The Broader Economic Value of School Feeding Programs in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Estimating the Multi-Sectoral Returns to Public Health, Human Capital, Social Protection, and the Local Economy

Abstract

Introduction: Globally, there are 370 million children receiving school meals every day. Coverage is least in low-income countries, where the need is greatest and where program costs are viewed as high in comparison with the benefits to public health alone. Here we explore the policy implications of including the returns of school feeding to other sectors in an economic analysis.Methods: We develop an economic evaluation methodology to estimate the costs and benefits of school feeding programs across four sectors: health and nutrition; education; social protection; and the local agricultural economy. We then apply this multi-sectoral benefit-cost analytical framework to school feeding programs in 14 countries (Botswana, Brazil, Cape Verde, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Ecuador, Ghana, India, Kenya, Mali, Mexico, Namibia, Nigeria, and South Africa) for which input data are readily available.Results: Across the 14 countries, we estimate that 190 million schoolchildren benefit from school feeding programs, with total program budgets reaching USD11 billion per year. Estimated annual human capital returns are USD180 billion: USD24 billion from health and nutrition gains, and USD156 billion from education. In addition, school feeding programs offer annual social protection benefits of USD7 billion and gains to local agricultural economies worth USD23 billion.Conclusions: This multi-sectoral analysis suggests that the overall benefits of school feeding are several times greater than the returns to public health alone, and that the overall benefit-cost ratio of school feeding programs could vary between 7 and 35, with particular sensitivity to the value of local wages. The scale of the findings suggests that school feeding programs are potentially much more cost-beneficial when viewed from the perspective of their multi-sectoral returns, and that it would be worthwhile following up with more detailed analyses at the national level to enhance the precision of these estimates.

Unlocking the potential for achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goal 2 – ‘Zero Hunger’ – in Africa: targets, strategies, synergies and challenges

“…In the long-term perspective, quality education and learning enable individuals and societies to develop. In many countries, school meals are an important source of daily nutrition and good health promotion ( 24 ). In fact, a quality education should include a curriculum involving food, nutrition, and agricultural food production, targets within SDG 2.…”

The mental health of children and young people living in big cities in a revolving postpandemic world

“…Children and young people are at a key developmental stage to receive appropriate intervention on mental health, as it can prevent a significant burden of mental health issues at adult-age and promote optimal human development [125]. As previously argued [4 && ], returns of investing in human capital of a future generation outweigh expenses [126]. In this direction, delivering mental health assistance and intervening at the micro-level can be critical, especially in lowincome and middle-income countries where services are concerningly scarce [127].…”

School Meal Programs in Africa: Regional Results From the 2019 Global Survey of School Meal Programs

“…In terms of health and nutrition, there is evidence of positive outcomes for children's height and weight ( 13 ) and micronutrient status, such as hemoglobin concentration/anemia and vitamin A status ( 15 , 16 ). A recent analysis of school meal programs took account of impacts across multiple sectors and arrived at a benefit-cost ratio of between 7 and 35 ( 17 ), attesting to the numerous benefits generated by such programs.…”