IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jfpoli/v121y2023ics0306919223001653.html

Household dairy production, dairy intake, and anthropometric outcomes in rural Bangladesh

Author

Listed:
  • Mehrab Bakhtiar, M.
  • Hoddinott, John

Abstract

We assess whether ownership of dairy cows is associated with a greater likelihood of consuming dairy products and with child anthropometric status in rural Bangladesh. Consistent with the assumption of imperfectly functioning markets for dairy products, ownership of dairy cows increases the likelihood that a child 6–59 months consumes milk by 7.7 percentage points with no difference in this association between boys and girls. This association nearly doubles in magnitude when we consider households that own a dairy cow that produced milk in the last year. This result is robust to the controls we use and the way in which we measure dairy cow ownership. Even when we saturate our model with child, maternal, household, wealth, as well as village fixed effects, we retain an association between dairy cow ownership and height-for-age z scores (HAZ) that is meaningful in magnitude – 0.13 standard deviations – and statistically significant at the one percent level. For children in the 12–23.9 month age group, ownership of a dairy cow is associated with a 0.37 SD increase in HAZ and a reduction of 11.3 percentage points in stunting. There is no statistically significant association with weight-for-height or wasting. These associations do not differ between boys and girls.

Suggested Citation

  • Mehrab Bakhtiar, M. & Hoddinott, John, 2023. "Household dairy production, dairy intake, and anthropometric outcomes in rural Bangladesh," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:121:y:2023:i:c:s0306919223001653
    DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2023.102567
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306919223001653
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.foodpol.2023.102567?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. de Janvry, Alain & Fafchamps, M. & Sadoulet, Elisabeth, 1991. "Peasant Household Behavior with Missing Markets: Some Paradoxes Explain," CUDARE Working Papers 198579, University of California, Berkeley, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
    2. Jemimah Micere Njuki & Amanda Wyatt & Isabelle Baltenweck & Kathryn Yount & Clair Null & Usha Ramakrishnan & Aimee Webb Girard & Shreyas Sreenath, 2016. "An Exploratory study of Dairying Intensification, Women’s Decision Making, and Time Use and Implications for Child Nutrition in Kenya," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 28(4), pages 722-740, September.
    3. Derek Headey & Kalle Hirvonen & John Hoddinott, 2018. "Animal Sourced Foods and Child Stunting," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 100(5), pages 1302-1319.
    4. Saule Burkitbayeva & Emma Janssen & Jo Swinnen, 2019. "Technology Adoption and Value Chains in Developing Countries: Panel Evidence from Dairy in Punjab," Working Papers of LICOS - Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance 634342, KU Leuven, Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), LICOS - Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance.
    5. Rawlins, Rosemary & Pimkina, Svetlana & Barrett, Christopher B. & Pedersen, Sarah & Wydick, Bruce, 2014. "Got milk? The impact of Heifer International’s livestock donation programs in Rwanda on nutritional outcomes," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 202-213.
    6. Choudhury, Samira & Headey, Derek D., 2018. "Household dairy production and child growth: Evidence from Bangladesh," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 150-161.
    7. John Hoddinott & Derek Headey & Mekdim Dereje, 2015. "Cows, Missing Milk Markets, and Nutrition in Rural Ethiopia," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(8), pages 958-975, August.
    8. de Janvry, Alain & Fafchamps, Marcel & Sadoulet, Elisabeth, 1991. "Peasant Household Behaviour with Missing Markets: Some Paradoxes Explained," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 101(409), pages 1400-1417, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Meenakshi, J.V. & Quisumbing, Agnes, 2025. "Diet quality and micronutrient intakes in nutritional value chains: A synthesis and suggestions for further research," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    2. Uddin, Mohammad Riaz, 2025. "Household fish production, fish consumption, dietary diversity, and anthropometric outcomes in rural Bangladesh," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    3. Hutchins, Jared & Skidmore, Marin & Nolan, Derek, 2025. "Vulnerability of US dairy farms to extreme heat," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).

    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. Headey, Derek D. & Alderman, Harold & Hoddinott, John & Narayanan, Sudha, 2024. "The glass of milk half-empty? Dairy development and nutrition in low and middle income countries," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    2. Alderman, Harold & Gilligan, Daniel O. & Leight, Jessica & Mulford, Michael & Tambet, Heleene, 2022. "The role of poultry transfers in diet diversity: A cluster randomized intent to treat analysis," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    3. Derek Headey & Kalle Hirvonen & John Hoddinott & David Stifel, 2019. "Rural Food Markets and Child Nutrition," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 101(5), pages 1311-1327.
    4. Lovo, Stefania & Veronesi, Marcella, 2019. "Crop Diversification and Child Health: Empirical Evidence From Tanzania," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 168-179.
    5. Rob Kuijpers, 2019. "Value Chain Development as Public Policy: Conceptualization and Evidence from the Agri-Food Sector in Bangladesh," LICOS Discussion Papers 41419, LICOS - Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance, KU Leuven.
    6. Schneider, Kate R., 2022. "Nationally representative estimates of the cost of adequate diets, nutrient level drivers, and policy options for households in rural Malawi," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    7. Katharina Lehmann-Uschner & Kati Kraehnert, 2017. "Food Intake and the Role of Food Self-Provisioning," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(8), pages 1303-1322, August.
    8. Aihounton, Ghislain & Henningsen, Arne, 2021. "Organic Farming and Food and Nutrition Security," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315413, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    9. John Hoddinott & Derek Headey & Mekdim Dereje, 2015. "Cows, Missing Milk Markets, and Nutrition in Rural Ethiopia," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(8), pages 958-975, August.
    10. Tesfaye, Wondimagegn, 2022. "Crop diversification and child malnutrition in rural Ethiopia: Impacts and Pathways," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    11. Mulmi, Prajula & Masters, William A. & Block, Steven A. & Webb, Patrick, "undated". "Farm production, child dietary intake and household wealth: Results from a nationally-representative survey in Nepal," 2017 Annual Meeting, July 30-August 1, Chicago, Illinois 259163, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    12. Elizabeth Bageant & Yanyan Liu & Xinshen Diao, 2016. "Agriculture-Nutrition Linkages and Child Health in the Presence of Conflict in Nepal," Working Papers id:10530, eSocialSciences.
    13. Animashaun, Jubril & Emediegwu, Lotanna E. & Okoror, Okiemua T. & Osadolor, Nneka E., 2026. "Harmful temperatures and consumption expenditure: Evidence from Nigerian households," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 241(C).
    14. Liverpool-Tasie, Lenis Saweda, 2012. "Targeted Subsidies and Private Market Participation: An Assessment of Fertilizer Demand in Nigeria:," IFPRI discussion papers 1194, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    15. Shiferaw, Bekele & Holden, Stein, 1999. "Soil Erosion and Smallholders' Conservation Decisions in the Highlands of Ethiopia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 27(4), pages 739-752, April.
    16. Momanyi, Denis & Lagat, Prof. Job K. & Ayuya, Dr. Oscar I., 2016. "Analysis of the Marketing Behaviour of African Indigenous Leafy Vegetables among Smallholder Farmers in Nyamira County, Kenya," MPRA Paper 69202, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 27 Jan 2016.
    17. Chavas, Jean-Paul & Smith, Lisa C., 1999. "Supply response of West African agricultural households," FCND discussion papers 69, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    18. Sheahan, Megan & Black, Roy & Jayne, T.S., 2013. "Are Kenyan farmers under-utilizing fertilizer? Implications for input intensification strategies and research," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 39-52.
    19. Barrett, Christopher B., 1998. "Immiserized growth in liberalized agriculture," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 26(5), pages 743-753, May.
    20. Mariapia Mendola, 2004. "Migration and Technological Change in Rural Households: Complements or Substitutes?," Development Working Papers 195, Centro Studi Luca d'Agliano, University of Milano.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • Q18 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Policy; Food Policy; Animal Welfare Policy
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • I15 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Economic Development

    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:eee:jfpoli:v:121:y:2023:i:c:s0306919223001653. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/foodpol .

    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.