Holiday hunger in India: experiences of food insecurity during the school summer holidays

Lana Whittaker

Development in Practice, 2025, vol. 35, issue 3, 462-479

Abstract: School feeding programs are widely used as safety nets and to realise food security. However, food is typically not served when schools are closed during school holidays. Consequently, children and their families may experience food insecurity or increased food insecurity in school holidays, known as holiday hunger. Outside of high-income countries, holiday hunger has received little attention. This study begins to expand the geographical focus in the literature by examining holiday hunger in India during the school summer break. I present primary data from household surveys and interviews conducted in four locations in Rajasthan. I show that many households experience increased food insecurity during the summer, including due to the absence of school meals, but that food insecurity was also high outside of the holidays. I conclude that policy makers and academics must give more attention to temporal lacunae in food provision.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1080/09614524.2024.2440486

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