Intra-Family Food Distribution: Review of the Literature and Policy Implications

Excerpts from the report Foreword: The present study responds to a growing demand for information on the extent to which individual members of households will be positively affected by the increases in food availability that can be brought about as a result of improved government policies and/or specific agricultural development programs and projects. Implicit in the design of most agricultural development projects, for example, is the assumption that increases in food production will benefit all farm household members equally. Such cannot be a foregone conclusion, however. Especially since it is also widely believed, for example, that differences in the distribution of food among household members accounts for the prevalence of malnutrition among women and children. This report reviews the literature on the subject of how food is distributed within households in developing countries. It begins with a brief review of some examples of the types of information which are available, on intra-family food distribution. This is followed by a general discussion of how food flows through a household and what factors influence its distribution at various stages. The report then reviews twelve dietary studies in detail and identifies several types of distribution patterns implied by these studies. The report concludes with a discussion of the policy and planning implications of intra-family food distribution and identifies needs for further research.