Table 1 Summary of knowledge about the importance and drivers of dietary diversity (DD) from three different sources (local knowledge, scientific knowledge/quantitative results from same study, scientific knowledge/quantitative results from other studies)

• DD associated with overall food consumption, energy intake and satiety [51, 64–69]

• DD associated with dietary quality, nutrient intake, nutrient density (likely explaining links to child growth and other anthropometric and biochemical markers of nutrition) [68–71]

• DD associated with overall energy intake [46]

• DD associated with intake of most nutrients and nutrient adequacy (Mean Adequacy Ratio, MAR) [46]

• After controlling for energy intake, DD no longer associated with intake of most nutrients [46]

• DD important for appetite and enjoyment of food

• DD important because “each food has its own value”

• DD linked to agrobiodiversity in at least seven studies [46, 52, 72–78],

• DD associated with forest cover in three studies [47, 52, 79, 80].

• DD linked to vegetable production [81]

• DD linked to home gardens [52, 82]

• Season may increase/decrease DD [83, 84]

• Wild food use associated with higher DD [54]

• DD also associated with wealth, household size, education and other economic and demographic variables

• DD associated with agrobiodiversity (crop diversity) [46]

• DD associated with forest cover [46, 47].

• No differences in DD between wet and dry season, but difference in sources of foods [46, 48]

• DD associated with wealth and market access but not with sex or education of the head of the household (unpublished data from the study) [46]

• Agriculture, agrobiodiversity

• Land use diversity/landscape heterogeneity

• Different foods eaten seasonally

• Wealth, available cash, land tenure

• Livelihood diversity

• Family size

• Gender

• Personality, family tradition, taboos