A model has been developed to conceptualize the relationships among a series of complex, interrelated factors that account for high levels of malnutrition among children in Malawi. It can be used as a tool for theoretical analysis and for programme evaluation. In this paper, the model is used to examine how interventions in crop-breeding strategies interact with existing rural social structure and influence household nutritional well-being in Malawi. It recognizes three tiers of causation: proximate, intermediate, and inclusive. The proximate tier refers to the immediate biomedical causes of malnutrition; the intermediate causes are those behavioural patterns that increase exposure to the proximate causes; and inclusive causes refer to the broad, social, economic, and cultural processes and structures in which the proximate and intermediate causes of nutritional status are embedded.
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