Maternal employment in high-value agriculture and child nutritionEvidence from the Ethiopian cut-flower industry
Maternal employment in high-value agriculture and child nutrition
Evidence from the Ethiopian cut-flower industry
View/Date of Publication
12.2023Publisher
Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of BonnPublisher Location
BonnMetadata
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Citable Link (Handle URI) 
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11811/12021
Abstract
In many countries of the Global South, agri-food supply chains are transforming rapidly. One important feature of this transformation is growth in certain high-value agricultural subsectors, such as horticulture and cut-flowers for export. Growth in high-value agriculture often creates new employment opportunities, especially for women. More employment can lead to higher rural incomes, but the broader implications for social welfare are not yet sufficiently understood. Here, we use survey data from Ethiopia to investigate the effects of women’s employment in floriculture on child nutrition, focusing on children aged 0-5 years. We develop and estimate endogenous switching regressions to account for possible endogeneity. Our results suggest that maternal employment in floriculture negatively affects child height-for-age and weight-for-age z-scores (HAZ and WAZ). Exploration of the underlying mechanisms reveals that floriculture employment may influence time allocation, dietary quality, income, and female financial autonomy. Maternal employment is negatively associated with time spent on childcare and consumption of animal-sourced foods.
Subjects
Women employment, Child nutrition, Agri-food value chains, Floriculture, Africa, Ethiopia
Classification (DDC)
300 Sozialwissenschaften, Soziologie, Anthropologie 320 Politik 330 WirtschaftFirst Publication
https://www.zef.de/fileadmin/webfiles/downloads/zef_dp/ZEF_DP_336.pdfPart of Series
ZEF-Discussion Papers on Development Policy ; 336Melaku, Astewale Bimr; Qaim, Matin; Debela, Bethelhem Legesse: Maternal employment in high-value agriculture and child nutrition : Evidence from the Ethiopian cut-flower industry. Bonn: Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn, 2023. In: ZEF-Discussion Papers on Development Policy, 336.
Online-Ausgabe in bonndoc: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11811/12021
Online-Ausgabe in bonndoc: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11811/12021
@techreport{handle:20.500.11811/12021,
author = {{Astewale Bimr Melaku} and {Matin Qaim} and {Bethelhem Legesse Debela}},
title = {Maternal employment in high-value agriculture and child nutrition : Evidence from the Ethiopian cut-flower industry},
publisher = {Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn},
year = 2023,
month = dec,
series = {ZEF-Discussion Papers on Development Policy},
volume = 336,
note = {In many countries of the Global South, agri-food supply chains are transforming rapidly. One important feature of this transformation is growth in certain high-value agricultural subsectors, such as horticulture and cut-flowers for export. Growth in high-value agriculture often creates new employment opportunities, especially for women. More employment can lead to higher rural incomes, but the broader implications for social welfare are not yet sufficiently understood. Here, we use survey data from Ethiopia to investigate the effects of women’s employment in floriculture on child nutrition, focusing on children aged 0-5 years. We develop and estimate endogenous switching regressions to account for possible endogeneity. Our results suggest that maternal employment in floriculture negatively affects child height-for-age and weight-for-age z-scores (HAZ and WAZ). Exploration of the underlying mechanisms reveals that floriculture employment may influence time allocation, dietary quality, income, and female financial autonomy. Maternal employment is negatively associated with time spent on childcare and consumption of animal-sourced foods.},
url = {https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11811/12021}
}
author = {{Astewale Bimr Melaku} and {Matin Qaim} and {Bethelhem Legesse Debela}},
title = {Maternal employment in high-value agriculture and child nutrition : Evidence from the Ethiopian cut-flower industry},
publisher = {Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn},
year = 2023,
month = dec,
series = {ZEF-Discussion Papers on Development Policy},
volume = 336,
note = {In many countries of the Global South, agri-food supply chains are transforming rapidly. One important feature of this transformation is growth in certain high-value agricultural subsectors, such as horticulture and cut-flowers for export. Growth in high-value agriculture often creates new employment opportunities, especially for women. More employment can lead to higher rural incomes, but the broader implications for social welfare are not yet sufficiently understood. Here, we use survey data from Ethiopia to investigate the effects of women’s employment in floriculture on child nutrition, focusing on children aged 0-5 years. We develop and estimate endogenous switching regressions to account for possible endogeneity. Our results suggest that maternal employment in floriculture negatively affects child height-for-age and weight-for-age z-scores (HAZ and WAZ). Exploration of the underlying mechanisms reveals that floriculture employment may influence time allocation, dietary quality, income, and female financial autonomy. Maternal employment is negatively associated with time spent on childcare and consumption of animal-sourced foods.},
url = {https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11811/12021}
}
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