Intrahousehold distribution of sales revenue and household nutritional outcomes: What if the wives controlled the farm revenue?

Abstract

AbstractIn most developing countries, crop sales represent a means of improving the nutritional status of rural households. However, the expected effect of farm income may or may not be achieved, depending on who controls it. In this study, we use panel data on rural households in Burkina Faso to analyze the effect of the wives’ share of farm revenue on nutritional outcomes. The estimates show that raising wives’ share of farm revenue increases household food demand and nutrition quality. Moreover, the effect of the wives’ share of farm revenue on household nutrition is greater than the effect of the overall income per capita, which indicates that the intrahousehold distribution of farm income affects household nutritional status. We also show that increase in food expenditure and, more specifically, reallocation of the budget toward highly nutritious foods could represent a channel through which the control of farm revenue by women improves the household dietary quality. These findings imply that facilitating women's access to productive resources, such as land and labor‐saving technologies, could be the fastest way to improve household food and nutritional security.