Are Credit and Savings Services Effective Against Hunger and Malnutrition? A Literature Review and Analysis

Are Credit and Savings Services Effective Against Hunger and Malnutrition? A Literature Review and Analysis

Academic and practitioner literature has been examined to determine what are known, or strongly asserted, to be necessary conditions for credit and saving programs to be effective against hunger and/or malnutrition. The aim of this piece is to mainly stimulate new thinking, research, and practice—all of which should be directed towards building innovative, effective, sustainable, large-scale efforts to drastically reduce chronic hunger and malnutrition throughout the world. Part I of the paper addresses the relationship of income, empowerment, and behavior change (possible intermediary benefits of poverty lending) to food security and nutritional status. Part II examines the evidence that poverty lending programs have a positive impact on the intermediate benefits necessary for overcoming the underlying causes of hunger and malnutrition.

Executive Summary of Are Credit and Savings Services Effective Against Hunger and Malnutrition? A Literature Review and Analysis

This is an executive summary of the original document. Academic and practitioner literature has been examined to determine what are known, or strongly asserted, to be necessary conditions for credit and saving programs to be effective against hunger and/or malnutrition. The aim of this piece is to mainly stimulate new thinking, research, and practice—all of which should be directed towards building innovative, effective, sustainable, large-scale efforts to drastically reduce chronic hunger and malnutrition throughout the world. Part I of the paper addresses the relationship of income, empowerment, and behavior change (possible intermediary benefits of poverty lending) to food security and nutritional status. Part II examines the evidence that poverty lending programs have a positive impact on the intermediate benefits necessary for overcoming the underlying causes of hunger and malnutrition.