FOOD ENVIRONMENTS AND CHILD

NUTRITION AMONG CIRCULAR

MIGRANT FAMILIES WORKING IN THE

BRICK KILNS OF BIHAR, INDIA

Reshma Roshania, Rakesh Giri, Melissa Young, G Sai Mala, Amy Webb Girard, Solveig Cunningham, Aritra Das, Tanmay

Mahapatra, Sridhar Srikantiah, Usha Ramakrishnan

Photo by: Reshma Roshania

3

Circular Migration and Child Nutrition

Education/Skills

Accumulative Migration

Ear

nin

gs

Migration for Survival and Coping

• Informal manual labor• Agriculture• Brick Kilns

• Family migration

Explore child nutrition status and food environment among circular migrants• State of Origin• Child Age at First Migration

Research Objective

Potential Effects on Nutrition

₹

Deshingkar P, Farrington J. A Framework for Understanding Circular Migration. Circular migration and multilocational livelihood strategies in rural India 2009. p. 1-36.

METHODS

5

Study Design: Quantitative Component

• Timeline: June 2018, February 2019

• Eligibility Criteria: Circular migrant mother who migrated with child under 3 years of age to kiln

• Sampling Design:

• Data Collection:• Household Survey• Child Anthropometry

• Outcomes:• Primary:

• Stunting• Wasting

• Secondary:• Food Security (FIES)

• Statistical Analyses• Descriptive, bivariate,

ordinal logistic regression (SAS 9.4)

• Complex survey design

• Sample Size: 1,470 children under 3

6

Study Design: Qualitative Component

In-depth interviews Migrant mothers of young children (11)

Migrant fathers of young children (6)

Focus group discussions (2) Migrant women

Key informant interviews (8) Brick kiln owners/managers

Labor contractors

Thematic analysis in MAXQDA 2018

RESULTS

Circular Migrant Origin & Child Age at First Migration

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Per

cen

tag

e

24 to 35 months

12 to 23 months

0 to 11 months

Born duringmigration

* Among n=346 children currently 24-35 months 8

State of Origin Distribution Child Age at First Migration by Origin*

0102030405060708090

100

Per

cen

tag

e

Agriculture Non-Ag Labor

Unemployed Other

0 10 20 30 40

Fish

Fruits

Goat/Sheep/Pig

Chicken

Milk Producing Animals

Green Leafy Vegetables

Vegetables

Grains

Percentage

Agricultural Participation among Circular Migrants

9

Primary Occupation at Home Village by Origin Food Production at Home Village

10

Drivers Outcomes

Agricultural Drivers and Outcomes of Circular Migration

‘In our land, there's no

water. If we had water,

then this many people

would not come to the

chimney from Ranchi. The

water will be there until

Holi, after that it will dry

up from the rivers, ponds

and wells. Only where

there's a little bit of water

do we plant wheat and

vegetables. Otherwise we

have a world full of land.’

‘We earn, we eat for 6

months, then we go

back home. Then we

take our earnings and

use them towards our

fields. Then after 6

months in the season,

we can go anywhere

and we can work.’

11

Drivers Outcomes

Agricultural Drivers and Outcomes of Circular Migration

‘In our land, there's no

water. If we had water,

then this many people

would not come to the

chimney from Ranchi. The

water will be there until

Holi, after that it will dry

up from the rivers, ponds

and wells. Only where

there's a little bit of water

do we plant wheat and

vegetables. Otherwise we

have a world full of land.’

‘We earn, we eat for 6

months, then we go

back home. Then we

take our earnings and

use them towards our

fields. Then after 6

months in the season,

we can go anywhere

and we can work.’

₹

₹

12

Changes in Food Environment: Sources of Food

0102030405060708090

100

Per

cen

tag

eChanges in Food Environment: Non-Market Sources

Public Distribution System Utilization at Origin

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Yes No

Severe

Moderate

Mild

None

Public Distribution System Utilization and Food Insecurity

p = 0.013

13

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Lower Second Middle Fourth Higher ≤ 4 > 5 1st 2 to 5 6 to 10 > 10

Per

cen

tag

e

Severe

Moderate

Mild

None

Food Insecurity among Circular Migrants

Wealth Quintile** Kiln HH Size* Number of Years Migrating** p <0.01** p <0.001

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Lower Second Middle Fourth Higher ≤ 4 > 5 First 2 to 5 6 to 10 > 10

Per

cen

tag

e

Severe

Moderate

Mild

None

14

Food Insecurity among Circular Migrants

Wealth Quintile** Kiln HH Size* Number of Years Migrating** p <0.01** p <0.001

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Lower Second Middle Fourth Higher ≤ 4 > 5 First 2 to 5 6 to 10 > 10

Per

cen

tag

e

Severe

Moderate

Mild

None

15

Food Insecurity among Circular Migrants

Wealth Quintile** Kiln HH Size* Number of Years Migrating** p <0.01** p <0.001

Food Environment:Prices &Affordability

‘Here it is so expensive, what can I say? Rs. 300, 400, 500 just for vegetables, oil, and spices, not including rice and wheat flour. At home, we grow food. What do we need to buy?’

16

Photo by: Reshma Roshania

‘If we work or don't work, even if we only work two days in a week, we will still get 300 or 400 rupees, so we eat whatever we want, meat, fish, eggs, daal, puri … It happens at home, if there isn’t money, then how will we eat?’

- Rukmani Devi, Shakti Kiln, Rohtas

Food Environment:Accessibility

‘We go wherever it's nice, where there is a bazaar, where there is good market, where the place is nice. Here it's so nice, trains and buses run, wouldn't it feel good? Here the market is good, it is in the village. There are close to ten stores for vegetables.’

17

‘This kiln is the worst. The bazaar, haat, everything is far. The bricks are heavier too.

Photo by: Reshma Roshania

- Savita Devi, Star Kiln, Patna

- Laxmi Devi (Sardarni), Bharat Kiln, Gopalganj

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

0-5 months

6-11 months

12-23 months

24-35 months

All

Ag

e C

ateg

ory

Severe Wasting ( < -3 SD) Moderate Wasting (-2 SD to -3 SD) No Wasting (> -2SD)18

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

0-5 months

6-11 months

12-23 months

24-35 months

All

Ag

e C

ateg

ory

Severe Stunting (< -3 SD) Moderate Stunting (-2 SD to -3 SD) No Stunting (> -2 SD)

Nutrition Status among Children under 3 by Age Category

p <0.001

p = 0.004

19

Odds Ratio

Child Stunting Ordinal Logistic Regression Model

0 1 10

Jharkhand vs. Intrastate OriginWest Bengal vs. Intrastate Origin

Assam vs. Intrastate OriginOther vs. Intrastate Origin

Birth during migration vs. 24 to 35 months0 to 5 months vs. 24 to 35 months

6 to 11 months vs. 24 to 35 months12 to 23 months vs. 24 to 35 months

Child Age (months)Lower vs. Higher Wealth Quintile

Second vs. Higher Wealth QuintileMiddle vs. Higher Wealth QuintileFourth vs. Higher Wealth Quintile

Marginalized CasteHousehold Size

ParityMaternal Age

Above 8th Standard vs. No EducationUp to 8th Standard vs No Education

CONCLUSION

21

Implications

Data Gaps

Right to Food

Targeted Programming

Summary

LivelihoodStrategy

Short-term Affordability

Age at First

Migration

Photo by: Reshma Roshania

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Research Participants

Bihar Department of Mines and Geology

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation