Long-Term Impacts of an Unanticipated Risk Event : The 2007/08 Food Price Crisis and Child Growth in Indonesia

Yamauchi, Futoshi ; Larson, Donald F.

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: food prices;    food security;    child nutrition;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-7627
RP-ID  :  WPS7627

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

Unanticipated spikes in food prices canincrease malnutrition among the poor, with lastingconsequences; however, livelihood strategies that includeproducing food for home consumption are expected to offer ameasure of protection. Using anthropometric and consumptiondata from Indonesia collected before and after the 2007/08food price crisis, this paper finds evidence of botheffects. Based on standardized height and weight measures,the results indicate that soaring food prices had asignificant and negative impact on child growth amongnon-farming households. A corresponding effect wasundetectable for food-producing households. The resultsremain robust when income effects from increased commercialsales and possible attritions through migration andfostering are considered. Further, local food price changeswere uncorrelated with the share of non-farming villagehouseholds and the initial average child nutrition status inthe village, suggesting that the observed outcomes aredirectly attributable to market events and livelihoodstrategies. Interestingly, gender differences were notdetected. The findings imply that the food price crises canhave negative impacts on children, potentially leading tolifelong income inequality among those affected at avulnerable stage of life.