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Nutrition-sensitive food distribution amidst inflationary shock: Evidence from a randomized intervention in Egypt

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Title Nutrition-sensitive food distribution amidst inflationary shock: Evidence from a randomized intervention in Egypt
 
Creator Abay, Kibrom A.
Abdelfattah, Lina
Elkaramany, Mohamed
Elsabbagh, Dalia
Kurdi, Sikandra
 
Subject food systems
inflation
households
nutrition
food security
cash transfers
diet
poverty
policies
 
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.
 
Date 2023-12-19
2023-12-21T21:32:07Z
2023-12-21T21:32:07Z
 
Type Working Paper
 
Identifier 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
 
Language en
 
Relation https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.136708
https://doi.org/10.1093/jae/ejad006
https://hdl.handle.net/10568/132231
IFPRI Discussion Paper
 
Rights Copyrighted; all rights reserved
Open Access
 
Format 46 p.
application/pdf
 
Publisher International Food Policy Research Institute