The authors address questions such as: (1) how do parents allocate land and education between sons and daughters? (2) how do changing returns to land and human capital affect parents' investments in children?

This brief is based on the results of a research project funded under the competitive grants program of the 2020 Vision Network for East Africa. A research report with the same title is available on IFPRI’s website (www.ifpri.org) and also upon request.

"While ample evidence documents that urban children generally have better nutritional status than their rural counterparts, recent research suggests that urban malnutrition is on the rise.

"... Based on a global model of supply and demand for food and water, this report shows that if current water policies continue, farmers will indeed find it difficult to meet the world’s food needs. Hardest hit will be the world’s poorest people.

"Agricultural research has greatly increased the yields of important staple food crops, and for many people this has meant more food availability and trade opportunities. Yet many people in rural areas in developing countries still live in abject poverty.