An Energy-Saving Development Initiative Increases Birth Rate and Childhood Malnutrition in Rural Ethiopia

Abstract

BackgroundEvolutionary life history theory predicts that, in the absence of contraception, any enhancement of maternal condition can increase human fertility. Energetic trade-offs are likely to be resolved in favour of maximizing reproductive success rather than health or longevity. Here we find support for the hypothesis that development initiatives designed to improve maternal and child welfare may also incur costs associated with increased family sizes if they do not include a family planning component.Methods and FindingsDemographic and anthropometric data were collected in a rural Ethiopian community benefiting from a recent labour-saving development technology that reduces women's energetic expenditure ( n = 1,976 households). Using logistic hazards models and general linear modelling techniques, we found that whilst infant mortality has declined, the birth rate has increased, causing greater scarcity of resources within households. ConclusionsThis study is, to our knowledge, the first to demonstrate a link between a technological development intervention and an increase in both birth rate and childhood malnutrition. Women's nutritional status was not improved by the energy-saving technology, because energy was diverted into higher birth rates. We argue that the contribution of biological processes to increased birth rates in areas of the developing world without access to modern contraception has been overlooked. This highlights the continued need for development programmes to be multisectoral, including access to and promotion of contraception.

Land inheritance establishes sibling competition for marriage and reproduction in rural Ethiopia

“…Shortages of new land and recent high population growth have resulted in a population at carrying capacity (40). Under these conditions, we argue that increases in sibling competition for high-quality land may represent an important factor underpinning parents' decisions to invest more in a smaller number of offspring.…”

“…The Arsi Oromo are agropastoralists who combine cattle rearing with maize, wheat, and sorghum cultivation in the rural low-lying areas of the Arsi region (zone) in Southern Ethiopia. They maintain high fertility and high but recently declining mortality rates (Table S1), which has resulted in recent population growth (40) and increasing land scarcity. Inheritance patterns are patrilineal, a third of men are polygynous, and postmarital residence is predominantly patrilocal (daughters move from their natal village to join their husband's patrilineage at marriage) (41).…”

“…Since the fall of the socialist government in the early 1990s, parents have returned to a system of bequeathing the same land (or right to use it, as land is still state owned) to their offspring, which the federal legislation dictates should not be less than 0.5 ha (44). High population growth (40), however, and a shortage of productive agricultural land has made equal shares of land over 0.5 ha per child unachievable (none of the Arsi Oromo respondents in this study had access to more than 4 ha of land, and the average plot size was 1.6 ha). Despite this, farmers state their intention to pass on their land by sharing it among male children, most being unaware of regulations concerning minimum land holding size.…”

Does Wealth Increase Parental Investment Biases in Child Education?

“…Once described as the -bread basket of Ethiopia‖ in recent years the region has experienced irregular rainfall and poor agricultural productivity. High population growth and a shortage of land have resulted in increasing competition for resources both within and between households (Gibson 2008, Gibson andMace 2006). Fertility and mortality are still high in this population; while childhood and adult undernutrition are prevalent (see Table 1).…”

“…Only children of school age (7-17 years old) were included in the analyses to control for secular changes in education (n=400). In polygynous households, only the first wife's offspring were included, to control for known effects of lower investment in junior wives offspring (Gibson and Mace, 2007). In the Malawian sample, 73% of children were in education, so the dependent variable measured was the total number of years in education (at the survey date).…”