Nutrition Smoothing: Can Proximity to Towns and Cities Protect Rural Children against Seasonal Variation in Agroclimatic Conditions at Birth?

Abstract

A large literature links early-life environmental shocks to later outcomes. This paper uses seasonal variation across the Democratic Republic of the Congo to test for nutrition smoothing, defined here as attaining similar height, weight and mortality outcomes despite different agroclimatic conditions at birth. We find that gaps between siblings and neighbors born at different times of year are larger in more remote rural areas, farther from the equator where there are greater seasonal differences in rainfall and temperature. For those born at adverse times in places with pronounced seasonality, the gains associated with above-median proximity to nearby towns are similar to rising one quintile in the national distribution of household wealth for mortality, and two quintiles for attained height. Smoothing of outcomes could involve a variety of mechanisms to be addressed in future work, including access to food markets, health services, public assistance and temporary migration to achieve more uniform dietary intake, or less exposure and improved recovery from seasonal diseases.

Household food production is positively associated with dietary diversity and intake of nutrient-dense foods for older preschool children in poorer families: Results from a nationally-representative survey in Nepal

“…Since the timing of harvests usually differs over space, a more feasible approach to making intake more uniform over time is to facilitate market access. The effectiveness of food markets in overcoming local climate variation over time in Nepal is shown in Mulmi et al (2016) [ 47 ]; similar effects of market access in smoothing nutritional outcomes has been shown for Africa in Darrouzet-Nardi and Masters (2017) [ 48 ].…”

Remoteness, urbanization, and child nutrition in sub‐Saharan Africa

“…Economists studying agricultural markets, for example, have developed an extensive literature on what is variously defined as “market access” (Chamberlin and Jayne, ), and how road infrastructure and travel times to markets and urban services affect agricultural productivity (Dercon et al., ; Dorosh, et al., ; Jacoby and Minten, ; Stifel et al., ). More recently, agricultural economists have explored the importance of market access for dietary diversity and child nutrition, finding that market access weakens the link between production diversity and dietary diversity (Hirvonen and Hoddinott, ; Hoddinott et al., ; Sibhatu and Qaim, ), and that proximity to towns weakens the relationship between agricultural shocks and child nutrition (Darrouzet‐Nardi and Masters, ; Mulmi et al., ). Additional research recognizes that urbanization also typically entails improved access to non‐food markets and services that are important for nutrition, including schools, health clinics and non‐farm labor markets that improve income stability (Headey et al., ; Smith et al., ; Srinivasan et al., ).…”

Rural Food Markets and Child Nutrition

“… 2 Relatedly, Mulmi et al ( 2016 ) assess whether Nepalese households have access to food from elsewhere than their own farm production, by using their district share of total food consumption that is purchased or received in-kind. Studies elsewhere in the literature also explore the importance of markets for buffering the adverse nutritional impacts of environment or weather shocks (Ambikapathi et al 2019 ; Darrouzet-Nardi and Masters 2017 ; Mulmi et al 2016 ) …”