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Using Agriculture to Improve Child Health: Promoting Orange Sweet Potatoes Reduces Diarrhea

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  • Jones, Kelly M.
  • de Brauw, Alan

Abstract

Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is prevalent throughout the developing world, and causes night blindness and increases child morbidity and mortality. We studied the health benefits of biofortification in reducing VAD, using a cluster-randomized impact evaluation in 36 villages in northern Mozambique. Based on a sample of 1,321 observations of children under the age 5, biofortification reduced diarrhea prevalence by 11.4 percentage points (95% CI 2.0–20.8), and by 18.9 percentage points in children under the age three (95% CI 6.6–68.3). Diarrhea duration was also reduced. This is promising evidence that child health can be improved through agricultural interventions such as biofortification.

Suggested Citation

  • Jones, Kelly M. & de Brauw, Alan, 2015. "Using Agriculture to Improve Child Health: Promoting Orange Sweet Potatoes Reduces Diarrhea," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 15-24.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:74:y:2015:i:c:p:15-24
    DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2015.04.007
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Alan de Brauw & Patrick Eozenou & Daniel O Gilligan & Christine Hotz & Neha Kumar & J V Meenakshi, 2018. "Biofortification, Crop Adoption and Health Information: Impact Pathways in Mozambique and Uganda," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 100(3), pages 906-930.
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    Cited by:

    1. Shikuku, Kelvin Mashisia & Okello, Julius Juma & Wambugu, Stella & Sindi, Kirimi & Low, Jan W. & McEwan, Margaret, 2019. "Nutrition and food security impacts of quality seeds of biofortified orange-fleshed sweetpotato: Quasi-experimental evidence from Tanzania," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 1-1.
    2. Rute M. Caeiro & Pedro C. Vicente, 2020. "Knowledge of vitamin A deficiency and crop adoption: Evidence from a field experiment in Mozambique," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 51(2), pages 175-190, March.
    3. Pepijn Schreinemachers & Bal Bdr Rai & Desang Dorji & Hsiao-pu Chen & Thinley Dukpa & Namgay Thinley & Passang Lhamo Sherpa & Ray-Yu Yang, 2017. "School gardening in Bhutan: Evaluating outcomes and impact," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 9(3), pages 635-648, June.
    4. Dasgupta, Susmita & Mustafa, Golam & Paul, Tapas & Wheeler, David, 2021. "The socioeconomics of fish consumption and child health: An observational cohort study from Bangladesh," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    5. Ruel, Marie T. & Quisumbing, Agnes R. & Balagamwala, Mysbah, 2017. "Nutrition-sensitive agriculture: What have we learned and where do we go from here?:," IFPRI discussion papers 1681, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    6. Simon Heck & Hugo Campos & Ian Barker & Julius J. Okello & Arun Baral & Erick Boy & Lynn Brown & Ekin Birol, 2020. "Resilient agri-food systems for nutrition amidst COVID-19: evidence and lessons from food-based approaches to overcome micronutrient deficiency and rebuild livelihoods after crises," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 12(4), pages 823-830, August.
    7. Sylvester Ochieng Ogutu & Andrea Fongar & Theda Gödecke & Lisa Jäckering & Henry Mwololo & Michael Njuguna & Meike Wollni & Matin Qaim, 2020. "How to make farming and agricultural extension more nutrition-sensitive: evidence from a randomised controlled trial in Kenya [Agricultural extension: good intentions and hard realities]," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 47(1), pages 95-118.
    8. Pepijn Schreinemachers & Dhruba Raj Bhattarai & Giri Dhari Subedi & Tej Prasad Acharya & Hsiao-pu Chen & Ray-yu Yang & Narayan Kaji Kashichhawa & Upendra Dhungana & Gregory C. Luther & Maureen Mecozzi, 2017. "Impact of school gardens in Nepal: a cluster randomised controlled trial," Journal of Development Effectiveness, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(3), pages 329-343, July.
    9. Gatto, Marcel & Mgomezulu, Wisdom R. & Okello, Julius J. & Pradel, Willy & Kwikiriza, Norman & Hareau, Guy G., 2023. "Direct and spillover effects of biofortified sweetpotato interventions on sustained adoption in Malawi," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    10. David R. Just & Julius J. Okello & Gnel Gabrielyan & Souleimane Adekambi & Norman Kwikiriza & Putri E. Abidin & Edward Carey, 2022. "A Behavioral Intervention Increases Consumption of a New Biofortified Food by School Children: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Nigeria," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 34(1), pages 124-146, February.
    11. Mica Jenkins & Carmen Byker Shanks & Roland Brouwer & Bailey Houghtaling, 2018. "Factors affecting farmers’ willingness and ability to adopt and retain vitamin A-rich varieties of orange-fleshed sweet potato in Mozambique," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 10(6), pages 1501-1519, December.
    12. Low, Jan W. & Thiele, Graham, 2020. "Understanding innovation: The development and scaling of orange-fleshed sweetpotato in major African food systems," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).

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