Agricultural Pathways to Improved Nutrition: Getting Policies Right!

Prabhu Pingali

Professor of Applied Economics

Director, Tata-Cornell Initiative for Agriculture & Nutrition

Cornell University

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Tata-Cornell Agriculture and Nutrition Initiative (TCi)

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• Persistence of under weight births & Childhood stunting

• Rising inequality in food & nutrition access• Increasing incidence of obesity• Growing food safety concerns

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Global Nutritional Challenges

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The nature and magnitude of the nutritional challenge varies by the stage of structural transformation of a country

Structural Transformation: what is it?

Four inter-related processes define structural transformation:• A declining share of agriculture in GDP and

employment• A rural to urban migration that stimulates the

process of urbanization• The rise of a modern industrial and service sector• A demographic transition from high to low rates

of births and deaths

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Structural transformation: what is it?

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Structural Transformation is a Historical and Universal Phenomenon

Low Income

Lower Middle Income

Upper Middle Income

High Income

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

-1,000 4,000 9,000 14,000 19,000 24,000 29,000 34,000 39,000 44,000 49,000 54,000

GDP (US$ per Capita)

Share of Agriculture

(% GDP)

High Human DevelopmentMedium Human DevelopmentLow Human Development

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Structural Transformation, Human Development, and Agricultural Performance

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Structural Transformation and Nutrition

NCDs Account for Growing Share of Total Deaths Around the World

Source: Nikolic 2011http://www.prb.org/Publications/Articles/2011/youth-and-chronic-diseases.aspx

Under nutrition and Obesity by the Level of GDP Per Capita

Source: WHO, 2006

Map of Global Stunting

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The first 1,000 days of life…

~9 months in utero

~6 months breastfeeding

Early childhood

Message: to impact child nutrition and safeguard cognitive and physical development, targeting women and girls during childbearing years (ages 15-45) is essential.

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So what does agriculture have to do with it?

13Webb P , and Block S PNAS 2012;109:12309-12314

Effect of policy support for agriculture versus non-agriculture on the prevalence of stunting

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Nutrition is multidimensional

©Tata-Cornell Agriculture and Nutrition Initiative (TCi), 2013

15©Tata-Cornell Agriculture and Nutrition Initiative (TCi), 2013

For rural households, agriculture is central to food access

Agricultural policies are central for influencing:• Rural household

income (food affordability)

• Female labor use (agriculture vs household activities)

• Regional/local food supply (productivity and food diversity)

INCREASED MATERNAL HEALTH AND REDUCTION IN CHILDHOOD STUNTING

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16©Tata-Cornell Agriculture and Nutrition Initiative (TCi), 2013

Agriculture is only part of the equation, complementary policies are essential

Complementary policies for behavior change and environmental change are essential components:• Behavior (education,

women’s empowerment, etc.)

• Water, sanitation, and hygiene efforts

INCREASED MATERNAL HEALTH AND REDUCTION IN CHILDHOOD STUNTING

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Food system classification

Characteristics

Low productive systems

• Little to no Green Revolution gains• Low per capita income• Low agricultural productivity• Low diet diversity• High under nutrition & micronutrient malnutrition

Modernizing Systems

• Green Revolution gains• Low-medium per capita income• Moderate agricultural productivity• Moderate diet diversity• Persistent micronutrient malnutrition

Commercial/export systems

• Medium-high per capita income• Higher opportunity for agricultural productivity• High diet diversity• coexistence of under nutrition and over nutrition

One size does not fit all… contextualizing ag-nutrition policies

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Vicious cycles of low productivity systems…

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Low diet diversity

High relative price of non-staples

Poverty

Micronutrient malnutrition

Low productive staple crop systems

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Low productive agriculture: policy recommendations

Context-specific focus Specific policies

• Cereal-based intensification strategies

• Productivity-focused investments for smallholder farmers

• Biofortification of staple crops• Fortification of staples

• Complementary interventions

• Kitchen gardens for year-round access to micronutrient-rich foods

• Backyard livestock and poultry • Social safety net programs for the

most vulnerable

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Bio-fortification can make a difference

But not always a success, challenges exist

• Bt cotton huge in India, but golden rice not accepted

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Modernizing systems and dietary change: how could the story go?

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Income increases

Increasing productivity for staples

Demand for non staples increases

Increases in cereal (calorie)supply and reduced cereal prices

Farmers diversify into new, developing markets for micronutrient and protein-dense foods

Food supply diversity increases

Agriculture commercialization continues

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Effective policies and market incentives must be in place to generate food supply and nutritional change

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Income increases

Increasing productivity for staples

Demand for non staples increases

Increases in cereal (calorie)supply and reduced cereal prices

Farmers diversify into new, developing markets for micronutrient and protein-dense foods

Food supply diversity increases

This link depends on policy and market environment

Agriculture commercialization continues

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When policies and market incentives don’t enable farmers to meet a growing demand for non-staples, the the result is: • Limited supply of micronutrient and

protein-dense foods • Impacts for dietary diversity

• Sustained high relative prices of non-staples

• Impacts for dietary diversity affordability

• Agriculture incomes lag behind• Impacts for total food budgets

All too often, poor policy and market environments halt or disable diet transformation…

Demand for non staples increases

Farmers diversify into new, developing markets for micronutrient and protein-dense foods

This link depends on policy and market environment

Percent Change in Monthly Per Capita Cereal Consumption in Rural and Urban India: 1993/94 and

2004/05

Source: NSSO Reports: Household Consumption Expenditure in India

Rising GDP per capita is associated with a larger share of supermarkets in food retail

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000 35,000 40,000

GDP per Capita, PPP, 2002

Sh

are

of

Su

pe

rma

rke

ts i

n F

oo

d R

eta

il

Source: data from Traill (2006) and World Bank World Development Indicators (2006)

Rapid Growth in Fast Food Restaurants

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Modernizing Agricultural Systems: policy recommendations

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Context-specific focus Specific policies

Linking farmers to markets

• Investments in infrastructure• Investments in essential institutions (credit, insurance,

land rights, etc.)• Investments in public-private partnerships

Strengthening demand for micronutrient and protein-rich foods

• Policies that establish product standards and better trading relationships

• Policies improving food safety

Supporting agriculture as a business

• Upgrading traditional markets and investing in informal actors

• For poorest populations in Africa and South Asia• Health and well-being in rural areas lag far behind urban areas• Productivity effects more serious where physical labor critical input

• Women are particularly vulnerable- Employment patterns:

- women play a predominant role in the production of food crops ; especially in Africa.

- Biological vulnerabilities: - women have special vulnerabilities related to reproductive health and

they are adversely affected by health and nutrition risks. - Life responsibilities:

- women have a set of unique responsibilities in the home, particularly in terms of the care of children.

Role of Health and Nutrition in Agricultural Development

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Complementary policies

Behavior change:• Education,

extension

Harnessing the power of women’s groups.• Nutrition

messaging through women’s groups

Water, sanitation, hygiene• Clean water technology

development• Sanitation technologies

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Nutrient Absorption and Utilization

• Almost 50% of the world’s population – 2.5 billion people – lack improved sanitation facilities

• Over 884 million people use unsafe drinking water sources

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The continuing relevance of agriculture in all stages of development: key policy priorities

Investments in enhancing of food supply• Investments in technology, research and development for productivity and nutrition

enhancement• Investments in post-harvest technologies and infrastructure

Agri-market investments• Investments necessary to connect farmers to markets• Policies aimed at opening up foreign direct investment in food value chains• Modernization of extension • Broadening extension to include nutrition messaging

Investments in health and social environment• Investments in sanitation (toilets) and access to clean water• Empowerment of women and incentivizing women’s self-help groups

Investments for food affordability and access• Relative price changes• Continuation of safety net programs that target vulnerable populations

Thank you!

Website: tci.cals.cornell.edu

Blog: blogs.cornell.edu/agricultureandnutrition/

Thank you!

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Key policy principles • Continuing relevance of agriculture through all stages of development

– Agriculture as an engine of growth and poverty reduction– Agriculture as a supplier of dietary diversity– Agriculture as a profitable business for feeding urban populations

• Investments in technology, research and development for productivity and nutrition enhancement– Post-green revolution productivity gains for neglected crops– Enhancement of nutritional traits through biofortification and food-fortification.

• Investments in post-harvest technologies – Enhancing food safety and expanding market reach

• Investments necessary to connect farmers to markets– Credit, input markets, infrastructure, contracts, land rights, etc.

• Policies aimed at opening up foreign direct investment– Regulatory reform– Public-private partnerships

• Modernization of extension – Using ICTs and leveraging community organizations – Women’s empowerment

• Broadening extension to include nutrition messaging• Investments in sanitation (toilets) and access to clean water• Continuation of safety net programs that target vulnerable populations

– Programs focusing on providing micronutrients for women and children• Relative price change

– Poor support for course grains, legumes, lentils, etc.– Lack of attention to micronutrent dense foods