- The study, undertaken by Vitamin Angels India, explores the demand and supply factors that impact the diets and nutrition intake of 6 primary sector communities
(fishermen, brick-kiln workers, forestry community, plantation workers, salt-pan workers, among others) in 8 states across the country.
- The study highlights that among these low resource communities, where employment is seasonal in nature, like brick-fields and salt-pan, the focus of food consumption is on sustenance i.e. filling the stomach, rather than ensuring adequate nutrition intake for growth and development.
- Patriarchal structures prevail in most communities, impacting women’s agency towards nutrition-related decision making and purchases, food preparation, preferences and adequacy.
- The study highlights that increased proximity to urban locations positively influences access to supply, variability and competitive pricing, while also increasing women’s involvement and influence in the process of purchasing.
Chandigarh : Vitamin Angels India has released a new exploratory study documenting the dietary behaviours, practices and perceptions of primary sector worker communities in the country. The study, supported by UNICEF India, aims to understand barriers and enablers of optimal nutrition, specifically among children-under-5, pregnant and lactating women, and mothers of children ages 0-5 years.
In particular, the exploratory study focuses on the vulnerabilities that puts certain communities more at-risk nutritionally, than others. In this context, the nature of employment, income level, land/livestock ownership, access to government services and women’s education levels are found to be some of the key determinants of nutritional outcomes. Taking the example of the two most vulnerable communities, brick-field workers and salt-pan workers, the study highlights these vulnerabilities further. The nature of both professions, characterized by intermittent work, intense physical labour, extreme weather conditions and meagre daily wages tied to output volume, presents significant hurdles for workers in accessing adequate, diverse and nutritious foods. Low income restricts communities to small quantity - high frequency - low diversity food item purchases, hindering their ability to optimize resources through bulk purchases. The migrant status of brick-field workers further impinge upon their access to government health services and ability to negotiate with employers for improved wages, better working conditions and sanitation facilities.
In communities where food is the output, a remarkable sense of cohesion is evident through the prevalent practice of bartering produce. Members engaged in fishing, agriculture, and to an extent tea/coffee cultivation actively participate in exchanging their yields, reflecting a strong community
bond. This collaborative approach not only fosters economic interdependence but also underscores the significance of communal support in sustaining livelihoods.
Patriarchal structures dominate family structures across communities, leaving the burden of household chores including nutrition-related responsibilities on women in the household. In most communities, women contributed directly or indirectly to the primary sector work, over and above their end-to-end household responsibilities. However, final decision-making on food almost always remained with the menfolk, followed by the eldest woman in the household. In nuclear families, these dynamics seemed more relaxed. Pregnancy is the only stage where women receive priority with respect to household work and food consumption, except those experiencing severe economic hardship, however this does not extend to post-delivery when the woman is lactating.
Commenting on the need for the study, Sunish Jauhari, President, Vitamin Angels India, stated, “Nearly half of the Indian population is engaged in primary sector work. A large number of them often lack access to food and evidence-based nutrition interventions. This survey study is an effort to generate both demand and supply insights from the ground about our fellow citizens living in vulnerable conditions. The lived experience of a fisherman worker in Odisha is very different from the realities of the same community in Tamil Nadu, and these were the nuances we hoped to capture. We believe it will provide a good reference to the governments, entrepreneurs and innovators with mandate and interest in addressing under-nutrition. Thanks to the partnership and support of UNICEF India, and our program partners who work on the ground, who have made this effort possible.”
Among the key recommendations, the study advocates for strengthened access to locally-relevant nutrition information and knowledge, particularly among women in low-resource settings. With rising food insecurity, the salience of leveraging locally grown, easily available and affordable food items becomes central to the discourse of tackling malnutrition. The findings from this study are meant to provide a nuanced, contextualised understanding of the key enablers and barriers to diet diversity among these communities such that they inform policy makers, donors, program designers and implementers. What finally makes it to the plates of these households is a function of complex, inter- related factors and it is imperative that future interventions designed to improve nutrition go beyond awareness generation to include aspects of household financial allocation and prioritization, improving women’s agency and educational status, and increasing male engagement in nutrition- related activities.