Characteristics of smallholder farm households in Upper Egypt: Implications for nutrition-sensitive agricultural interventions
This paper characterizes smallholder farm households in Upper Egypt based on data from a comprehensive farm household survey. The results from the descriptive analysis in combination with findings from the global literature provide recommendations on how agricultural projects can be leveraged for im...
| Autores principales: | , , , , |
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| Formato: | Artículo preliminar |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
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International Food Policy Research Institute
2019
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/146567 |
| _version_ | 1855529039481012224 |
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| author | El-Enbaby, Hoda Ecker, Olivier Figueroa, Jose Luis Leroy, Jef L. Breisinger, Clemens |
| author_browse | Breisinger, Clemens Ecker, Olivier El-Enbaby, Hoda Figueroa, Jose Luis Leroy, Jef L. |
| author_facet | El-Enbaby, Hoda Ecker, Olivier Figueroa, Jose Luis Leroy, Jef L. Breisinger, Clemens |
| author_sort | El-Enbaby, Hoda |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | This paper characterizes smallholder farm households in Upper Egypt based on data from a comprehensive farm household survey. The results from the descriptive analysis in combination with findings from the global literature provide recommendations on how agricultural projects can be leveraged for improving nutrition. The importance of focusing on nutrition is underlined by relatively high undernutrition and overnutrition rates among the surveyed farm households: almost 18 percent of children under five years of age are stunted and almost 25 percent of them are at risk of being overweight. Agricultural interventions can impact nutrition through six main pathways, which are: 1) providing direct access to food from own production; 2) providing a source of income from which food and other nutrition needs can be met; 3) affecting food prices; 4) affecting women’s social status and empowerment; 5) affecting women’s time use from participation in agricultural work; and 6) affecting women’s health and nutrition from engagement in agricultural activities. The surveyed farm households purchase in the market most of the foods that they consume, cultivating crops primarily for commercial sale. This finding suggests that access to food markets and the level of food prices are key determinants of food and nutrition security among smallholder farm households in Upper Egypt. The survey analysis also identified potential levers for increasing agricultural productivity, including promoting more efficient use of water, fertilizers, and pesticides and improving farming practices to narrow the productivity gap between small-scale farmers and medium and large-scale farmers. As the role of women in agricultural activities in Upper Egypt is limited, the gendered pathways for leveraging agriculture for improved nutrition are less relevant. However, to achieve positive impact on people’s diet or nutritional status that goes beyond income and price channels, programs that reach farm households in Upper Egypt should include education and behavioral change communication activities, including on themes related to breastfeeding, dietary diversity, physical activities, and sugar intake. For such activities to be effective, it is important to consider the low literacy levels in the population. |
| format | Artículo preliminar |
| id | CGSpace146567 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2019 |
| publishDateRange | 2019 |
| publishDateSort | 2019 |
| publisher | International Food Policy Research Institute |
| publisherStr | International Food Policy Research Institute |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1465672025-11-06T06:36:45Z Characteristics of smallholder farm households in Upper Egypt: Implications for nutrition-sensitive agricultural interventions El-Enbaby, Hoda Ecker, Olivier Figueroa, Jose Luis Leroy, Jef L. Breisinger, Clemens role of women child nutrition surveys households agricultural policies capacity development nutrition education smallholders nutrition household consumption women farmers This paper characterizes smallholder farm households in Upper Egypt based on data from a comprehensive farm household survey. The results from the descriptive analysis in combination with findings from the global literature provide recommendations on how agricultural projects can be leveraged for improving nutrition. The importance of focusing on nutrition is underlined by relatively high undernutrition and overnutrition rates among the surveyed farm households: almost 18 percent of children under five years of age are stunted and almost 25 percent of them are at risk of being overweight. Agricultural interventions can impact nutrition through six main pathways, which are: 1) providing direct access to food from own production; 2) providing a source of income from which food and other nutrition needs can be met; 3) affecting food prices; 4) affecting women’s social status and empowerment; 5) affecting women’s time use from participation in agricultural work; and 6) affecting women’s health and nutrition from engagement in agricultural activities. The surveyed farm households purchase in the market most of the foods that they consume, cultivating crops primarily for commercial sale. This finding suggests that access to food markets and the level of food prices are key determinants of food and nutrition security among smallholder farm households in Upper Egypt. The survey analysis also identified potential levers for increasing agricultural productivity, including promoting more efficient use of water, fertilizers, and pesticides and improving farming practices to narrow the productivity gap between small-scale farmers and medium and large-scale farmers. As the role of women in agricultural activities in Upper Egypt is limited, the gendered pathways for leveraging agriculture for improved nutrition are less relevant. However, to achieve positive impact on people’s diet or nutritional status that goes beyond income and price channels, programs that reach farm households in Upper Egypt should include education and behavioral change communication activities, including on themes related to breastfeeding, dietary diversity, physical activities, and sugar intake. For such activities to be effective, it is important to consider the low literacy levels in the population. 2019-05-21 2024-06-21T09:07:33Z 2024-06-21T09:07:33Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/146567 en https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.133272 Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute El-Enbaby, Hoda; Ecker, Olivier; Figueroa, Jose Luis; Leroy, Jef L.; and Breisinger, Clemens. 2019. Characteristics of smallholder farm households in Upper Egypt: Implications for nutrition-sensitive agricultural interventions. MENA RP Working Paper 20. Washington, DC and Cairo, Egypt: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://hdl.handle.net/10568/146567 |
| spellingShingle | role of women child nutrition surveys households agricultural policies capacity development nutrition education smallholders nutrition household consumption women farmers El-Enbaby, Hoda Ecker, Olivier Figueroa, Jose Luis Leroy, Jef L. Breisinger, Clemens Characteristics of smallholder farm households in Upper Egypt: Implications for nutrition-sensitive agricultural interventions |
| title | Characteristics of smallholder farm households in Upper Egypt: Implications for nutrition-sensitive agricultural interventions |
| title_full | Characteristics of smallholder farm households in Upper Egypt: Implications for nutrition-sensitive agricultural interventions |
| title_fullStr | Characteristics of smallholder farm households in Upper Egypt: Implications for nutrition-sensitive agricultural interventions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Characteristics of smallholder farm households in Upper Egypt: Implications for nutrition-sensitive agricultural interventions |
| title_short | Characteristics of smallholder farm households in Upper Egypt: Implications for nutrition-sensitive agricultural interventions |
| title_sort | characteristics of smallholder farm households in upper egypt implications for nutrition sensitive agricultural interventions |
| topic | role of women child nutrition surveys households agricultural policies capacity development nutrition education smallholders nutrition household consumption women farmers |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/146567 |
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