IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/kob/dpaper/dp2012-16.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Agriculture-Nutrition Pathway in India

Author

Listed:
  • Raghav Gaiha

    (Department of Urban Studies and Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA)

  • Nidhi Kaicker

    (School of Business, Public Policy and Social Entrepreneurship, Ambedkar University, Delhi, India)

  • Katsushi S. Imai

    (Economics, School of Social Sciences, University of Manchester (UK) and RIEB, Kobe University (Japan))

  • Ganesh Thapa

    (International Fund for Agricultural Development, Rome, Italy)

Abstract

Our analysis illustrates one pathway between agriculture and nutrition through production of nutrients by crop and size as well as through livestock. As this pathway is subsumed in agriculture and nutrition studies focusing on anthropometric outcomes, and hardly any light is thrown on the contribution of smallholders, it is emphasised that they play an important role as producers of nutrients. Specifically, despite various disadvantages (e.g. inadequate access to extension, technology, credit and markets), they contribute largest shares of calories, protein and fats. However, profits earned (using an approximate measure) are considerably lower among them than among medium and large landholders. At least two reasons are identified in our analysis: one is limited access to markets and another is lower crop prices. A much greater emphasis on enabling higher investment, access to technology and markets through better rural infrastructure would help increase profitability of crop production. Equally important are market imperfections that manifest in lower crop prices for smallholders. How economies of scale could be exploited through farmers' groups needs careful scrutiny.

Suggested Citation

  • Raghav Gaiha & Nidhi Kaicker & Katsushi S. Imai & Ganesh Thapa, 2012. "Agriculture-Nutrition Pathway in India," Discussion Paper Series DP2012-16, Research Institute for Economics & Business Administration, Kobe University.
    • Handle: RePEc:kob:dpaper:dp2012-16
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.rieb.kobe-u.ac.jp/academic/ra/dp/English/DP2012-16.pdf
    File Function: First version, 2012
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Raghav Gaiha & Nidhi Kaicker & Katsushi Imai & Vani S. Kulkarni & Ganesh Thapa, 2012. "Has Dietary Transition Slowed Down in India: An analysis based on 50th, 61st and 66th Rounds of NSS," ASARC Working Papers 2012-07, The Australian National University, Australia South Asia Research Centre.
    2. Katsushi S. Imai & Raghav Gaiha & Ganesh Thapa & Abdilahi Ali, 2012. "Supply Response to Food Price Changes in Asian Countries," International Economic Association Series, in: Masahiko Aoki & Timur Kuran & Gérard Roland (ed.), Institutions and Comparative Economic Development, chapter 16, pages 313-331, Palgrave Macmillan.
    3. Gillespie, Stuart & Harris, Jody & Kadiyala, Suneetha, 2012. "The Agriculture-Nutrition Disconnect in India: What Do We Know?:," IFPRI discussion papers 1187, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    4. Raghav Gaiha & Nidhi Kaicker & Katsushi S. Imai & Vani S. Kulkarni & Ganesh Thapa, 2014. "Dietary shift and diet quality in India: an analysis based on the 50th, 61st and 66th rounds of NSS," Chapters, in: Raghbendra Jha & Raghav Gaiha & Anil B. Deolalikar (ed.), Handbook on Food, chapter 8, pages 177-203, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    5. Shilpi, Forhad & Umali-Deininger, Dina, 2007. "Where to sell ? market facilities and agricultural marketing," Policy Research Working Paper Series 4455, The World Bank.
    6. Raghav Gaiha & Katsushi S. Imai & Ganesh Thapa, 2011. "Role of Agriculture in Achieving MDG 1 in Asia and the Pacific Region," Economics Discussion Paper Series 1104, Economics, The University of Manchester.
    7. Raghav Gaiha & Nidhi Kaicker & Katsushi S. Imai & Ganesh Thapa, 2012. "Demand for Nutrients in India: An Analysis Based on the 50th, 61st and 66th Rounds of the NSS," Discussion Paper Series DP2012-14, Research Institute for Economics & Business Administration, Kobe University.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kihiu, Evelyne Nyathira & Amuakwa-Mensah, Franklin, 2021. "Agricultural market access and dietary diversity in Kenya: Gender considerations towards improved household nutritional outcomes," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    2. Carly Nichols, 2017. "Millets, milk and maggi: contested processes of the nutrition transition in rural India," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 34(4), pages 871-885, December.
    3. Kakoli Borkotoky & Sayeed Unisa, 2018. "Inequality in Food Expenditure in India and the Contributing Factors," Journal of Quantitative Economics, Springer;The Indian Econometric Society (TIES), vol. 16(3), pages 647-680, September.
    4. Diane Coffey & Ashwini Deshpande & Jeffrey Hammer & Dean Spears, 2019. "Local Social Inequality, Economic Inequality, and Disparities in Child Height in India," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 56(4), pages 1427-1452, August.
    5. van den Bold, Mara & Quisumbing, Agnes R. & Gillespie, Stuart, 2013. "Women’s empowerment and nutrition: An evidence review:," IFPRI discussion papers 1294, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    6. Genova, Christian & Umberger, Wendy J. & Peralta-Sanchez, Maria-Alexandra & Newman, Suzie & Zeng, Di, 2021. "The Impact of Smallholder Vegetable Production on Rural Vietnamese Children’s Nutrition Outcomes," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315293, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    7. Vani S. Kulkarni, 2014. "Global middle class and dietary patterns: a sociological perspective," Chapters, in: Raghbendra Jha & Raghav Gaiha & Anil B. Deolalikar (ed.), Handbook on Food, chapter 20, pages 515-538, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    8. Imai, Katsushi S. & Gaiha, Raghav & Thapa, Ganesh, 2011. "Supply response to changes in agricultural commodity prices in Asian countries," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 61-75, February.
    9. Akhter Ali & Awudu Abdulai & Dil Bahadur Rahut, 2017. "Farmers' Access to Markets: The Case of Cotton in Pakistan," Asian Economic Journal, East Asian Economic Association, vol. 31(2), pages 211-232, June.
    10. Suresh Chandra Babu & Meera Singh & T. V. Hymavathi & K. Uma Rani & G. G. Kavitha & Shree Karthik, 2016. "Improved Nutrition through Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services," World Bank Publications - Reports 23767, The World Bank Group.
    11. Ved, Rajani & Menon, Purnima, 2012. "Analyzing intersectoral convergence to improve child undernutrition in India: Development and application of a framework to examine policies in agriculture, health, and nutrition," IFPRI discussion papers 1208, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    12. Sauer, Christine M. & Mason, Nicole M. & Maredia, Mywish K. & Mofya-Mukaka, Rhoda, 2016. "Impact Of Legume Technologies On Food Security: Evidence From Zambia," Miscellaneous Publications 251853, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    13. Gillespie, Stuart & Poole, Nigel & van den Bold, Mara & Bhavani, R.V. & Dangour, Alan D. & Shetty, Prakash, 2019. "Leveraging agriculture for nutrition in South Asia: What do we know, and what have we learned?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 3-12.
    14. Biswabhusan Bhuyan & Bimal Kishore Sahoo & Damodar Suar, 2020. "Quantile Regression Analysis of Predictors of Calorie Demand in India: An Implication for Sustainable Development Goals," Journal of Quantitative Economics, Springer;The Indian Econometric Society (TIES), vol. 18(4), pages 825-859, December.
    15. Jing You & Katsushi S. Imai & Raghav Gaiha, 2014. "Decoding the Growth-Nutrition Nexus in China: Inequality, Uncertainty and Food Insecurity," Economics Discussion Paper Series 1413, Economics, The University of Manchester.
    16. Collins, LaPorchia A., 2022. "Identifying Profiles of Empowerment: Does the Empowerment Mix Matter for Food Security?," 2022 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Anaheim, California 322538, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    17. Saleemi, Sundus & Bubune Letsa, Crystal & Owusu-Authur, Johnny & Mohammed, Abubakri & Baah-Tuahene, Sylvia & Yeboah, Marilyn & Omari, Rose, 2024. "Impacts of mothers’ time on children’s diets," Discussion Papers 339268, University of Bonn, Center for Development Research (ZEF).
    18. Chatterjee, Tirtha, 2016. "Does farm level diversification improve household dietary diversity? Evidence from Rural India," 90th Annual Conference, April 4-6, 2016, Warwick University, Coventry, UK 236369, Agricultural Economics Society.
    19. Pinaki Das & Sk Md Abul Basar, 2020. "Are the Non-poor Households Nutritionally Secure? An Assessment from NSSO Unit Level Data in India Between 2004–2005 and 2011–2012," Indian Journal of Human Development, , vol. 14(2), pages 182-201, August.
    20. Palanisamy, Venkatesh & Vellaichamy, Sangeetha & Sendhil, R & Jha, Girish Kumar, 2021. "Does Food Security Influence the Nutritional Status in India? Empirical Evidences from State-Level Cross Sectional Study," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315230, International Association of Agricultural Economists.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Agriculture; Food crops; Livestock; Smallholders; Calorie; Protein and fat;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I15 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Economic Development
    • Q18 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Policy; Food Policy; Animal Welfare Policy
    • N35 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - Asia including Middle East

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kob:dpaper:dp2012-16. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Office of Promoting Research Collaboration, Research Institute for Economics & Business Administration, Kobe University (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/rikobjp.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.