Using data from the only large-scale randomized controlled trial promoting prolonged exclusive breastfeeding, we study how the intervention affected child health and why. The intervention increased weight-for-age in infancy, with effects persisting through adolescence. We show that treated...

In 1893, Frederick Jackson Turner proposed that America's Far Western frontier was an economic 'safety-valve,' a place where settlers migrated when European and eastern states' economic and social conditions crystallized against their upward mobility. However, Turner's hypothesis has come under...

The Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) is a tax on pre-packaged soft drinks with added sugar. Introduced in 2018, the government's stated aim was to reduce obesity (especially among children) by reducing the amount of added sugar in soft drinks, and encouraging consumers to switch to less sugary...

This paper investigates the long-term economic consequences of childhood nutrition in the Philippines, focusing on the mediating roles of cognitive development and schooling. Using longitudinal data from the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey (CLHNS), we apply a sequential mediation...

A rigorous randomized controlled trial in Nigeria shows that integrated safety nets produce sustained improvements in nutrition and food security for poor households relative to a basic safety nets program, with effects lasting three years. Stunting rates among young children fall by 18 percent...

Food systems should be at the heart of Cambodia’s development, positively influencing health, economic growth, and climate resilience while creating food security. Yet current diets, dominated by large amounts of rice and excessive ultra-processed foods and sugar, are driving a triple burden...

Most households in rural Africa are involved in smallholder farming, but off-farm employment is an important additional income source for many. Previous research has analyzed links between off-farm employment and wellbeing, but mostly at the household level, not considering that household...

Community supported agriculture (CSA) is a format for provisioning food, usually vegetables, where consumers are involved, to various degrees, in the production process. In this study of survey data, we explore differences between CSAs in Norway and the UK in terms of organisational models and...

This report aims to summarize the third edition of the World Bank FAO Knowledge Session series, including the topics covered, the countries featured and the impact of the various sessions. The report is also an opportunity to summarize the case studies and actionable solutions gathered and...

To effectively address the interrelated crises of food insecurity, malnutrition, climate change and ecosystem degradation, there is growing recognition that one need to transform the agrifood systems to deliver safe and nutritious food as part of healthy diets for all, while conserving and...

Malnutrition persists globally in various forms, with further rising food demand, climate change, biodiversity loss, and land degradation representing interlinked additional challenges. Addressing these challenges requires building more resilient and sustainable agrifood systems to...

Two-thirds of people in the Lao People's Democratic Republic live in rural areas, yet agriculture contributes less than one-fifth of gross domestic product. As such, farm incomes remain low and many lack access to safe and nutritious food sufficient to meet dietary needs and risk falling into...

Many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are experiencing a nutrition transition from traditional diets to high-energy, processed foods, increasing non-communicable disease risks. Digitalization of food systems plays a significant role in shaping this transition. This paper investigates the...

Since intra-household resource distribution is unobserved, it is difficult to compare how women and children fare across countries. To address this, we analyze 45 household expenditure surveys from predominantly low- and middle-income countries, i.e. an international sample of around 2.4 million...

In 2015, Southern Africa experienced a drought that affected approximately 30 million people across seven countries. Using a nationally representative household panel survey dataset and a remotely sensed measure of drought intensity during the 2015/16 farming season, we rigorously estimate the...

This report proposes a framework in tagging nutrition expenditures of national government agencies. The framework was developed through exhaustive literature review and validation sessions with government agencies. It comprised of five levels (5) of classification elements namely: major...

We provide the first estimates of broad-based health transmission between parents and their young children in India. The correlations between maternal health and child health outcomes - such as anemia, stunting, and body mass index - are approximately 0.20. When aggregating these health measures...

This paper examines the long-term effects of childhood vaccination on educational and health outcomes. Using data from the Indonesia Family Life Survey, we leverage the variation in timing and quality of the Village Midwife Program's implementation in the 1990s as a source of vaccination access...

The study examines changes in household food security and identifies their key determinants in Zambia by comparing the pre-pandemic period to the COVID-19 pandemic period. Using nationally representative surveys from 2015 and 2021 and the coarsened exact matching (CEM) approach, 8650 households...

This guide identifies what makes a PFM system responsive to nutrition needs, and what actions can be taken to develop a reform program in a capacity constrained context. Across the stages in the budgetcycle it identifies basic requirements that are necessary for a nutrition responsive PFM reform...

In the face of unprecedented climate change, adaptation has emerged as important for communities and nations to deal with the devastating effects of the phenomenon. It is inevitable that communities must adapt, although evidence in several regions, including Zimbabwe also point towards...

Fish consumers are often challenged by tradeoffs between nutritional benefits and contaminant risks, which increase due to environmental pollution. Health campaigns and labeling initiatives can guide decision-making by providing information both on contaminant risk and nutritional value of a...

This study examines the sustainability and healthiness of Ghana's current dietary patterns and explores pathways for promoting sustainable healthy diets through agrifood policy interventions. Using secondary data from the Food and Agriculture Organization's Statistics, Ghana Statistical Service,...

This paper estimates the direct and indirect effects of agriculture on health and nutrition using nationally representative survey data collected by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics in 1994, 1997, 2005 and 2015. The models estimated serve as examples of general frameworks that can be used...

The global aging population underscores the need for culturally tailored mobile health (mHealth) solutions to address nutritional challenges among older adults. This study investigates factors influencing the adoption of a culturally adapted mHealth platform for nutritional tracking among Thai...