In June of 2016, SPRING facilitated an orientation to nutrition-sensitive agriculture as part of its work to support Upscaling Participatory Action and Videos for Agriculture and Nutrition (UPAVAN), five-year randomized control trial that draws on SPRING’s and Digital Green’s community video approach to promote improved practices.
The nutrition-sensitive agriculture orientation was participatory and applied a number of interactive learning methods. Mr. Pinga, SPRING Agriculture Advisor, Ms. Ashley Aakesson, SPRING SBCC Advisor, and Ms. Peggy Koniz-Booher, SPRING Senior Nutrition and SBCC Advisor, facilitated the orientation. The workshop involved leading participants through identifying nutrition challenges specific to the project’s geographic area, and organizing these identified challenges to highlight the underlying drivers of malnutrition.
Through guiding questions, participants brainstormed how agricultural interventions may contribute to solving the specific nutrition challenges in the project area. Participants then framed these approaches as interventions along agriculture-to-nutrition pathways, and agreed on nutrition objectives relevant to the project context. Under a nutrition objective, participants formulated nutrition-sensitive agriculture objectives, and related agriculture and nutrition-sensitive agriculture practices that may be promoted by the project. This basis of understanding will inform SPRING’s related upcoming formative research, as well as a targeted nutrition-sensitive agriculture training package for agricultural frontline workers in Odisha State, India.