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This paper estimates the impact of the 2008 food price spike and the 2009 contraction in global growth on undernourishment rates. The analysis is based on a methodology that uses a calorie-income relationship and income distribution data. The authors find that the 2008 global food price spike may have increased global undernourishment by about 6.8 percent, or 63 million people. Moreover, they show that the sharp slowdown in global growth in 2009 could have contributed to 41 million more undernourished people compared with what would have happened if the economic crisis had not occurred.

Agricultural economics --- Agricultural production --- Agriculture --- Cassava --- Cereal prices --- Demand for food --- Economic Theory & Research --- Emerging Markets --- Energy prices --- Food & Beverage Industry --- Food consumption --- Food insecurity --- Food policy --- Food prices --- Food production --- Food security --- Foods --- Industry --- Macroeconomics and Economic Growth --- Maize --- Markets and Market Access --- Price increases --- Price index --- Private Sector Development --- Purchasing --- Regional Economic Development --- Rice --- Wheat

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This paper estimates the impact of the 2008 food price spike and the 2009 contraction in global growth on undernourishment rates. The analysis is based on a methodology that uses a calorie-income relationship and income distribution data. The authors find that the 2008 global food price spike may have increased global undernourishment by about 6.8 percent, or 63 million people. Moreover, they show that the sharp slowdown in global growth in 2009 could have contributed to 41 million more undernourished people compared with what would have happened if the economic crisis had not occurred.

Agricultural economics --- Agricultural production --- Agriculture --- Cassava --- Cereal prices --- Demand for food --- Economic Theory & Research --- Emerging Markets --- Energy prices --- Food & Beverage Industry --- Food consumption --- Food insecurity --- Food policy --- Food prices --- Food production --- Food security --- Foods --- Industry --- Macroeconomics and Economic Growth --- Maize --- Markets and Market Access --- Price increases --- Price index --- Private Sector Development --- Purchasing --- Regional Economic Development --- Rice --- Wheat

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International migration has increased rapidly in recent decades and this has been accompanied by a remarkable increase in transfers made by migrants to their home countries. This paper investigates the effect of the rural economic growth brought about by migration and remittances on Nepal's Himalayan forests. The authors assemble a unique village-panel dataset combining remote sensing data on land use and forest cover change with data from the census and multiple rounds of living standards surveys to test various inter-relationships between population, economic growth and forests. The results suggest that rural economic growth spurred by remittances has had an overall positive impact on forests. The paper also finds that remittances caused an increase in rural wages and an increase in income, but a decrease in land prices. Considered together, however, the relationship between forests and remittances is driven largely through the income channel, indicating that the demand for amenities provided by forests in the rural Nepali setting may have been more important than factor prices in influencing land use changes for the period of the study.

Climate Change and Environment --- Communities & Human Settlements --- Environmental Economics & Policies --- Forestry --- Forests --- Macroeconomics and Economic Growth --- Migration --- Natural resources --- Openness --- Population Policies --- Poverty Reduction --- Remittances --- Wildlife Resources

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The 2008 "food price crisis" and more recent spikes in food prices have led to a greater focus on policies and programs to cushion their impact on poverty and malnutrition. Estimating the income elasticity of micro-nutrients and assessing how they change during such crises is an important part of the policy debate as it affects the effectiveness of cash transfer and nutritional supplementation programs. This paper assesses these issues using data from two cross-sectional household surveys in Indonesia carried out before and soon after the 1997/98 economic crisis, which led to a sharp increase in food prices. First, the authors examine how the income elasticity of the starchy staple ratio differs between the two survey rounds using non-parametric as well as regression methods. Second, they provide updated estimates of the income elasticity for important nutrients in Indonesia. The analysis finds that (i) summary measures such as the income elasticity of the starchy staple ratio may not change during crises but this masks important differences across specific nutrients; (ii) methods matter-the ordinary least squares estimates for the income elasticity of micro-nutrients are likely to be misleading due to measurement error bias; (iii) controlling for measurement error, the income elasticity of some key micro-nutrients, such as iron, calcium, and vitamin B1, is significantly higher in the crisis year compared with a normal year; and (iv) the income elasticity for certain micro-nutrients-vitamin C in this case-remains close to zero. These results suggest that cash transfer programs may be even more effective during crises to protect the consumption of many essential micro-nutrients compared with non-crisis periods but in order to ensure that all micro-nutrients are consumed, specific nutritional supplementation programs are also likely to be required.

Crisis --- Economic Theory & Research --- Food & Beverage Industry --- Income elasticity --- Inequality --- Micronutrients --- Nutrition --- Poverty Reduction --- Prices --- Rural Poverty Reduction --- Starchy staple ratio --- Vitamin C

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The 2008 "food price crisis" and more recent spikes in food prices have led to a greater focus on policies and programs to cushion their impact on poverty and malnutrition. Estimating the income elasticity of micro-nutrients and assessing how they change during such crises is an important part of the policy debate as it affects the effectiveness of cash transfer and nutritional supplementation programs. This paper assesses these issues using data from two cross-sectional household surveys in Indonesia carried out before and soon after the 1997/98 economic crisis, which led to a sharp increase in food prices. First, the authors examine how the income elasticity of the starchy staple ratio differs between the two survey rounds using non-parametric as well as regression methods. Second, they provide updated estimates of the income elasticity for important nutrients in Indonesia. The analysis finds that (i) summary measures such as the income elasticity of the starchy staple ratio may not change during crises but this masks important differences across specific nutrients; (ii) methods matter-the ordinary least squares estimates for the income elasticity of micro-nutrients are likely to be misleading due to measurement error bias; (iii) controlling for measurement error, the income elasticity of some key micro-nutrients, such as iron, calcium, and vitamin B1, is significantly higher in the crisis year compared with a normal year; and (iv) the income elasticity for certain micro-nutrients-vitamin C in this case-remains close to zero. These results suggest that cash transfer programs may be even more effective during crises to protect the consumption of many essential micro-nutrients compared with non-crisis periods but in order to ensure that all micro-nutrients are consumed, specific nutritional supplementation programs are also likely to be required.

Crisis --- Economic Theory & Research --- Food & Beverage Industry --- Income elasticity --- Inequality --- Micronutrients --- Nutrition --- Poverty Reduction --- Prices --- Rural Poverty Reduction --- Starchy staple ratio --- Vitamin C