Nutrition-sensitive food distribution amidst inflationary shock: Evidence from a randomized intervention in Egypt
We evaluate the impacts of a traditional food distribution and a nutrition-sensitive food distribution intervention in the context of a rapidly increasing inflationary pressure in Egypt. Besides evaluating the relative and absolute impacts of these interventions on household food and nutrition security, we also examine their impacts on households’ preferences for in-kind versus cash transfers. We implement a clustered randomized control trial through which we randomly assigned communities into: (i) “nutrition-sensitive” food box, (ii) traditional “staple-heavy” food box, and (iii) control group. We find that the nutrition-sensitive food distribution cushioned falls in dietary quality and food security of targeted households relative to the control group while the impact of the traditional and staple-heavy food distribution appears to be negligible. The nutrition-sensitive food boxes increased beneficiary households’ dietary diversity by about 9 percent while also increasing energy, protein, and iron intake by 12, 13, and 19 percent, respectively. We also find that experience with the food boxes increases households’ preference for in-kind transfers, more so among households experiencing high inflation rates and among those households not covered by other food and cash transfer programs. Receiving food boxes increases preference for in-kind transfer by about 9-11 percentage points. Our findings have important implications for the debate on the efficacy of alternative interventions to support poor households as food prices rise and the relative efficacy of in-kind and cash-transfers. The lack of effectiveness of the staple-heavy food boxes suggests that the design and content of in-kind transfers are crucial when considering this policy option, including compared to cash.
Main Authors: | , , , , |
---|---|
Format: | Working Paper biblioteca |
Language: | English |
Published: |
International Food Policy Research Institute
2023-12-19
|
Subjects: | food systems, inflation, households, nutrition, food security, cash transfers, diet, poverty, policies, |
Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/135820 https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.137031 |
Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
id |
dig-cgspace-10568-135820 |
---|---|
record_format |
koha |
spelling |
dig-cgspace-10568-1358202023-12-27T19:28:17Z Nutrition-sensitive food distribution amidst inflationary shock: Evidence from a randomized intervention in Egypt Abay, Kibrom A. Abdelfattah, Lina Elkaramany, Mohamed Elsabbagh, Dalia Kurdi, Sikandra food systems inflation households nutrition food security cash transfers diet poverty policies We evaluate the impacts of a traditional food distribution and a nutrition-sensitive food distribution intervention in the context of a rapidly increasing inflationary pressure in Egypt. Besides evaluating the relative and absolute impacts of these interventions on household food and nutrition security, we also examine their impacts on households’ preferences for in-kind versus cash transfers. We implement a clustered randomized control trial through which we randomly assigned communities into: (i) “nutrition-sensitive” food box, (ii) traditional “staple-heavy” food box, and (iii) control group. We find that the nutrition-sensitive food distribution cushioned falls in dietary quality and food security of targeted households relative to the control group while the impact of the traditional and staple-heavy food distribution appears to be negligible. The nutrition-sensitive food boxes increased beneficiary households’ dietary diversity by about 9 percent while also increasing energy, protein, and iron intake by 12, 13, and 19 percent, respectively. We also find that experience with the food boxes increases households’ preference for in-kind transfers, more so among households experiencing high inflation rates and among those households not covered by other food and cash transfer programs. Receiving food boxes increases preference for in-kind transfer by about 9-11 percentage points. Our findings have important implications for the debate on the efficacy of alternative interventions to support poor households as food prices rise and the relative efficacy of in-kind and cash-transfers. The lack of effectiveness of the staple-heavy food boxes suggests that the design and content of in-kind transfers are crucial when considering this policy option, including compared to cash. 2023-12-19 2023-12-21T21:32:07Z 2023-12-21T21:32:07Z Working Paper Abay, Kibrom A.; Abdelfattah, Lina; Elkaramany, Mohamed; Elsabbagh, Dalia; and Kurdi, Sikandra. 2023. Nutrition-sensitive food distribution amidst inflationary shock: Evidence from a randomized intervention in Egypt. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2218. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.137031 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/135820 https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.137031 en Discussion paper https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.136708 | Journal article https://doi.org/10.1093/jae/ejad006 | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/132231 IFPRI Discussion Paper Copyrighted; all rights reserved Open Access 46 p. application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute |
institution |
CGIAR |
collection |
DSpace |
country |
Francia |
countrycode |
FR |
component |
Bibliográfico |
access |
En linea |
databasecode |
dig-cgspace |
tag |
biblioteca |
region |
Europa del Oeste |
libraryname |
Biblioteca del CGIAR |
language |
English |
topic |
food systems inflation households nutrition food security cash transfers diet poverty policies food systems inflation households nutrition food security cash transfers diet poverty policies |
spellingShingle |
food systems inflation households nutrition food security cash transfers diet poverty policies food systems inflation households nutrition food security cash transfers diet poverty policies Abay, Kibrom A. Abdelfattah, Lina Elkaramany, Mohamed Elsabbagh, Dalia Kurdi, Sikandra Nutrition-sensitive food distribution amidst inflationary shock: Evidence from a randomized intervention in Egypt |
description |
We evaluate the impacts of a traditional food distribution and a nutrition-sensitive food distribution intervention in the context of a rapidly increasing inflationary pressure in Egypt. Besides evaluating the relative and absolute impacts of these interventions on household food and nutrition security, we also examine their impacts on households’ preferences for in-kind versus cash transfers. We implement a clustered randomized control trial through which we randomly assigned communities into: (i) “nutrition-sensitive” food box, (ii) traditional “staple-heavy” food box, and (iii) control group. We find that the nutrition-sensitive food distribution cushioned falls in dietary quality and food security of targeted households relative to the control group while the impact of the traditional and staple-heavy food distribution appears to be negligible. The nutrition-sensitive food boxes increased beneficiary households’ dietary diversity by about 9 percent while also increasing energy, protein, and iron intake by 12, 13, and 19 percent, respectively. We also find that experience with the food boxes increases households’ preference for in-kind transfers, more so among households experiencing high inflation rates and among those households not covered by other food and cash transfer programs. Receiving food boxes increases preference for in-kind transfer by about 9-11 percentage points. Our findings have important implications for the debate on the efficacy of alternative interventions to support poor households as food prices rise and the relative efficacy of in-kind and cash-transfers. The lack of effectiveness of the staple-heavy food boxes suggests that the design and content of in-kind transfers are crucial when considering this policy option, including compared to cash. |
format |
Working Paper |
topic_facet |
food systems inflation households nutrition food security cash transfers diet poverty policies |
author |
Abay, Kibrom A. Abdelfattah, Lina Elkaramany, Mohamed Elsabbagh, Dalia Kurdi, Sikandra |
author_facet |
Abay, Kibrom A. Abdelfattah, Lina Elkaramany, Mohamed Elsabbagh, Dalia Kurdi, Sikandra |
author_sort |
Abay, Kibrom A. |
title |
Nutrition-sensitive food distribution amidst inflationary shock: Evidence from a randomized intervention in Egypt |
title_short |
Nutrition-sensitive food distribution amidst inflationary shock: Evidence from a randomized intervention in Egypt |
title_full |
Nutrition-sensitive food distribution amidst inflationary shock: Evidence from a randomized intervention in Egypt |
title_fullStr |
Nutrition-sensitive food distribution amidst inflationary shock: Evidence from a randomized intervention in Egypt |
title_full_unstemmed |
Nutrition-sensitive food distribution amidst inflationary shock: Evidence from a randomized intervention in Egypt |
title_sort |
nutrition-sensitive food distribution amidst inflationary shock: evidence from a randomized intervention in egypt |
publisher |
International Food Policy Research Institute |
publishDate |
2023-12-19 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/10568/135820 https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.137031 |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT abaykibroma nutritionsensitivefooddistributionamidstinflationaryshockevidencefromarandomizedinterventioninegypt AT abdelfattahlina nutritionsensitivefooddistributionamidstinflationaryshockevidencefromarandomizedinterventioninegypt AT elkaramanymohamed nutritionsensitivefooddistributionamidstinflationaryshockevidencefromarandomizedinterventioninegypt AT elsabbaghdalia nutritionsensitivefooddistributionamidstinflationaryshockevidencefromarandomizedinterventioninegypt AT kurdisikandra nutritionsensitivefooddistributionamidstinflationaryshockevidencefromarandomizedinterventioninegypt |
_version_ |
1787228008828895232 |