Agricultural policies and rural malnutrition

The studies show that agricultural policies and related development programs can affect rural poor through five impact vehicles: changes in the income of the rural poor; changes in the distribution of income in the economy; changes in the price of food; changes in demand patterns; and changes in fertility. Successful implementation of the green revolution can improve rural nutrition through increasing the real income of semi-subsistence farmers. As the supply curve for grain shifts to the right, small farmers gain as much as or more than large farmers. Improving the rural transportation network and education narrows the gap between the poor and rich by giving the poor better skills and better access to employment opportunities. The most effective policy instruments for lowering food prices are those which result in an increase in food production; these are subsidization of purchased agricultural inputs and improved agricultural education. Little is known about the impact of agricultural policies on demand patterns of the rural poor. It is possible that nutritional gains from improved income may be eroded by the perverse damage changes often associated with increased income. An agricultural policy which promotes greater skill application for production puts a premium on the education of rural youth. This may lead rural people to have less children so that they may better educate them. The accompanying reduction in family size would improve nutrition over what it would have been with a larger family size.