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We analyse intertemporal poverty in two important dimensions – income and
nutrition – in less developed northwest China during 2000–2004. Household intertemporal
deprivations in these dimensions are estimated using measures which are sensitive to the
precise sequence in which poor and non-poor spells occur. A generalised recursive selection
model is then proposed to investigate the determinants of intertemporal deprivation in each
dimension, allowing for the possibility that correlated unobservables drive the dual deprivations.
Improvement in agricultural production is crucial for reducing both dimensions of
intertemporal deprivation. We find evidence suggestive of intertemporal income-nutrition
poverty traps. Higher labour productivity, especially in agriculture rather than local off-farm
activities or out-migration, holds much potential for breaking the vicious circle. Agricultural
innovation and mechanisation, regarded by the government as indispensable, yield mixed
outcomes for alleviating intertemporal multi-dimensional deprivations.