8/28/2018 1

Nutrition, Food Security and Development Nutrition 304

Fall 2018, Tuesdays 2-5 PM

Jaharis Room 118

Instructor:

Jennifer Coates, Ph.D.

617-636-3677

jennifer.coates@tufts.edu

Office hours by appointment

Teaching Assistant:

Kristine Caiafa Cell: 908 339 1199 Skype: Kristine.caiafa kristine.caiafa@tufts.edu Office hours TBD

Please let us know if you would like to meet and we will find a mutually convenient time.

Goals of the Course:

1. Know the rationale and objectives of national and international food policy, and how

it relates to nutrition and agricultural policy.

2. Understand the evidence supporting the relationships between key development inputs

(e.g., conditional cash transfers, seed technology, education) and food security,

nutrition, and poverty reduction outcomes in developing countries.

3. Understand the range of policy levers that are used to enact food policy and how these

policies and programs directly or indirectly affect food security, poverty, and nutrition.

4. Learn the pre-conditions for successful use of these policy levers and the contextual

elements that must be considered in tailoring policy interventions for target populations.

5. Know key data sources and measurement issues relevant to food policy and

programming choices.

Students will also develop competency in the following skill areas:

1. Measurement and construction of key indicators for use in policy analysis (eg. FAO

measure of undernourishment, HDI)

2. Methods for using data for policy decision-making

3. Reasoned and critical writing for influencing key policy debates

8/28/2018 2

Expectations:

1. Participation (10%)

This course is designed to be one part lecture and one part lively discussion in a seminar style setting. As such,

students are expected to complete the readings for each class beforehand and to participate extensively in class

discussions.

2. Case Studies and Policy Memo (20%)

Each class session will focus on a particular case study based on relevant readings listed in the syllabus. Each

week, one to two students will be in charge of facilitating the discussion or group work on the case study, which

will typically occupy approximately one hour of the class each week. The facilitators should plan to generate a

question, or series of questions, designed to promote the analysis and synthesis of that week’s topic, and should

post them on Trunk the Sunday before the session that they will be facilitating. Those students who are not

facilitators that week should use these questions to guide their preparation for the in-class discussions around

the case study issues. The actual facilitation should be creative, and can take on forms such as group debates,

small group activities, and role- play. The facilitators will be required to write a synthetic ‘policy memo’

informed by the class discussions and their own opinions on the topic at hand, due two weeks after the class that

they facilitated. Case study facilitation and the memo will count as one assignment and will be graded.

3. Assignment 1&2: Data Analyses Exercises (40%)

One of the skills that the class aims to develop is the students’ ability to understand the measurement, construction

and use of key indicators and to apply them in policy analysis. The process of construction will also facilitate

understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of these measures. Students will undertake two homework

assignments requiring them to 1) construct and analyze a country’s food balance sheet and 2) analyze food price

trends and associations with measures of health and well-being. These assignments are tied to the content of the

course lectures.

4. Country Strategy Term Paper (30%)

Students will work individually to identify one developing/transition country that was affected by the food

price crisis in 2008 and continuing food price shocks, in order to analyze and critique the policy response

related to food security and nutrition. The assignment should include four major components: 1) Situation

analysis describing the magnitude, causes, and effects of the price crisis globally and in that country context,

2) an analysis and critique of the policy and programmatic response (both the national government’s

response as well as that of key international actors), 3) a discussion of how the crisis and policy response has

potentially affected current indicators and trends, with commentary on the country’s degree of resilience to

withstand current trends in food price volatility and 4) recommendations for increasing the national food

system’s resilience to this type of shock in future.

The term paper is due at 11:59pm on December 14. Extensions will not be given except in extraordinary

circumstances. (Having a lot of other work is not extraordinary).

Evaluation: Total: 100 points

Participation in in-class exercises and discussions and timely submission of assignments (10%)

Case study facilitation and associated policy memo (20%)

Assignment 1&2: Data analyses exercises (20% each=40%)

Term paper (30%)

8/28/2018 3

Accommodations of Disabilities:

Tufts University is committed to providing equal access and support to all students through the provision of

reasonable accommodations so that each student may access their curricula and achieve their personal and

academic potential. If you have a disability that requires reasonable accommodations, please contact the Friedman

School Assistant Dean of Student Affairs at 617-636-6719 to make arrangements for determination of appropriate

accommodations. Please be aware that accommodations cannot be enacted retroactively, making timeliness a

critical aspect for their provision.

Academic Conduct:

Academic integrity, including avoiding plagiarism, is critically important. Each student is

responsible for being familiar with the standards and policies outlined in the Friedman School’s

Policies and Procedures manual (http://nutrition.tufts.edu/student/documents).

It is the responsibility of the student to be aware of, and comply with, these policies and standards.

In accordance with Tufts University’s policy on academic misconduct, violations of standards of academic conduct

will be sanctioned by penalties ranging from grade reduction or failure on an assignment; grade reduction or failure

of a course; up to dismissal from the school, depending on the nature and context of any infraction.

8/28/2018 4

Course Summary

Class # Date Topics/Assignments Lecturer

1 Sept 4 Food and Nutrition Policy: Objectives, Concepts, and

Frameworks for Action

Coates

2 Sept 11 Food Security, Hunger, and Nutrition Assessment: How Do

We Know If We’re Succeeding?

Coates

3 Sept 18 Poverty Definitions and Measurement: Not Just About

Income Anymore

Due: Select country for your term paper focus

Coates

4 Sept 25 Improving Food Utilization through Health and Human

Capital: School Feeding; HIV and Food Security Programs

Assignment 1 Due: Food Security & Hunger Indicators

Coates

5 Oct 2 Improving Household Food Access: Micro-credit, Income

Generation, and Asset-building

Coates

Oct 9 NO CLASS: Substitute Monday’s class schedule to account

for Columbus Day holiday

Coates

6 Oct 16 Securing Food Access From Shocks: Social Protection and

Disaster Risk Reduction

7 Oct 23 Social Protection Simulation Exercise: Republic of La

Libertad

Coates

8 Oct 30 Getting Food Prices Right? Or Stable? Domestic Markets

Market Reform, Food Price Stabilization Policies

Coates

9 Nov 6 Developing Markets: International Trade Wilson (tbd)

10 Nov 13 Investing in Food Production Part I: Issues and Trends

Assignment 2 Due: Global & National Food Price Trends

and potential effects

Masters (tbd)

11 Nov 20 Pro-poor Macro-economic Growth

Rogers (tbd)

12 Nov 27 Investing in Food Production Part II: Key Policy Responses Masters (tbd)

13 Dec 4 Putting it All Together: Integrated National Food and

Nutrition Strategies

Coates

Term paper is due at 11:59pm on December 14, to be submitted electronically via Trunk.

8/28/2018 5

Expanded Syllabus and Reading List

1. Sept 4: Food and Nutrition Policy: Objectives, Concepts, and

Frameworks for Action

Key Principles:

• Course overview

• Objectives of a food policy

• Mainstreaming nutrition and food security in development

• Nutrition, food security and the SDGs

• In-class conceptual framework exercise No Readings for Week 1

2. Sept 11: Food Security, Hunger, and Nutrition Assessment: How Do

We Know If We’re Succeeding?

Key Principles:

• What is food insecurity and hunger?: The importance of definitions for determining

public action

• What is the relationship between food insecurity, hunger, and malnutrition?

• Chronic, transitory, acute, mild: the multi-dimensional insecurity spectrum

• Measurement debates: the uses, pro’s and con’s of standard measures

Case Study:

• Choose one of the methods for measuring hunger and/or food insecurity listed under

“Case study readings” below. Come to class prepared to discuss the method, its

function and purpose, and benefits and limitations of the approach.

Background Readings:

1. Masset, E. (2011) “A review of hunger indices and methods to monitor country

commitment to fighting hunger.” Food Policy, 36, S102-S108

2. Coates, J. (2013). Build it Back Better: Deconstructing Food Security for Improved

Measurement and Action. Global Food Security Journal, 2(3), 188-194

3. Carletto, C., Zezza, A., & Banerjee, R. (2013). Towards better measurement of

household food security: Harmonizing indicators and the role of household

surveys. Global Food Security, 2(1), 30-40.

Case Study Readings: Choose one of the following. See Canvas for related resources and

case study instructions.

1. Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS)

2. Coping Strategies Index

3. Minimum Diet Diversity for Women

4. Global Hunger Index

5. Global Food Security Index

Send an email over Canvas identifying a country for your first assignment (and likely

second assignment and term paper), due by next class, September 18 by 11:59 PM

8/28/2018 6

3. Sept 18: Securing Food Access from Shocks: Social Protection

and Disaster Risk Reduction

Key Principles and policy instruments:

• Understanding risk, vulnerability, and resilience

• The social protection and disaster risk reduction approaches to risk management

• Overview of key social protection policy instruments

• Employment guarantee and other conditional transfers

Case Study:

• How can Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Nets Programme better reduce food insecurity

and prevent the need for emergency assistance in Ethiopia?

Background Readings:

1. Gentilini, U., and Omamo, S. (2011). Social protection 2.0: Exploring issues,

evidence and debates in a globalizing world. Food Policy 36, 329–340.

2. Devereux, S. (2016). Social protection for enhanced food security in sub-Saharan

Africa Original Research Article. Food Policy, 60, 52-62.

3. Barrett, C.B., and Constas, M.A. (2014). Toward a theory of resilience for

international development applications. Proceedings of the National Academy of

Sciences. Vol. 111, no. 40.

Case Study Readings:

1. Hiensch, A. (2009). Surviving Shocks in Ethiopia: The Role of Social Protection

for Food Security. Case Study #4-2 in: Per Pinstrup-Andersen and Fuzhi Cheng

(editors),"Food Policy for Developing Countries: Case Studies.

2. Guush Berhane, Daniel O. Gilligan, John Hoddinott, Neha Kumar, and

Alemayehu Seyoum Taffesse, "Can Social Protection Work in Africa? The

Impact of Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Programme," Economic

Development and Cultural Change 63, no. 1 (October 2014): 1-26.

DUE September 25 by 11:59 PM: Assignment 1

4. Sept 25: Poverty Definitions and Measurement: Not Just About

Income Anymore

Key Principles:

• Who is poor and who gets to decide?

• Why do the poor stay poor?: poverty dynamics and traps

• How do poverty, hunger, and food insecurity relate? Are they the same thing?

• Monetary and non money-metric poverty measures

Case Study:

• India’s great poverty measurement debate

Background Readings:

8/28/2018 7

1. Streeten, P. (1998). Beyond the Six Veils. Conceptualizing and Measuring Poverty,

Journal of International Affairs, 52(1) 1-31. Note: this is an older article but gives an

excellent overview of poverty concepts and measures.

2. Dotter, C. & Klasen, S. (2017). The Multidimensional Poverty Index: achievements,

conceptual and empirical issues (No. 233). Courant Research Centre: Poverty, Equity

and Growth-Discussion Papers. Initiative.

3. Kumar, M. (2012). Invoking Everydayness in Poverty Studies in India: A Note on

Approach and Method. Economic & Political Weekly. September 22, 2012, Vol. 47,

No 38.

Case Study Readings:

1. Sharma, V. (2018, January 17). Poverty Line in India: Time to take the Measurement

Seriously. Retrieved from http://libertatemmagazine.com/articles/poverty-line-india-

time-take-measurement-seriously/

2. Smith, L.C. (2015). The Great Indian calorie debate: explaining rising

undernourishment during India's rapid economic growth. Food Policy, 50, 53-67.

5. Oct 2: Improving Household Food Access: Micro-finance, Income

Generation, and Asset-building

Key Principles and Policy Instruments:

• Micro-finance: the promise and the myth

• Income generation and livelihood diversification

• Asset-based development

Case Study:

• The GRADUATE Program: a model for national poverty and food insecurity

reduction?

Background Readings

1. Adams, D.W., & Vogel, R.C. (2014). ‘Microfinance approaching middle

age.’ Enterprise Development and Microfinance. 25(2): 103-115.

2. Banerjee, A., Duflo, E., Glennerster, R., & Kinnan, C. (2015). The miracle of

microfinance? Evidence from a randomized evaluation. American Economic Journal:

Applied Economics, 7(1), 22-53.

3. Kraay A. & McKenzie, D. (2014). Do Poverty Traps Exist? Journal of

Economic Perspectives, 28(3), 127–148.

Case Study Readings:

1. Banerjee, A., Duflo, E., Goldberg, N., Karlan, D., Osei, R., Parienté, W., Shapiro, J.,

Thuysbeart, B., & Udry, C. (2015). A multifaceted program causes lasting progress for

the very poor: Evidence from six countries. Science, 348(6236), 1260799.

Oct 9: No Class due to Columbus Day. Substitute Monday schedule on Tuesday.

8/28/2018 8

6. Oct 16: Improving Food Utilization through Health and Human

Capital

Key Principles and Policy Instruments:

• Human capital, food security, nutrition, and economic development

• Food (or cash) for schooling and other conditional cash transfers

• Preventing and managing the effects of HIV on food security and nutrition

• Intra-household allocation issues

Case Study:

• Considering a food for education program in Bangladesh

Background readings:

1. Alderman, H., & Sahn, D. E. (2016). Malnutrition: Future Challenges and

Lessons from the Past.

2. Ivers, I., Cullen, K., Freedberg, K., Block, S., Coates, J., and Webb, P. (2009).

HIV/AIDS, Undernutrition, and Food Insecurity. Clinical Infectious Diseases

(49).

3. Halim N., Spielman, K., & Larson, B. (2015). The economic consequences of

selected maternal and early childhood nutrition interventions in low- and

middle-income countries: a review of the literature, 2000—2013. BMC

Women’s Health, 15 (33).

Case Study reading:

1. Ahmed, A.U. & Babu, S.C. (2012). Case Study #3-8, "The Impact of Food for

Education Programs in Bangladesh". In: Per Pinstrup-Andersen and Fuzhi Cheng

(editors), "Food Policy for Developing Countries: Case Studies." 11 pp.

URL: http://cip.cornell.edu/dns.gfs/1200428158

7. Oct. 23: Social Protection Simulation Exercise: The Republic of La

Libertad

Key Principles:

• Tailoring policy to context

• Using data for decision-making

• Food based/consumption safety nets

Case Study:

• Designing a Safety Net Program for La

Libertad

Background Readings:

1. Rogers, B.L. & Coates, J. (2002). “Food-Based Safety Nets and Related

Programs”. Washington, D.C.: World Bank Institute, September 2002.

This is a bit dated but formed the basis for the design of the La Libertad

exercise. It is useful in that it offers a lot of detail about the effects of

variations in safety net design (i.e., the devil is in the details!)

8/28/2018 9

2. Gentilini, U. 2014. Our Daily Bread: What is the Evidence on Comparing Cash

versus Food Transfers? Social Protection and Labor Discussion Paper No. 1420.

Washington, DC: World Bank.

Skim this discussion paper, but read his blog post for a useful synthesis:

http://blogs.worldbank.org/impactevaluations/cash-king-revival- cash-

versus-food-transfers-debate-guest-post-ugo-gentilini

3. Mude, A., et al. (2012). Responding to Food Insecurity: Employing the

Market Information and Food Insecurity Response Analysis Framework in

Rural Northern Kenya. Journal of Development Studies,Vol. 48, No. 12,

1731–1749.

Case Study Reading:

1. La Libertad Briefing Document

8. Oct 30: Getting Food Prices Right? Or Stable? Domestic

Markets; Market Reform, Food Price Stabilization Policies

Key principles and policy instruments:

• Market reform

• Food price stabilization policies

• Information & Communication Technology

Case Study: Food Price Stabilization Policies in a Globalizing World

Background Readings:

1. Baltzer, K. (2013). International to domestic price transmission in fourteen developing

countries during the 2007-08 food crisis. United Nations University, World Institute

for Development Economics Research. WIDER Working Paper No. 2013/031.

2. Ellis, F., & Manda, E. (2012). Seasonal Food Crises and Policy Responses: A

Narrative Account of Three Food Security Crises. World Development, 40(7):1407–

1417.

3. Dawe, D. and Timmer, P.C. (2012). Why stable food prices are a good thing: Lessons

from stabilizing rice prices in Asia. Global Food Security, 1 (2).

4. Gouel, C. (2014). Food Price Volatility and Domestic Stabilization Policies in

Developing Countries. In B.D. Wright (Ed.), The Economics of Food Price Volatility

(261-306). Chicago, IL, University of Chicago Press.

Case Study Reading:

1. Rashid, S. Food Price Stabilization Policies in a Globalizing World. Case Study #6.8

Of The Program: “Food Policy For Developing Countries: The Role Of Government

In The Global Food System”

8/28/2018 10

9. Nov 6: Globalization and Trade

Goals:

• Understand the connections between international trade and food security

• Understand how trade policy can influence food security and livelihoods

Background Reading: 1. Martin, W. (2017). Chapter 5: Agricultural Trade and Hunger In B. Shepherd (Ed.),

Win-Win: How International Trade can Help Meet the Sustainable Development

Goals. Brookings Institution Press. Available from:

https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/327451/adbi-win-win-how-

international-trade-can-help-meet-sdgs.pdf#page=106

Case Study Reading: TBD

DUE Nov 13 at 11:59pm: Assignment II

10. Nov 13: Improving Food Availability Part I: Issues and Trends

Key Principles and Policy Tools:

• Global trends

• Factors affecting availability and price

• Impact of agriculture policies on food security and nutrition

Case Study: Smallholder Farmers in Tanzania

Background Readings:

1. Johnston, B. & Mellor, R. (1961). The Role Of Agriculture In Economic

Development. The American Economic Review, 51 (4), 566-593.

2. Barrett, C., Carter, M., & Timmer, P. (2010). A Century-Long Perspective

On Agricultural Development. American Journal of Agricultural

Economics, 92 (2), 447–468.

Case Study Reading:

3. Kawa A. Enabling Smallholder Farmers’ Market Competitiveness in Tanzania.

Food Policy for Developing Countries: The Role of Government in the Global

Food System Case Study Series, No. 50. Ithaca: Cornell University.

11. Nov 20: Improving Household Food Access Part II: Pro-poor Macro-

economic Growth

Key Principles:

• What are the measures of growth, poverty and inequality?

• What are the most appropriate drivers of pro-poor economic growth in developing

countries?

• Does inequality matter?

8/28/2018 11

• What types of economic growth improve food security and nutrition, and for whom?

Case Study:

• Pro-poor growth in China and India: Which is on the better track and how should they

get there?

Background Readings:

1. Datt, G., Ravallion, M., & Murgai, R. (2016). Four questions and answers on growth

and poverty reduction in India. Arthaniti-Journal of Economic Theory and

Practice, 15(2), 1-10. 2. Easterly, William. (2007). Inequality does cause underdevelopment: Insights from

a new instrument. J. Development Economics 84:755-776.

3. Ravaillion M. (2015) The Economics of Poverty: History, Measurement, and Policy.

Oxford University Press.

- Chapter 8.1 “Theories of Economic Growth and Distributional Change”

- Chapter 8.2 “Evidence on Growth and Distributional Changes”

Case Study Readings:

4. Fan, S. Linkages Between Government Spending, Poverty, and Growth in India and

China. I n P.P. Anderson and F. Cheng (Eds), Food Policy for Developing

Countries, the Role of Government in the Global Food System

- Case Study 9.2 of. Ithaca: Cornell University.

5. Ravaillion M. (2015) The Economics of Poverty: History, Measurement, and Policy.

Oxford University Press. - Chapter 8.4 “Pro-Poor Growth? Case Studies of China, India, and Brazil”

12. Nov 27: Improving Food Availability Part II: Key Policy

Responses

Principles and Policy Instruments:

• Institutions, technology (e.g. GM, biofortification, HYV), extension, rural

credit, land reform, irrigation

• Policy tradeoffs: implications for sustainability, rural urban terms of trade,

poverty, growth

Case Study: Contract farming in developing countries

Background Readings:

1. Masters, W., et al. (2013). "Urbanization and farm size in Asia and Africa:

Implications for food security and agricultural research." Global Food Security, 2

(3), 156-165.

2. Anderson, Per-Pinstrup and Watson, Derrill. (2011). Food Policy for Developing

Countries: The Role of Government in Global, National and Local Food Systems.

Chapter 7. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.

Case Study Reading:

1. Minot, N. Contract Farming in Developing Countries: Patterns, Impact, and

Policy Implications. Nicholas Case Study #6-3 of Food Policy for Developing

8/28/2018 12

Countries, the Role of Government in the Global Food System. Ithaca, NY, Cornell

University Press.

13. Dec 4: Putting it all Together: Integrated National Food and Nutrition

Policies

Key Principles:

• Key drivers of success

• Tailoring response to context

Case study:

• Qatar’s National Food Security Policy: Fair or Folly?

Background Reading:

1.Nisbett, N., Wach, E., Haddad, L., El Arifeen, S., Reddin S., Gatellier K., Covic, N.,

Drimie, S., Harris, J., & Yosef, S. (2016). Effective Leadership for Action In

Pandya-Lorch, R. (Ed.) Nourishing millions: stories of change in nutrition.

Washington, D.C., International Food Policy Research Institute.

2.Te Lintelo, D.J.H. and Lakshman, R.W.D. (2015). Equate and Conflate: Political

Commitment to Hunger and Undernutrition Reduction in Five High-Burden

Countries. World Development, Vol. 76.

3. Skim one national food policy from those posted on

Canvas

Case Study Reading:

4. Qatar National Food Security briefing documents

DUE December 14 at 11:59pm: Term paper