Countries in sub-Saharan Africa continue to face persistent challenges in addressing child malnutrition, with approximately one-third of children under the age of five experiencing chronic undernourishment. Climate-related disasters pose an additional and growing threat to child nutrition by disrupting agricultural production, household income, and access to essential services. These disruptions have important implications for child health and long-term human capital development in low- and middle-income countries.

In this seminar, Dr Dimitrova will present findings from two complementary studies examining the impacts of climate shocks on child nutrition and the extent to which social policies can mitigate these effects. The first investigates whether participation in Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Programme—a government-run cash or food transfer programme—can buffer the adverse nutritional impacts of drought exposure. The second evaluates whether maternal access to free primary education reduces children’s vulnerability to disaster-related undernutrition across multiple sub-Saharan African countries.

Together, the findings provide evidence that social policies can play a critical role in protecting children from the nutritional consequences of climate shocks. Immediate income and food support mechanisms, as well as longer-term investments in human capital, may enhance household adaptive capacity and strengthen resilience. The research highlights the importance of integrating social policies into climate adaptation strategies to safeguard public health.