Weather Shock Vulnerability in Children’s Nutrition: A Comparative Study of Three Ecological Regions in Nepal

Abstract Nutrition obtained during the growth period of childhood significantly influences long-term well-being and overall productivity, ultimately contributing to the economy of a society. However, weather shocks can wreak havoc by damaging crops, changing yields of important crops and disrupting market access, which directly impacts the food intake of both adults and children. When these adverse events occur during childhood, short term and long term inadequacy in nutrition as well as disease incidence can cause malnutrition leading to stunted growth and cognitive impairment that may persist into adulthood, affecting the labor market and increasing health expenditure. To address this issue, we derive causal relations between weather changes and weight-to-height z score in the three ecological regions of Nepal. We find that there is a positive impact of average temperature on children’s weight-to-height z score in the Terai region. An increase of 19 percent in the average growing degree days leads to 1 standard deviation growth in weight-to-height z score. This relation persists in agricultural households in the Terai region of Nepal. JEL Codes: J13, O13, Q54.