The Impact of a Homegrown School-Feeding Intervention on Children’s Educational Outcomes in Low-Income Countries

The Homegrown School Feeding Program Intervention (HGSFPI) is one of the most powerful tools for combating malnutrition and addressing economic and gender inequality. Hence, this study aims to analyze the long-term effects of the HGSFPI on the school outcomes via balanced macro panel data covering the years 1974 to 2023. Panel endogenous switching regression (PESRM) and difference-in-differences (DID) models were used to estimate covariate relationships and policy effect sizes, respectively. The PESRM results indicate that an increase in the pupil-to-teacher ratio increases the rate of dropout and reduces persistence in primary school, probably because of an overcrowded teaching system and fewer contacts per student. However, increased availability of electricity increases educational persistence by increasing the number of hours spent studying and improving facilities in schools. Furthermore, fertilizer application and the food production index increase the rates of completion and enrollment because enhanced food security reduces malnutrition and enhances school attendance. Moreover, increased agricultural productivity indirectly leads to higher household incomes, and improved school enrollment. Similarly, school feeding and rural infrastructure development also contribute to increasing schooling enrollment through enhanced access to and regularity of meals. Consequently, the DID model results show that the intervention decreased the rate of dropout by 10.9% and increased completion, persistence, and attendance rates by 14.2%, 4.6%, and 21.5%, respectively, which suggests the effectiveness of the policy intervention. Thus, increasing policy intervention in treated and control unit regions will facilitate education achievements and sustainable human capital development through poverty and hunger alleviation in a viable manner. JEL Classification: i25, i28, O15, q18, C23.