Human Nutrition and Agriculture

1
Human Nutrition and Agriculture
Per Pinstrup-Andersen
Prepared for IARD 402 Agriculture in the
Developing Nations Cornell University September
3, 2004
2
Paper Organized Around Five Questions

• How could agricultural research policy improve
  nutrition?
• Should nutrition goals guide agricultural
  research and policy?
• What policy measures are likely to be effective
• Are nutrition goals best achieved through pre- or
  post-harvest changes?
• Would consumer behavior enhance or reduce the
  intended effect?

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The Triple Burden of Malnutrition

• Energy and protein deficiencies Hunger
• Specific nutrient deficiencies Hidden Hunger
• Excessive net energy intake Overweight
  Obesity

4
Approximate Global Prevalence of Malnutrition
Millions
Hunger Child stunting Child underweight
800 182 150
Hidden Hunger Iron deficiency Vit-A
deficiency Zinc deficiency
2,000 500 2,000
Overweight or obese Overweight (pre-obese)
Obese
1,000 700 300
Source Data from FAO, UNICEF, UN Population
Fund, and the International Obesity Task Force
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Prevalence of Hunger By Region
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Prevalence of Adult Overweight and Obesity in
Selected Countries ()
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Prevalence of Overweight and obesity among U.S.
Adults
Source American Obesity Association. (2003).
AOA Fact Sheets, Obesity in the U.S.
(www.obesity.org/subs/fastfacts/obesity-US.html)
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Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among U.S.
Children and Adolescents
16
Percent
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
1976-80
1988-94
1999
1976-80
1988-94
1999
Children
Adolescents
Source U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services (2001)
9
Estimated Annual Deaths in the U.S. Due to
Overweight and obesity
300,000
Smoking
400,000
Source U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services (2001)
10
Prevalence of Overweight in China
Percent of population
40
Men
Women
30
20
10
0
1989
1997
2020
1989
1997
2020
projection
projection
Source Gillespie and Haddad, Attacking the
Double Burden of Malnutrition In Asia, IFPRI,
Washington, DC (2000).
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Effects of vitamin A supplementationin
populations with vitamin A-deficiency

• Reduced mortality in children lt5 years by 27
  (meta-analysis of 7 studies)
• Reduced mortality in pregnant women by 40
• Reduced incidence of malarial attacks by 30

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Estimated Productivity Losses in Adults Due to
Malnutrition ()
13
Agricultural Research and Policy
HH food consumption (diet)
Health status
Water, sanitary condition
Child care
Energy expenditure
Nutritional Status
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Should Nutrition Goals Guide Agriculture?

• Relative importance of nutrition goal
• Cost-effectiveness
• Better means
• Trade-offs with other goals
• Trade-offs among nutrition goals

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What Policy Measures?

• Income policies
• Domestic policies
• Infrastructure investment
• Market policies
• Property rights policies
• Credit and input policies
• Trade and international agreements

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What Policy Measures (Cont)?

• 2. Price policies
• Price elasticities and income level
• 3. Policies to change availability
• Product portfolio
• Nutrient content

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Policy Measures (Cont)

• Research and Technology
• Productivity increases
• Labor demand and energy expenditures
• Changing commodity composition
• Price and income effects

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Percent changes in cereal and pulse production
and in population between 1965 and 1999
250
250
Cereal Production
Pulse Production
Population
200
200
150
150
100
100
50
50
0
0
India
India
World
Pakistan
Pakistan
Developing
Developing
Developing
Bangladesh
Bangladesh
FAO data, 1999
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Indices of Inflation-Adjusted Prices for
Bangladesh, 1973-75100
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Benefit-cost ratios for plant breeding for
increased iron content (India-Bangladesh)
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Relative Costs of Biofortification

• Commercial Iron Fortification
• 0.10 per person per year
• 1.25 billion people in South Asia
• To reach 40 of this population each year costs
  50 million, 500 million each decade

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Comparing Biofortification and Iron
Supplementation

• Iron supplements are 50 times as expensive to
  deliver per person treated
• To get an equal effect as bio-fortification
  through meat/fish consumption, poor Bangladeshi
  households would have to spend 35 extra per
  person per year on meat/fish.

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What Policy Measures? (Cont)

• Policies to alter time allocation
• Policies to influence mitigating factors

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Pre- or Post-harvest Interventions?

• Pre-harvest
• Productivity
• Risks and fluctuations
• Commodity characteristics
• Post-harvest
• Storage
• Transport
• Processing
• Fortification

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Factors Influencing Food Demand

• Population growth
• Income change
• Price change
• Urbanization
• Food Safety
• Organic Foods
• Locally-produced foods
• Identity preservation

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Nutritional Needs
Advertising Promotion Nutr. Education
HH incomes Prices HH behavior
Economic demand
Should agricultural policies focus on needs or
demand?