Child Under-weight and Agricultural Productivity in India: Implications for Public Provisioning and Women’s Agency
Literature on the subject documented the following stylized facts about child nutrition - agriculture links. Agricultural shocks lead to child mortality and child undernutrition in the developing countries as the coping mechanisms include reduction in calorie intake. The wellknown pathways that link agriculture to child nutrition are food, quality of food and care of feeding. Further, agricultural productivity growth contributes significantly to poverty reduction and contributes to reduction in child undernutrition. Care of children and feeding practices depend upon women’s knowledge and hence women’s education and their freedom to act are closely related child nutrition. Further, repeated morbidity such as diarrheal and respiratory infections and lack of timely health care advice and medical help, reduce food absorption capacity leading to underweight and stunting in children. Hence, sanitation, safe water and health provisioning are the enabling factors crucial for reducing child underweight.
