Abstract
Interactions between SDGs are increasingly mapped and mediating factors that determine whether existing synergies or trade-offs can be identified. However, if and how the wealth status of the concerned population shapes whether SDG interaction constitutes a vicious or virtuous circle is largely overlooked. This article focuses on interaction between SDG2 (nutrition) and SDG3 (health), in particular, the relationship between rice production intensification and the fight against malaria, and thus the role of wealth in explaining the trade-off. This study employed a large-scale survey of rural households (n = 3968) in eastern Rwanda, conducted at a time when a rapid expansion of rice fields co-existed with a strong resurgence of malaria. Logistic regression shows that rice-cultivating households faced significant higher malaria risk, as proxied by fever incidence, confirming the negative externality of agricultural intensification on public health through offering a habitat for vector-borne diseases. Even though rice-cultivating households tend to be higher up the local wealth distribution than those outside the rice sector, its distributional effects are generally biased against the poor. Poorer households outside the rice sector hardly share in the benefits from increased rice production but suffer the consequences in terms of increased malaria risk. The case thus draws attention to the importance of using a distributional lens when analyzing interaction between SDGs locally.
Highlights
The Preamble to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development stresses the “integrated and indivisible” nature of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a bid to preempt tendencies to take a siloed approach towards the different goals on the part of policymakers [1] as well as researchers [2]
This paper intends to add to our understanding of how interactions at the SDG target level may play out, by zooming in on how stimulating small-scale agriculture, as part of the goal to eradicate hunger (SDG2), links to the fight against communicable diseases, which is a crucial target for achieving healthier lives (SDG3) in a developing country context
We aim to illustrate the importance of identifying relevant mediators of SDG interaction—in particular, wealth status—to promote a more evidence-based approach to the normative questions that SDG trade-offs raise for policymakers
Summary
The Preamble to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development stresses the “integrated and indivisible” nature of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a bid to preempt tendencies to take a siloed approach towards the different goals on the part of policymakers [1] as well as researchers [2]. SDG17—the global partnership goal—explicitly calls for enhanced policy coherence for sustainable development (target 17.14). In response to this call, attention has been directed to the complex of interactions between the various SDGs, mapping out both synergies and trade-offs. Analyses of SDG interdependencies have become more finegrained in the sense that synergies and trade-offs are identified at the level of sub-goals (targets), either within or across broader goals. This paper intends to add to our understanding of how interactions at the SDG target level may play out, by zooming in on how stimulating small-scale agriculture (target 2.3), as part of the goal to eradicate hunger (SDG2), links to the fight against communicable diseases (target 3.3), which is a crucial target for achieving healthier lives (SDG3) in a developing country context.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
