ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an empirical analysis of nutrition insecurity among women in farm and non-farm households in rural India. The analysis is carried out keeping in mind the four dimensions that constitute food and nutrition security, namely, affordability, availability, awareness and absorption using data for two years 2005-06 and 2012-13 with the focus on rural households alone. Nutrition insecurity is captured based on women’s body mass index (BMI) being lower than a normative value of 18.5 measuring thinness and referred to as chronically energy deficient (or CED).
The results, CED rates, of women in cultivator households are lower (higher) than those in wage labour households in 2005. However, in 2011 we observe that this has changed. The CED rates between cultivator and agricultural labour households and between agriculture and non-agricultural labour households are not different. In other words, there has been an overall decline in CED rates and the labour income households seem to have caught up. The individual level variables relating to empowerment, education and health-seeking behaviour play an important role in reducing the risk to CED. Environmental factors like sanitation, drinking water quality and smoke-free kitchen atmosphere are also enhancers of nutrition outcome. Household’s economic status continues to play a role in reducing CED risk.
The role of public policy lies in ensuring that the basic amenities are accessible to the poor, including health system delivery, while creating awareness on empowerment; though a challenging and slow process, it has to be systematically undertaken.
