Forests, agriculture, and child health in Zaire: A household modeling approach

Abstract

In the Kwilu subregion of Zaire, where malnutrition rates are among the highest in rural Zaire, farm households depend directly on forested land for agricultural production and harvesting of nontimber forest products. A nonseparable model of an agricultural household, where production and consumption decisions are simultaneously determined, is developed in this paper based on several specific characteristics of the Kwilu. The model is used to examine the internal nonmarket and external market adjustments that rural households can make when forested land becomes less available to households because of, for example, population growth and deforestation. When forested land becomes less available, the specific conditions are identified where farmers (women) work harder for less return while allocating less time to child care activities. The end result is poorer child health.