.05). Assessing the availability of village chickens across rural–urban gradients is a worthy opportunity to utilize to improve households’ dietary diversity and alleviate poverty. It can be concluded that expanding village flock sizes could enhance the dietary diversity of households.