Abstract
With more than 820 million undernourished people living in rural areas of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), ending hunger and ensuring access to food by all is a global priority. In the past few decades, the adoption of technological innovations in the agricultural sector and related crop yield improvements have not led to expected improvements in the nutritional status of rural households in many LMICs. The increased energy expenditure associated with the adoption of productivity-enhancing innovations may provide an important explanation of the disconnect between agricultural productivity enhancements and improved nutritional outcomes. We develop a methodology for generating reliable livelihood energy/calorie expenditure profiles for rural agricultural households using research-grade accelerometer devices. We integrate the data on physical activity and energy expenditure in rural households with data on time-use and food intakes to generate a data set that provides a unique window into rural livelihoods. This can be a valuable resource to analyse agriculture-nutrition impact pathways and improve the welfare of rural and agricultural households.
Highlights
Background & SummaryUndernutrition remains a significant challenge in rural areas of low- and middle income countries (LIMCs), with more than 820 million people in the world not meeting the minimum caloric requirements in 20181
A key impact pathway to nutrition is the effect of innovations on energy expenditure and energy intakes of individuals[7], mediated by intra-household allocation decisions
Nutritional outcomes of productivity-enhancing agricultural interventions are determined by the changes in energy intakes facilitated by productivity enhancements – such as mechanization or adoption of new technology – as well as by the changes in energy expenditures called for by the intervention for different members of the rural household
Summary
Undernutrition remains a significant challenge in rural areas of low- and middle income countries (LIMCs), with more than 820 million people in the world not meeting the minimum caloric requirements in 20181. Intra-household allocations of time, labour and consumption have been recognised as significant determinants of the adoption of productivity-enhancing agricultural innovations and their impact on the nutritional status of individual household members[4,5]. Together with data on energy expenditure from accelerometry devices, data was collected on household and individual characteristics and daily individual level time-use and food intakes. The final published dataset[13] includes household and individual characteristics and raw accelerometer data (Table 1) This unique resource has the potential to generate an integrated data sets that links physical activity with time use and food intake. The detailed examination of energy expenditure, time use patterns and food intake can facilitate the development of approaches to nutrition and welfare enhancement that are not focused on productivity/yield improving innovations alone. Considering time and energy trade-offs between a wider range of different rural livelihood activities in policy design can help to tailor policies specific to different needs of women and men in rural areas
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