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Home » Research pillars » Transforming sectors

Transforming sectors

How to maximize the impacts of investments in agriculture, social protection and women’s empowerment on nutrition?

Behavioral change for Improved Nutrition among Pastoralists in Ethiopia

September 7, 2017 - Leave a Comment

Transforming sectors

Pastoralists in Ethiopia

Ethiopia is one of the countries who managed to meet the nutrition target of MDG 1 by reducing the rate of stunting from 58% in 2000 to 40% in 2014 and wasting from 12% in 2000 to 9% in 2014.[1] Currently, the country is working towards the nutrition targets of SDG2. As of 2016, 38% of children in Ethiopia are chronically malnourished and 10% are acutely malnourished. [2]

However, the picture in pastoral areas like Somali Region of Ethiopia shows that the under-served and hard to reach segments of the population of the country need tailored ways to address the still prevailing situation of undernutrition. In Somali Region of Ethiopia, the prevalence of stunting (chronic malnutrition) is 27.4% as of 2016. In addition, the region has the highest proportion of children with acute malnutrition from all regions of Ethiopia having 22.7% wasting rate. Somali Region also has the highest prevalence of anaemia in children with a rate of 82.6% as compared to the national prevalence of 56%. Moreover, 12.8% of children in Somali region have severe anaemia. The highest prevalence of anaemia in women is also seen in Somali Region with 59% prevalence compared to 23% nationally. [3]

Nutrition sensitive interventions by VSF-Suisse in Ethiopia

To contribute to addressing the need to nutrition interventions in pastoral areas as Somali Region of Ethiopia, VSF-Suisse has implemented different nutrition sensitive interventions in the region. Linking agricultural and livestock interventions to community-based nutrition has been a flagship activity of the VSF-Suisse (and of the Ethiopia Programme in particular). Owing to the fact that the nutrition needs of under-served communities cannot be addressed by direct nutrition interventions alone, VSF-Suisse had nutrition sensitive livestock based interventions where animal source foods sourced from local markets like meat and milk were availed to households hosting children recurrently affected by acute malnutrition and recurrently admitted to therapeutic feeding centers. These interventions have proven to show changes on the availability of animal source foods at the household level.

To showcase one of these interventions in Kebriderhar and Shilabo Woredas of Somali region of Ethiopia in 2013, where 9 milking goats were provided to households hosting children affected by recurrent malnutrition, change was observed in the targeted households in terms of acute malnutrition, measured through MUAC (Mid-Upper Arm Circumference). A decreased percentage of children with MUAC <11cm from 33% before the intervention to 0% at 4 months after the provision of milking goats was observed. The percentage of children with MUAC for age <-3 SD, showing signs of acute malnutrition, had decreased from 56.8% before the intervention to 12.3% after the intervention.

Availing Animal Source Food was not Sufficient

In the intervention mentioned above, even though change was observed on one of the nutrition indicator of the targeted children, MUAC for age, it was noteworthy to observe that after they were provided with milking goats, none of the mothers were breastfeeding (from 12% before the intervention). This was one of the signals that availing animal source foods for households does not necessarily ensure the improvement of the overall nutrition situation and optimal nutrition practices. The main lesson drawn was that nutrition sensitive interventions are beyond linking specific livestock relief interventions with nutrition outcomes. This ignited the idea of thinking on optimal behavioral change communication interventions which suits pastoral areas like Somali Region of Ethiopia. The option lies on whether to integrate the conventional nutrition education or IEC/BCC interventions to our nutrition sensitive interventions or to look for other sustainable means of channeling our important message on optimal maternal, infant and young child nutrition practices.

Pastoral Community Platforms

Among the rural pastoral communities of Ethiopia’s Somali Regional State, VSF-Suisse has used the community platforms of Pastoral Field Schools (PFS) and Village Community Banks (VICOBAs) to improve communities’ resilience to recurring episodes of drought and other emergencies. The PFS approach is an adaptation of the interactive Farmer Field Schools (FFS) approach developed by the UN-FAO in Indonesia in 1989.  They are groups of community members who meet periodically to pool their observations on livestock production and on rangeland management and to experiment new production systems. VICOBAs, meanwhile, comprise groups of mainly women who are trained and then meet regularly to organise collective saving and loans for times of emergency or crisis.

Given that both of these pastoral community platforms are now integrated features of their communities, they have shown to have tremendous cumulative benefit by equipping them with critical nutrition-related messages.

The BCIN-Action Research

The action research entitled ‘Behavioral Change for Improved Nutrition among pastoralists in Ethiopia’ (BCIN) thus intended to bridge the knowledge gaps by providing the scientific evidence on the outcome of integrating Behavioral Change Communication (BCC) interventions into the routine activities of the existing pastoral platforms, the PFS and VICOBA groups.

BCIN was a quasi-experimental research conducted in two pastoralist districts, Moyale and Mubarek of Somali Region of Ethiopia. The action research evaluated both intervention communities and comparison communities where the intervention did not take place with the aim of appraising the impact of channeled messages on key nutrition practices. In line with this, a total of 942 mothers having children 0-23 months were interviewed, 471 of them were in each study leg.

As a result, the number of mothers who heard about exclusive breastfeeding, optimal young child feeding practices, food safety and personal hygiene through the PFS and VICOBA were higher for the intervention communities compared to the comparison communities.

One of the main findings of the action research shows that exclusive breast feeding, food safety and hygiene are influenced by the mother’s age, educational status, income, and prior information on the issues. It is also observed that 85.5% of the mothers in the intervention groups reported receiving the information through the community platforms compared to 14.2% from other sources. Also, the action research found out that pastoral- community platforms have potential for channeling messages on key maternal, infant and young-child nutrition practices.

[1] MDG report of Ethiopia, 2014

[2] Ethiopian Demographic Health Survey, 2016

[3] Ethiopian Demographic Health Survey, 2016

Agriculture for improved nutrition and health

September 6, 2017 - Leave a Comment

Transforming sectors

Our project partners Egerton University, Kenya convened a workshop Agro-biodiversity and Dietary diversity for optimal nutrition and health on Tuesday 22nd August, 2017 at the ARC Hotel Egerton University, Kenya. Forty-Five participants from academia, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture and NGOs working on Agriculture, nutrition and health gathered together with representative from County Government to discuss the important issue of tackling malnutrition and links between agriculture and Nutrition.  See workshop report.

They have also written a blog Agriculture for improved nutrition and health

Guidance note on Nutrition sensitive social protection and agriculture

August 31, 2017 - Leave a Comment

Transforming sectors

Transform Nutrition has produced a Guidance note for donors and national government based on our 6 years of research mainly in Bangladesh and Ethiopia on Nutrition sensitive social protection and agriculture. This note highlights 3 key areas for action.

The role of social protection and agriculture in tackling chronic undernutrition

August 31, 2017 - Leave a Comment

Transforming sectors

We have been working with Eldis to produce a ‘key issues guide’ which summarises all of the research Transform Nutrition has done on How to maximize the impacts of investments in agriculture, social protection and women’s empowerment on nutrition. Eldis key issues guide : The role of social protection and agriculture in tackling chronic undernutrition

Public-Private Partnerships and undernutrition: Examples and future prospects

June 21, 2017 - Leave a Comment

Transforming sectors

In recent years, political commitment to reducing undernutrition has risen globally. Nutrition features prominently on development agendas, in prime ministerial speeches,
in international development discourse and in the media. The multisectorality of nutrition is better recognised with the corresponding need for engagement by multiple actors in different sectors and at different levels. While this has thrown a spotlight on the issue of private sector engagement in nutrition-relevant actions, looming over new initiatives that engage the private sector is a deeply suspicious nutrition sector.  This research brief from Transform Nutrition Public-Private Partnerships and undernutrition: Examples and future prospects examines this issue.

Agrobiodiversity and dietary diversity in Rongai sub-county, Nakuru

June 12, 2017 - Leave a Comment

Transforming sectors

A research brief by colleagues at Egerton University, Kenya Agrobiodiversity and dietary diversity for improved nutritional status of mothers and children in Rongai sub-county, Nakuru is now available. The brief summarises the findings of surveys where the association between agrobiodiversity (the variety of all forms of life directly relevant to agriculture, including crop varieties and animal species) and diet diversity for children 6–23 months old and their mothers or caregivers were determined. We make recommendations on how the situation could be improved.

Stories of Change in Nutrition – a special issue

May 24, 2017 - Leave a Comment

Transforming delivery
Transforming leadership
Transforming sectors

Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Programme

May 11, 2017 - Leave a Comment

Transforming sectors

A new Transform Nutrition discussion paper is now out The impact of Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Programme on the nutritional status of children: 2008–2012. Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP) is a large-scale social protection intervention aimed at improving food security and stabilizing asset levels. In this paper, we examine the impact of the PSNP on children’s nutritional status over the period 2008–2012 and these findings, along with work by other researchers, have informed revisions to the PSNP.

Reducing chronic undernutrition in Ethiopia

December 6, 2016 - Leave a Comment

Transforming sectors

On December 5th, 2016, Transform Nutrition Co-Research Director John Hoddinott, gave a seminar on issues surrounding chronic undernutrition in Ethiopia. In addition to reviewing current trends and the factors associated with these, Dr Hoddinott summarized Transform Nutrition research on chronic undernutrition in Ethiopia, conveying key messages and outlining areas requiring attention in the future. The lecture was attended by representatives from civil society organizations, academics, government officials and researchers. His presentation can be viewed here.

Early Childhood Nutrition Is Positively Associated with Adolescent Educational Outcomes

June 14, 2016 - Leave a Comment

Transforming sectors

A new Transform Nutrition paper is now available Early Childhood Nutrition Is Positively Associated with Adolescent Educational Outcomes: Evidence from the Andhra Pradesh Child and Parents Study (APCAPS) by Arindam Nandi, Ashvin Ashok, Sanjay Kinra, Jere R Behrman, and Ramanan Laxminarayan,  Journal of Nutrition, March 9, 2016. [Read more…]

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More about this area of research

Our research questions

1. How can social protection be made more nutrition-sensitive?
2. What is the role played by the production of non-staple foods in reducing undernutrition?
3. How can gendered-governance interventions create conditions under which undernutrition can be rapidly reduced?
Nutrition-sensitive interventions and programmes in agriculture, social safety nets, early child development and education have enormous potential to enhance the scale and effectiveness of nutrition-specific interventions. The nutrition-sensitive interventions Transform Nutrition are focusing on:
  • social transfers and social protection
  • agriculture interventions
  • women’s empowerment (including girl’s education).
     

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Transform Nutrition is a consortium of five international research and development partners funded by the UK Department for International Development. Using research-based evidence we aim to inspire effective action to address undernutrition.
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