Science Forum 2013 (www.scienceforum13.org) Plenary Session: Regional Perspectives on Nutrition and Health Outcomes Prabhu Pingali, Cornell University: Main presentation

1. Agricultural Pathways to Improved
Nutrition – Getting Policies Right!
Prabhu Pingali
Professor of Applied Economics
&
Director, Tata-Cornell Initiative for Agriculture & Nutrition
Cornell University

2. HH
Incomes
HH Food
Access
Individual
Food
Intake
Individual
Nutrition
(e.g. stunting,
wasting)
Agricultural Interventions
Other Interventions (e.g. Health, Education)
e.g. relative
prices of foods
and non-foods,
diet diversity
e.g. gender
empowerment,
HH behavior,
demographics
e.g. sanitation
and hygiene,
health
conditions,
nutrition
practices
calorie
requirements
e.g. Ag
productivity
growth and
poverty reduction
e.g. food
price effects,
fortification,
bio-
fortification
e.g. ag
empowerme
nt, labor
e.g. food
safety
Mediating Factors
Agriculture – Nutrition Pathways:
A Conceptual Framework
Source: BMGF Agriculture Division

3. Agriculture – Nutrition Pathways:
A Conceptual Framework
HOUSEHOLD INCOME ALLOCATION OF FOOD
MICRONUTRIENT AND FOOD
AVAILABILITY
NUTRIENT ABSORBTION
AND UTILIZATION
Determined by:
• Distribution and consumption
of food within the household.
• Household size, age, gender,
and health status (pregnant
women, young children).
Determined by:
• Access to clean drinking water.
• Toilet availability and
sanitation.
Determined by:
• Spatial location of household
(proximity to diverse food
retailers).
• Agricultural diversification and
livestock.
• Diversity in food production.
• Government interventions and
safety-net programs.
Determined by:
• Smallholder agricultural
productivity.
• Off-farm employment.
• Household labor allocation.
• Seasonality (labor, food
production).
Relative food
prices and price
policy
Sector-specific
policies
Age, gender,
education
Extent and type
of agricultural
commercial-
ization
Access to inputs,
technology,
extension
services, or credit
Gender norms
and behavior.
INDIVIDUAL
NUTRITION
HOUSEHOLD FOOD ACCESSS
(Quantity, quality and diversity of food)
INDIVIDUAL NUTRITION
(Individual intake and absorption of
nutrient-dense foods)
Unique health
conditions
Necessary food
safety standards.
Individual
calorie and
micronutrient
needs
MediatingFactors
MediatingFactors
Women’s
empower
ment

4. Agriculture & Food Supply Policies
Persistence of Green Revolution focus on staple grains
Poor support for coarse grains, legumes, lentils, etc
Lack of attention to high relative prices of micro-nutrient
dense food – horticulture, livestock products
High costs of smallholder linkage to organized food
chains
4

5. What are the options for crop-
neutral intensification?
5

6. Food Based Interventions
Promotion of bio –
fortified food – ex
ante assessment
and enabling
policies
Impact of food &
cash based safety
net programs
6

7. From traditional extension to
community based behavior change
Community participatory approaches to learning and
change
Women as drivers of change
Role of ICTs in scaling up behavior change messages
7

8. From agriculture & nutrition silos
to an agriculture-nutrition nexus
8

9. HH
Income
Micronutrient
and food
access
Intra-
household
food allocation
Nutrient
Absorption
and Utilization
UN MDGs along the agriculture-nutrition
pathway

10. HH
Income
Micronutrient
and food
access
Intra-
household
food allocation
Nutrient
Absorption
and Utilization
Agricultural Interventions
Other Interventions (e.g. Health,
Education)
NREGA,
NRLM, RKVY,
NHM
PDS, NFSM ICDS
MDM
NRHM
An Example from India:
Government interventions along the
pathway
ICDS,
TSM/WATS
AN

11. Relevance of agriculture for the first
1000 days (from conception through
the first two years)?
Its about the nutrition & health of the
mother

12. Breaking silos and building
convergence across sectoral
interventions
Setting clear and measurable goals (eg: Reduction in
child stunting by --% in –years)
Goals and performance indicators need to cascade
down to the community level
Convergence of disparate government interventions
happens at the community level and needs to be locally
managed.
Frequent and transparent monitoring of progress towards
goals needs to be established
12

13. Rural change through women’s
empowerment
Women’s Self Help Group,
Wardha District, Maharashtra
Planning Sustainable Land
Use, Kunti, Jharkhand

14. 14

15. 15