Does Nutrition Really Matter for the Productivity of Smallholder Farmers?

Household-level data from Malaysia Smallholder paddy farmers are used to test whether higher caloric intake enhances family farm labour productivity. This study contests the notion behind efficiency wages hypothesis. Farmers’ productivity is estimated using Data Envelopment Analysis. To avoid estimation bias reverse causality, we utilize a two-stage least square approach by choosing prices, household demography, and assets as instrumental variables. The results show that high significantly affects farmers’ in non-linear relationship. Farmers with obesity overweight conditions produce less per unit of inputs supply more than normal BMI weight. model production inefficiency increases consumption calories, BMI, providing solid support for nutrition-productivity marginal effect on falls drastically increases. These outcomes recommend investing health sector rural areas will improve farmer Policymakers should develop approaches maximize agricultural investments’ contribution overall economy.