Nutritional outcomes of empowerment and market integration for women in rural India

Abstract

Over half of all women of reproductive age are affected by anaemia in India. In this paper we study the role that both household market integration and women's empowerment in agriculture can play in determining women's dietary diversity. Our analysis is based on primary data from 3600 households across India on agriculture, nutrition and anthropometric outcomes. We account for market integration by way of per capita household purchases (quantity) of cereals and non-cereal food groups, such as pulses, meat/ fish/ poultry, fruits and vegetables, eggs and dairy. We construct an adapted version of the Abbreviated Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (A-WEAI) that is context-specific and agriculture-oriented. After controlling for individual, household and village-level explanatory factors, we find thatfor a given level of per capita market purchaseswomen who are empowered in their agricultural decisions have significantly higher dietary diversity scores relative to women who are disempowered of such decisions. More specifically it is women's empowerment in two areas: input in production decisions and membership in self-help groups that supports this result. Women's empowerment also enhances dietary diversity in the presence of disaggregated per capita purchases of non-cereals such as pulses, meat, dairy and eggs. This highlights the importance of reorienting India's agricultural price and procurement policies beyond staple grains to ensure better dietary diversity.

Market Access, Production Diversity, and Diet Diversity: Evidence From India

“…26 This may reduce the role of own production in dietary diversity, as higher incomes (through market sale) could enable the household to buy a diverse food basket from the market. Gupta et al 25 find that income from sale of cereal crops has been associated with significantly higher DDSs for women in India. On the supply side, it is argued that markets can make more diverse and nutritious foods available to households, possibly across seasons.…”

“…In a similar vein, market purchases of nonstaples such as pulses, meats, eggs, and dairy products have shown a positive and significant association with women's dietary diversity in some parts of rural India. 25 For the purposes of this article, we rely on the monthly household noncereal food expenditure (such as pulses, dairy, fruits and vegetables, and meat/fish/poultry) as a measure of a household dependence on local markets. Indicators such as household food expenditures or quantities purchased are a more direct measure of the degree to which households actually rely on markets for diverse foods and are similar to the approach taken in other studies.…”

“…Indicators such as household food expenditures or quantities purchased are a more direct measure of the degree to which households actually rely on markets for diverse foods and are similar to the approach taken in other studies. 25,31,[34][35][36] Production Diversity…”

“…This aspect has been highlighted in some studies-Sibhatu et al 24 find that relative to agricultural production diversity, it is market access and market transactions that hold greater potential for improving the diet diversity among smallholder farming households across Asian countries. More recently, Gupta et al 25 find a significant association between per capita market purchases of nonstaple food groups, such as pulses, meat/fish/poultry, eggs, and dairy products, and women's DDSs in rural India. Koppmair et al, 26 using data from Malawi, provide evidence that market food transactions (buying and selling) have a relatively larger impact on diet diversity than producing a more diverse set of foods.…”

Looking back on 2019: a selection of Food Security articles

“…in relation to food security is not sufficiently addressed in the food security literature. An exceptionally detailed and documented analysis concerns India, a country where over half of all women of reproductive age are affected by anaemia has been published by Soumya Gupta et al (2019). The study demonstrates that women's empowerment in agriculture will improve women's nutrition: women who are empowered in their agricultural decisions have significantly higher dietary diversity scores relative to women who are disempowered of such decisions.…”