Unit 4 Macro: Agri-Chemicals and Infant Mortality in India

Using agrichemicals is directly correlated to infant mortality in India. This is the central finding of research presented by Nidhiya Menon (Associate Professor of Economics, Brandeis University) at the International Growth Centre’s Growth Week 2012.

The research, co-authored by Elizabeth Brainerd, entitled Seasonal Effects of Water Quality on Infant and Child Health in India, finds a 10% increase in the average level of fertiliser chemicals in water at the month of conception increases the likelihood of infant death by approximately 4.6%. The research also finds that newborns are particularly at risk, with the same 10% increase significantly associated with an approximately 6% increase in death within the first month.

Fertiliser use has increased over time in India, and this research also shows that the effects of increased levels of agrichemicals in water can be seen in both rice and wheat which are staple food crops in India. The effects of this contamination are most significant for the children of rural uneducated poor women in India.

Policy implications

The findings of this research highlight the tension between greater use of fertiliser to increase yields and the negative child health effects that result from such use. In order to guarantee greater security of child health, it may be necessary to focus on generating only reasonable yield amounts by curtailing the excessive use of synthetic additives.

Other strategies that could be employed to avoid the harmful effects of water toxins while still ensuring adequate food production could include:

1. Increasing the use of organic fertilisers
2. Adopting alternative farming techniques that improve soil productivity such as crop-rotation
3. Education and nutrition programmes for mothers who are most exposed to these risks
4. Providing nutrient supplements to low-birth weight babies

These strategies are likely to be costly for cash-strapped developing countries such as India. However, their adoption may prove vital to slowing the unintended health consequences of the widespread use of inorganic fertilisers in Indian agriculture.