Exploring the Significance of Food Insecurity Mediated Poverty and Low Productivity Traps: Furthering Policy by Reconciling Secondary Data with Primary Survey

Abstract

Food security has important positive implications for cognition, the basis for human capital formation. This paper points to the highly probable food insecurity mediated poverty trap—on the basis of a collation of researches by nutrition and paediatric scientists, and neuroscientists—by which poverty causes malnutrition and thus poor human capital formation, resulting again in poverty in the next generation. It marshals empirical support for the existence of this trap—National Sample Survey data for India as a whole showing that households with low economic status are indeed associated with a significantly higher statistical probability of malnutrition and anthropometric deficiency than other households. However, at the same time, it qualifies this conclusion on the basis of a primary survey of two villages carried out in 24 South Paraganas district of West Bengal which indicates that the results for India as a whole are not necessarily true for each narrowly defined region: in this specific case, nutritional deficiency or qualitatively poor dietary intake is poorly associated with income status and often observed for high income households. Second, households in these two villages are observed to remain in the wealthier part of the economic distribution in spite of poor dietary intake. An important parallel finding also emerges from National Sample Survey data: alleviation of income poverty over time is not necessarily a cure for food insecurity with income enhancement often associated with copycat status good consumption. A case thus emerges for nutritional counselling whereby households could be advised how changes in their diet can enhance their productivity and wellbeing. Finally, the study of two villages’ points to the likelihood of poor nutrition being determined more by cultural characteristics born out of religious, caste and geographical affiliations than income. It thus concludes that region specific studies for determining the significant drivers of food insecurity are called for.

Appendix: Questionnaire for Primary Survey

• 1. Village name

• 2. Are there any children in the household in the age group of 16–20 years?

• 3. Name, age and gender of head of household

• 4. Household size

• 5. Age and gender of other members of the household, their relationship with the head of the household, and the monthly income of the income earners.

  

• 6. Identify members using Sl. No in the table above whose principal source of income is the following:

  • i. Government, public sector or private sector job.

  • ii. Self-employment in agriculture

  • iii. Wage employment in agriculture

  • iv. Others

• 7. Religion

• 8. Classify the households in terms of the following categories if Hindu

  • i. SC

  • ii. ST

  • iii. OBC

  • iv. General

• 9. In case the household is Hindu and is placed in the first three categories (above), does it possess a relevant certificate?

• 10. In case the household is non-Hindu and SC/ST does it have a relevant certificate?

• 11. Identify the children aged 16 to 18 years who are not in school by Sl. No. (in 5).

• 12. Against the possible reasons for not being in school list the relevant Sl. Nos, thus pointing out the reason for each child identified in 11 for not being in school.

  • i. Dropped out voluntarily due to family facing financial hardship

  • ii. Dropped out because of poor performance or failure

  • iii. Other (explain):

• 13. Present consumption of food in the household

  

• 14. Food consumption in the household 15 years back

  

• 15. Monthly consumption of major food items and expenditures on these (now and 15 years back if there has been a significant change between then and now):

  Food items	Quantity being consumed now (monthly)	Current expenditure (monthly)	Quantity consumed 15 years ago (monthly)	Expenditure 15 years ago (monthly)
  Cereals
  Pulses
  Vegetables
  Oil
  Milk and milk products
  Non-vegetarian food
  Fruits
  Sugar/gur
  Tea/coffee
  Pan/tobacco products

• 16. Is there a good primary government school that is accessible from the village now? What about middle and secondary schools? Compare with the situation 15 years back

• 17. Comment on the quality of the mid-day meal programme now and 15 years back as well as provide details regarding how much it helps/helped to supplement the food consumption of the household

• 18. Compare the state of accessible government health facilities (health centres/dispensaries/hospitals) at present to that 15 years back?

• 19. Do you access private health facilities now? What about 15 years back?

• 20. What are/were the expenditures on health and education now/‘15 years ago’?

• 21. Name the goods (and their quantities) which you consume as a result of (a) home production, transfers from relatives or friends outside the household, and (b) access to nature (forests/lakes/trees, etc.)? Compare this to the situation 15 years back.

• 22. Do you use the PDS? If yes, provide monthly quantity of purchases and expenditures on these. What was the scenario 15 years ago?

• 23. Wealth now and 15 years ago

  • i. Amount of land owned

  • ii. Nature of home ownership: owned/rented/relative’s house

  • iii. Type of household: Kuccha/Pucca

  • iv. Type of flooring

  • v. Type of roofing

  • vi. Number of rooms

  • vii. Number of household members sleeping per room.

  • viii. Drinking water source

  • ix. Type of toilet facility

  • x. Ownership of a bank or post office account

  • xi. Ownership of durable goods (list and visually inspect)

• 24. What is the source of drinking water? Is it treated before consumption? Compare with the situation 15 years back.

• 25. How active are/were Anganwadis 15 years back?