Many African Societies traditionally have to cope with seasonal food shortages. It has been suggested that the effects of this kind of seasonality have worsened with increasing population pressure and with the introduction of commercial cropping and that small farmers particularly are vulnerable to the vagaries of the seasons.This monograph examines the seasonal variations in food consumption and nutrition that occur in Kenya's Coast Province. This part of the country is relatively dry, has a largely unimodal climate and a low degree of food self-sufficiency. Household energy intake is the same as that of peasant smallholders elsewhere in Kenya. The nutritional status of children is below that in other parts of the country. Nevertheless the seasonal fluctuations in energy intake and nutritional status are small. The study population has developed successful strategies to cope with diminishing food stocks at the end of the agricultural year. Despite the fact that household incomes are generally low, households manage to increase their food purchases with income from off-farm employment. The respective influences of climate, productive organization and household income are analysed.The findings are reviewed in relation to the changes in livelihood that have occurred in rural Africa; in respect of resource management and diversification strategies; and in relation to existing theories of child growth. Implications for development and policy are discussed. Read Less