Rural areas in developing countries have the world’s highest rates of undernutrition. Based on primary data from an innovative new study in India, this book unravels the complex and manifold causes for the prevalence of weak local diets, breaking down why food consumption choices of rural populations are often monotonous and unhealthy. In the first part, the author describes the economic environment and unfavorable price trends that underpin the prevalence of poor diets. In the second part, he analyzes the effects of agricultural production decisions and markets, showing how production diversity and better market access can have positive benefits. Finally, introducing a novel perspective on the behavioral economics of food consumption, he shows how economic preferences such as risk and altruism ultimately manifest in what people eat. This book is an essential read for audiences interested in the causes of food and nutrition insecurity – and in economic approaches to finding solutions.

Till Ludwig is a Research Fellow at the Center for Development Research (ZEF) of the University of Bonn. He studied Development Economics at the University of Bonn and the University of California, Berkeley, and previously worked at the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG).