Agriculture and Nutrition Resource Review

This article reviews evidence related to the agriculture to nutrition pathways in Bangladesh to reveal gaps in knowledge and research. The review examined articles and resources and rated them for quality before mapping them to the pathways.

The agriculture-nutrition impact pathways are complex and interlocking, and agricultural interventions may have negative impacts on nutrition just as they may have positive impacts. This article proposes that the minimal definition of what could be a nutrition-sensitive agricultural intervention needs to include a “do no harm” perspective. Identified risk categories of how agriculture may harm nutrition include incomes, prices, types of products, women’s social status and workload, the health environment, and inequalities.

The promotion of a small indigenous fish rich in vitamin A can cost effectively improve vitamin A intake, as described in this benefit-cost analysis. With fish already an important part of the Bangladeshi diet, the $23 million mola promotion program (MPP) is estimated to save 3,000 lives and 100,000 disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) at a cost of $194 per DALY saved.

In this research study, similar barriers to leveraging agriculture for nutrition were identified by stakeholders in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda. These include a narrow focus on solely market-oriented and staple crop production, a lack of clarity and incentives within the agriculture sector about improving nutrition and how to translate policy into action, and lack of capacity in human and financial resources. Stronger formulation and implementation of policies will require adequate human resources, funds, timely data on the context, sector alignment on priority actions, and alignment on a framework or indicators for accountability.

Providing nutritionally balanced school meals with complementary nutrition education can deliver improved school performance and nutrition literacy among children. Procuring food for schools from local farming communities supports livelihoods and promotes local markets. This article and policy brief emphasize the need for school feeding programs to source from local farmers.

These recommendations have been developed through an extensive review of available guidance on agricultural programming for nutrition. The recommendations suggest ways that programs and investments can increase their nutritional impact, and the policy environments that support these impacts.

Addressing unequal power relations between men and women is part of the solution to achieving improved nutrition and agricultural outcomes. This report assesses the women’s empowerment pathway towards improved nutrition in agriculture and the gaps in this approach from a gender perspective. To conclude, the paper introduces the Nutrition and Gender Sensitive Agriculture Toolkit.

Immediate action is needed to tackle climate change in all sectors in order to mitigate its growing impact on the food and nutrition security of the most vulnerable. This report describes the pathways by which climate change impacts food security and presents a range of short-, medium-, and long-term responses. Lastly, it aims to answer the adaption needs and demands conveyed by many countries in their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions for COP21.

This blog discusses the COP21 observer and side events on climate, agriculture, and nutrition. The Paris Agreement recognized food production, food security, and ending hunger, however, it remains to be seen if the COP21 will result in a specific nutrition-sensitive, climate-smart agriculture agenda.

The September 2015 Integrated Nutrition Conference brought together experts from around the world to examine multi-sectoral and integrated efforts to nutrition from programs worldwide. This webinar featured summaries of presentations from the conference, lessons learned, and potential areas for future research.

Secure, on-farm storage can benefit smallholder farmers by improving the market value of crops, allowing farmers to be price makers rather than price takers, improving the variety and quality of food consumed by the household, and increasing the year-round availability of food and income. The Kenya On-Farm Storage Pilot by AgResults, a multi-donor initiative, works through the private sector with incentive payments to promote on-farm storage. This webinar showcases how the pilot activity and its tailor-made impact evaluation are generating valuable information about the constraints and structural factors that influence the storage habits of smallholder farmers.

The December 2015 Ag2Nut Community of Practice call presented a synthesis of eight new studies that test whether a connection can be found between household agricultural production and diets, using data from across Africa and South Asia. The data and studies presented suggest that household production has direct and important linkages with nutrition.