Climate–Water–Food–Nutrition Interaction Across Varying Environmental Contexts: A Population-Representative Analysis of India Data

Background/Objective: Achievement of Sustainable Development Goals SDG 2 (child nutrition) depends upon SDG 6 (water insecurity) and SDG 13 (climate action) in multiple ways. However, the current climate–nutrition literature mostly considers water’s effects on nutrition through agriculture and food production. Here, we identify the climate’s impact on child nutrition through its effect on both household food and water security and on their interaction across varying environmental contexts. Methods: Using nationally representative data from India, we estimate the climate’s direct association with household water access (time spent fetching water), and both direct and indirect association with household food security (women’s dietary diversity), and child’s dietary diversity and nutrition (HAZ score). Data from 42,567 women and 39,667 children (6–23 months) are analyzed using linear regression and structural equation modeling. Results: A unit increase in rainfall is linked to an 18 percent decrease in time to water and an 8.3 percent increase in women’s dietary diversity score. A temperature increase is associated with an increase in time to water and decreased women’s dietary diversity. Time to water mediates the association of temperature and rainfall with women’s dietary diversity, child’s dietary diversity and child’s HAZ score. Households in regions of higher water availability are associated with increased dietary diversity, increased HAZ, and decreased time to water; however, the interaction between climate and regional water availability shows varying effects. Conclusions: Climate is associated with household food and water security, which together mediate its association with nutrition. These findings call for broadening the climate action framework to explicitly recognize the multidimensional linkages between SDG 6 and SDG 2.