"programme_id","programme_title","programme_language","programme_type","other_program","iso3code","country_name","program_location","area","status","start_date","end_date","brief_description","references","related_policy","new_policy","partner_gov","partner_government_details","partner_un","partner_un_details","partner_ngo","partner_ngo_details","partner_donors","partner_donors_details","partner_intergov","partner_intgov_details","partner_national_ngo","partner_nat_ngo_details","partner_research","partner_research_details","partner_private","partner_private_details","partner_other","partner_other_details","cost","fsector_0","fpartner_0","fdetails_0","fsector_1","fpartner_1","fdetails_1","fsector_2","fpartner_2","fdetails_2","fsector_3","fpartner_3","fdetails_3","fsector_4","fpartner_4","fdetails_4","fsector_5","fpartner_5","fdetails_5","fsector_6","fpartner_6","fdetails_6","fsector_7","fpartner_7","fdetails_7","fsector_8","fpartner_8","fdetails_8","fsector_9","fpartner_9","fdetails_9","fsector_10","fpartner_10","fdetails_10","fsector_11","fpartner_11","fdetails_11","fsector_12","fpartner_12","fdetails_12","fsector_13","fpartner_13","fdetails_13","fsector_14","fpartner_14","fdetails_14","fsector_15","fpartner_15","fdetails_15","fsector_16","fpartner_16","fdetails_16","fsector_17","fpartner_17","fdetails_17","fsector_18","fpartner_18","fdetails_18","fsector_19","fpartner_19","fdetails_19","fsector_20","fpartner_20","fdetails_20","fsector_21","fpartner_21","fdetails_21","fsector_22","fpartner_22","fdetails_22","fsector_23","fpartner_23","fdetails_23","fsector_24","fpartner_24","fdetails_24","fsector_25","fpartner_25","fdetails_25","fsector_26","fpartner_26","fdetails_26","fsector_27","fpartner_27","fdetails_27","fsector_28","fpartner_28","fdetails_28","fsector_29","fpartner_29","fdetails_29","fsector_30","fpartner_30","fdetails_30","fsector_31","fpartner_31","fdetails_31","fsector_32","fpartner_32","fdetails_32","fsector_33","fpartner_33","fdetails_33","fsector_34","fpartner_34","fdetails_34","fsector_35","fpartner_35","fdetails_35","fsector_36","fpartner_36","fdetails_36","fsector_37","fpartner_37","fdetails_37","fsector_38","fpartner_38","fdetails_38","fsector_39","fpartner_39","fdetails_39","fsector_40","fpartner_40","fdetails_40","fsector_41","fpartner_41","fdetails_41","fsector_42","fpartner_42","fdetails_42","fsector_43","fpartner_43","fdetails_43","fsector_44","fpartner_44","fdetails_44","fsector_45","fpartner_45","fdetails_45","fsector_46","fpartner_46","fdetails_46","fsector_47","fpartner_47","fdetails_47","fsector_48","fpartner_48","fdetails_48","fsector_49","fpartner_49","fdetails_49","action_id","theme","topic","new_topic","micronutrient","micronutrient_compound","target_group","age_group","place","delivery","other_delivery","dose_frequency","impact_indicators","me_system","target_pop","coverage_percent","coverage_type","baseline","post_intervention","social_det","social_other","elena_link","problem_0","solution_0","problem_1","solution_1","problem_2","solution_2","problem_3","solution_3","problem_4","solution_4","problem_5","solution_5","problem_6","solution_6","problem_7","solution_7","problem_8","solution_8","problem_9","solution_9","other_problems","other_lessons","personal_story","language" "9241","Infant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCN) Project ","English","Multi-national","","KEN","Kenya","Kenya","Urban|Rural","completed","01-2006","01-2011","
The US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Infant & Young Child Nutrition (IYCN) Project built support within communities and households for improving the way mothers in Kenya feed their infants, young children, and themselves. The IYCN Project collaborated with the government of Kenya and USAID-funded partners to conduct an assessment of infant feeding practices in Kenya’s Western and Eastern Provinces, which informed several national strategies and programs. The project also completed a literature review and a formative assessment on engaging fathers and grandmothers in infant and young child nutrition. Findings informed the design of an evaluation to test the effectiveness of interventions that engage fathers and grandmothers to improve and support mothers’ dietary and infant and young child feeding practices. To complement these efforts, IYCN partnered with the USAID-supported AIDS, Population and Health Integrated Assistance (APHIA) II and APHIAplus Projects to increase support for optimal infant feeding practices at the facility level and in the community
","Nutritional care and support for people living with HIV/AIDS was reported to the Global Nutrition Policy Review (GNPR) 2009-2010Study preparation and data collectionDue to the post-election violence that occurred in Kenya in January and February 2008, initiation of this study was postponed from its original start date of January 2008 to May 2008 to ensure the safety of the field team. The study team for Western Province included one field supervisor and four research assistants who were fluent in the local Luhya and Swahili languages. The study team for Eastern Province included one field supervisor and four research assistants who were fluent in Kamba, Swahili, and Kikuyu. A data analyst was also hired to enter and clean data in real time, as well as to assist with data analysis. Study procedural training was held with the entire study team, led by Dr. Kiersten Israel-Ballard and Ms. Margaret Waithaka, May 19–23, 2008. This included pretesting the data collection tools, revising all translations as needed, and piloting them in multiple languages at a local clinic. The study launch was on May 26 for Eastern Province, with field support from Dr. Israel-Ballard, and June 2 for Western Province, with field support from Ms. Waithaka. The data collection tools utilized in this study are available upon request.Study populations and proceduresThis cross-sectional study was designed to collect formative research data in a descriptive manner. This study took place at APHIA II (AIDS, Population and Health Integrated Assistance [USAID-funded program]) affiliated sites in the Kakamega, Vihiga, Hamisi, and Bungoma Districts of Western Province and in the Kitui, Makueni, Kibwezi, Machakos, Mwala, Yatta, Mwingi, and Mbooni Districts of Eastern Province. These regions were selected to include food-secure areas of Western Province and food-insecure areas of Eastern Province. Data collection occurred between May and September 2008. According to the 2007 Kenya AIDS Indicator Survey, Eastern Province had an HIV prevalence of 4.7 and Western Province of 5.1.This study was composed of a convenience sample of quantitative in-depth interviews, brief post-counseling exit interviews, and counseling session observations. A total of 386 women older than 18 years of age were recruited. In-depth interviews were conducted with 285 women (137 in Eastern Province, 148 in Western Province). Women known to be HIV positive were recruited from PMTCT clinics, comprehensive care centers, and postnatal wards at local clinics and referral hospitals, as well as from support groups affiliated with the health centers. Inclusion criteria included being HIV infected, having an infant <18 months of age, and having stopped breastfeeding between 1 week to 6 months prior to participation. Survey questions focused on the period over which breastfeeding cessation took place, including the age of the infant, liquids and foods fed during this period and their associated costs and availability, infant illness, breast health, general challenges, as well as a 24-hour dietary recall to capture current infant feeding practices and challenges. Infant weight and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) were measured to capture current nutritional status.Post-counseling exit interviews were conducted with 80 women (50 in Eastern Province, 30 in Western Province) who had not participated in the cross-sectional survey. The difference in sample size between provinces was due to clinic staffing shortages, resulting in the lack Kenya Infant Feeding Assessment 5 of individual postnatal counseling in Western Province; group PMTCT counseling was more commonly practised Women known to be HIV positive were recruited upon leaving an antenatal or postnatal PMTCT counseling session at a health facility. Inclusion criteria included being HIV positive, being pregnant, or having an infant <12 months of age. Counseling session observations occurred 22 times with different women and in various clinics (9 in Eastern Province, 13 in Western Province). Inclusion criteria included being HIV positive, being pregnant, or having an infant <12 months of age. In Eastern Province, four of these observations were antenatal and five were postnatal; in Western Province nine were antenatal and four were postnatal. Antenatal mothers were recruited in the antenatal care (ANC) clinic in the PMTCT section. Postnatal mothers were recruited in the comprehensive care center or in the maternal and child health (MCH) ward. Three observations were of ANC group counseling sessions rather than individual sessions; two in Western, one in Eastern. The observer used a check list to indicate whether a specified topic had been covered during the session. Although recruitment criteria were inclusive of both antenatal and postnatal mothers with infants under 12 months of age, most (n = 8) of the mothers interviewed postnatally had infants of only 1 month of age, while one mother had a 3-month-old and another had a 9-month-old infant, thus limiting the infant age ranges. All clients who met the recruitment criteria and consented to join the study during the recruitment period were recruited. To ensure eligibility and guardianship of the infant we required identification documents prior to enrollment. Additionally, 11 local stakeholders, including district and provincial nutritionists and nursing officers from Nairobi and Eastern and Western Provinces, were informally interviewed to gather their perceptions and attitudes toward infant feeding in the context of HIV in their communities.
","Weightfor-age (WFA) z-score,Upper-arm-circumference-for-age z-scoreMUACcount of the number of morbidities (0 to 5) the infant experienced during or subsequent to weaning, chosen from a list of five morbidities (respiratory symptoms, diarrhea, dehydration symptoms, fever, and refusal to eat)
","To monitor the progress of infant feeding and HIV activities, IYCN provided reporting tools which included a form to help APHIA II Western-supported PMTCT counselors accurately report on their facility-based activities in a standardized way, and to provide an opportunity to share successes and challenges; an observation checklist to provide structured feedback to facility-based counselors to improve their counseling and facilitation skills; and a reporting form for community-based workers to report on infant feeding activities. Subsequently, several PMTCT and HIV partners adopted the tools for use in their programs.
","*","Western and Eastern Province","","","","Vulnerable groups","","Infant feeding for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV>>>Infant feeding for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV>>http://www.who.int/elena/titles/hiv_infant_feeding","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","Confirming our post-counseling exit interview findings, we observed that few counselors discussed safe water as part of their AFASS assessment. Yet, this is a crucial factor for decision-making in this study population given that the most common water sources cited among mothers interviewed were rivers, dams, or open ponds. We also noted that the costs of replacement feeding were rarely mentioned. Interestingly, we observed more emphasis placed on risks from replacement feeding than on those from breastfeeding during ANC, but the opposite emphasis during postnatal visits, perhaps due to the perceived fear of infecting an otherwise healthy-looking infant. Regardless of when the counseling takes place, an accurate representation of risks and benefits associated with all infant feeding options needs to be conveyed to mothers. It was reassuring to note that most counseling sessions included discussion around how to stop breastfeeding, including mentioning that cessation should not occur until 6 months and that AFASS criteria should be in place, and providing an explanation of how a mother should physically stop breastfeeding (i.e., reduce number of breastfeeds per day) and how long the transition should take. However, as with the exit interviews, few mentioned manual expression to prevent breast pathologies. Although complementary foods were often discussed, mothers needed more detailed information on Kenya Infant Feeding Assessment 28 timing, frequency, quantity, diversity, and appropriate local foods to be able to optimally feed their infants. Although infants were often weighed, their growth progress was rarely discussed with the mother. Effective growth monitoring should also include growth promotion, which includes dialogue with the mother in order to identify and address problem areas before they lead to growth faltering or malnutrition.
","“I feel that those who fully understand/grasp the counseling are most likely to exclusively breastfeed.” - District Nursing Officer Western Province“If you take a mother through one-on-one counseling, most will then exclusively breastfeed successfully.” - District Nursing OfficerWestern Province
","English" "9241","Infant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCN) Project ","English","Multi-national","","KEN","Kenya","Kenya","","","","","The US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Infant & Young Child Nutrition (IYCN) Project built support within communities and households for improving the way mothers in Kenya feed their infants, young children, and themselves. The IYCN Project collaborated with the government of Kenya and USAID-funded partners to conduct an assessment of infant feeding practices in Kenya’s Western and Eastern Provinces, which informed several national strategies and programs. The project also completed a literature review and a formative assessment on engaging fathers and grandmothers in infant and young child nutrition. Findings informed the design of an evaluation to test the effectiveness of interventions that engage fathers and grandmothers to improve and support mothers’ dietary and infant and young child feeding practices. To complement these efforts, IYCN partnered with the USAID-supported AIDS, Population and Health Integrated Assistance (APHIA) II and APHIAplus Projects to increase support for optimal infant feeding practices at the facility level and in the community
","The US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Infant & Young Child Nutrition (IYCN) Project built support within communities and households for improving the way mothers in Kenya feed their infants, young children, and themselves. The IYCN Project collaborated with the government of Kenya and USAID-funded partners to conduct an assessment of infant feeding practices in Kenya’s Western and Eastern Provinces, which informed several national strategies and programs. The project also completed a literature review and a formative assessment on engaging fathers and grandmothers in infant and young child nutrition. Findings informed the design of an evaluation to test the effectiveness of interventions that engage fathers and grandmothers to improve and support mothers’ dietary and infant and young child feeding practices. To complement these efforts, IYCN partnered with the USAID-supported AIDS, Population and Health Integrated Assistance (APHIA) II and APHIAplus Projects to increase support for optimal infant feeding practices at the facility level and in the community
","Deworming of children 0-2 years was reported to the Global Nutrition Policy Review (GNPR) 2009-2010
","","","","National coverage","","","","","","Deworming to combat the health and nutritional impact of soil-transmitted helminths>>>Deworming to combat the health and nutritional impact of soil-transmitted helminths>>http://www.who.int/elena/titles/deworming","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","English" "9241","Infant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCN) Project ","English","Multi-national","","KEN","Kenya","Kenya","Urban|Rural","completed","01-2006","01-2011","The US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Infant & Young Child Nutrition (IYCN) Project built support within communities and households for improving the way mothers in Kenya feed their infants, young children, and themselves. The IYCN Project collaborated with the government of Kenya and USAID-funded partners to conduct an assessment of infant feeding practices in Kenya’s Western and Eastern Provinces, which informed several national strategies and programs. The project also completed a literature review and a formative assessment on engaging fathers and grandmothers in infant and young child nutrition. Findings informed the design of an evaluation to test the effectiveness of interventions that engage fathers and grandmothers to improve and support mothers’ dietary and infant and young child feeding practices. To complement these efforts, IYCN partnered with the USAID-supported AIDS, Population and Health Integrated Assistance (APHIA) II and APHIAplus Projects to increase support for optimal infant feeding practices at the facility level and in the community
","Distribution of insecticide-treated bednets was reported to the Global Nutrition Policy Review (GNPR) 2009-2010
","","","","National coverage","","","","","","Insecticide-treated nets to prevent malaria and anaemia in pregnant women>>>Insecticide-treated nets to prevent malaria and anaemia in pregnant women>>http://www.who.int/elena/titles/bednets_malaria_pregnancy","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","English" "9241","Infant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCN) Project ","English","Multi-national","","KEN","Kenya","Kenya","","","","","The US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Infant & Young Child Nutrition (IYCN) Project built support within communities and households for improving the way mothers in Kenya feed their infants, young children, and themselves. The IYCN Project collaborated with the government of Kenya and USAID-funded partners to conduct an assessment of infant feeding practices in Kenya’s Western and Eastern Provinces, which informed several national strategies and programs. The project also completed a literature review and a formative assessment on engaging fathers and grandmothers in infant and young child nutrition. Findings informed the design of an evaluation to test the effectiveness of interventions that engage fathers and grandmothers to improve and support mothers’ dietary and infant and young child feeding practices. To complement these efforts, IYCN partnered with the USAID-supported AIDS, Population and Health Integrated Assistance (APHIA) II and APHIAplus Projects to increase support for optimal infant feeding practices at the facility level and in the community
","The US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Infant & Young Child Nutrition (IYCN) Project built support within communities and households for improving the way mothers in Kenya feed their infants, young children, and themselves. The IYCN Project collaborated with the government of Kenya and USAID-funded partners to conduct an assessment of infant feeding practices in Kenya’s Western and Eastern Provinces, which informed several national strategies and programs. The project also completed a literature review and a formative assessment on engaging fathers and grandmothers in infant and young child nutrition. Findings informed the design of an evaluation to test the effectiveness of interventions that engage fathers and grandmothers to improve and support mothers’ dietary and infant and young child feeding practices. To complement these efforts, IYCN partnered with the USAID-supported AIDS, Population and Health Integrated Assistance (APHIA) II and APHIAplus Projects to increase support for optimal infant feeding practices at the facility level and in the community
","Maternal deworming in pregnancy was reported to the Global Nutrition Policy Review (GNPR) 2009-2010
","","","","National coverage","","","","","","Deworming to combat the health and nutritional impact of soil-transmitted helminths>>>Deworming to combat the health and nutritional impact of soil-transmitted helminths>>http://www.who.int/elena/titles/deworming","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","English" "9241","Infant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCN) Project ","English","Multi-national","","KEN","Kenya","Kenya","","","","","The US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Infant & Young Child Nutrition (IYCN) Project built support within communities and households for improving the way mothers in Kenya feed their infants, young children, and themselves. The IYCN Project collaborated with the government of Kenya and USAID-funded partners to conduct an assessment of infant feeding practices in Kenya’s Western and Eastern Provinces, which informed several national strategies and programs. The project also completed a literature review and a formative assessment on engaging fathers and grandmothers in infant and young child nutrition. Findings informed the design of an evaluation to test the effectiveness of interventions that engage fathers and grandmothers to improve and support mothers’ dietary and infant and young child feeding practices. To complement these efforts, IYCN partnered with the USAID-supported AIDS, Population and Health Integrated Assistance (APHIA) II and APHIAplus Projects to increase support for optimal infant feeding practices at the facility level and in the community
","Preventive treatment of malaria in women was reported to the Global Nutrition Policy Review (GNPR) 2009-2010
","","","","National coverage","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","English" "9241","Infant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCN) Project ","English","Multi-national","","KEN","Kenya","Kenya","","","","","The US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Infant & Young Child Nutrition (IYCN) Project built support within communities and households for improving the way mothers in Kenya feed their infants, young children, and themselves. The IYCN Project collaborated with the government of Kenya and USAID-funded partners to conduct an assessment of infant feeding practices in Kenya’s Western and Eastern Provinces, which informed several national strategies and programs. The project also completed a literature review and a formative assessment on engaging fathers and grandmothers in infant and young child nutrition. Findings informed the design of an evaluation to test the effectiveness of interventions that engage fathers and grandmothers to improve and support mothers’ dietary and infant and young child feeding practices. To complement these efforts, IYCN partnered with the USAID-supported AIDS, Population and Health Integrated Assistance (APHIA) II and APHIAplus Projects to increase support for optimal infant feeding practices at the facility level and in the community
","The US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Infant & Young Child Nutrition (IYCN) Project built support within communities and households for improving the way mothers in Kenya feed their infants, young children, and themselves. The IYCN Project collaborated with the government of Kenya and USAID-funded partners to conduct an assessment of infant feeding practices in Kenya’s Western and Eastern Provinces, which informed several national strategies and programs. The project also completed a literature review and a formative assessment on engaging fathers and grandmothers in infant and young child nutrition. Findings informed the design of an evaluation to test the effectiveness of interventions that engage fathers and grandmothers to improve and support mothers’ dietary and infant and young child feeding practices. To complement these efforts, IYCN partnered with the USAID-supported AIDS, Population and Health Integrated Assistance (APHIA) II and APHIAplus Projects to increase support for optimal infant feeding practices at the facility level and in the community
","Management of MAM was reported to the Global Nutrition Policy Review (GNPR) 2009-2010. Protocol used: IMAM
","","","","National coverage","","","","","","eLENA titles related to prevention or treatment of moderate acute malnutrition in children>>>Supplementary feeding in community settings for promoting child growth>>http://www.who.int/elena/titles/child_growth|Food supplementation in children with moderate acute malnutrition>>http://www.who.int/elena/titles/food_children_mam","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","English" "9241","Infant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCN) Project ","English","Multi-national","","KEN","Kenya","Kenya","","","","","The US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Infant & Young Child Nutrition (IYCN) Project built support within communities and households for improving the way mothers in Kenya feed their infants, young children, and themselves. The IYCN Project collaborated with the government of Kenya and USAID-funded partners to conduct an assessment of infant feeding practices in Kenya’s Western and Eastern Provinces, which informed several national strategies and programs. The project also completed a literature review and a formative assessment on engaging fathers and grandmothers in infant and young child nutrition. Findings informed the design of an evaluation to test the effectiveness of interventions that engage fathers and grandmothers to improve and support mothers’ dietary and infant and young child feeding practices. To complement these efforts, IYCN partnered with the USAID-supported AIDS, Population and Health Integrated Assistance (APHIA) II and APHIAplus Projects to increase support for optimal infant feeding practices at the facility level and in the community
","Management of SAM was reported to the Global Nutrition Policy Review (GNPR) 2009-2010. Protocol used: intergrated management of acute Malnutrition
","","","","National coverage","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","English" "9691","Infant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCN) Project ","English","Multi-national","","ZAF","South Africa","South Africa","Urban|Rural|Peri-urban","completed","01-2009","01-2011","South Africa’s HIV burden is the greatest in the world. From 2009 to 2011, the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Infant & Young Child Nutrition Project worked to prevent HIV from reaching the next generation and to improve the nutritional status of mothers and children. The project informed a new set of national guidelines on infant and young child feeding in the context of HIV, and with national and international partners, identified opportunities for integrating nutrition assessment, counseling, and support services into programs focusing on prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. The project also worked in one district to mobilize communities and local government to integrate nutrition activities into community development plans. All of the project’s efforts have contributed to strengthening programs that seek to improve the nutrition of infants and young children, pregnant and lactating women, and orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), particularly populations at risk of contracting HIV.
","Nutritional care and support for people living with HIV/AIDS was reported to the Global Nutrition Policy Review (GNPR) 2009-2010In Eastern Cape Province, IYCN supported PATH’s efforts to improve the quality, availability, and uptake of PMTCT services by strengthening under-resourced PMTCT sites and mobilizing communities to increase the uptake of those services. To prevent malnutrition and ensure HIVfree survival of children, IYCN contributed to integrating infant and young child feeding activities into PMTCT interventions. Specifically, the project helped develop atraining package for lay counselors and community health workers and supported the training of 100 community health workers on infant and young child feeding. In addition, the project assisted the provincial health department to develop tools for surveying facility-based nutritionservices.By adapting a regional, community-based planning tool for use locally, IYCN worked with private-sector partner, J & J Trust, South Africa’s Ekurhuleni Municipality, and Ward 86 within the municipality’s Nigel District to conduct a pilot program that integrated nutrition interventions into economic and community development planning. This model approach can be scaled up throughout the district and beyond to enhance awareness of the nutritional status of young children and dietary and feeding practices that can improve their health. Through this approach, IYCN trained community volunteers to engage the community in nutrition activities. The community response was overwhelming, and community leaders included nutrition activities in development plans. These new activities included establishing a support group for pregnant and lactating mothers and their parents and initiating an awareness campaign on available structures to support lactation.
","x
","","x","x","","","","Vulnerable groups","","Infant feeding for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV>>>Infant feeding for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV>>http://www.who.int/elena/titles/hiv_infant_feeding","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","The use of existing structures and processes made planning community nutrition activities and allocating resources feasible. The community in Ward 86 continues to implement nutrition activities based on their community development plans. Although the project did not fund the implementation of these activities, community leaders were able to leverage existing structures and resources.Engagement with communities revealed that people are aware of nutrition and related issues, but that technical support is needed to develop creative behavior change interventions. It is possible to build better linkages between the community and health services by engaging the municipal planning system.
","“I have seen the level of interest in nutrition in the community increase, and now ward members are empowered to influence the development plans of the municipality and the district to prioritize support for nutrition.”— Benny Sikhakhane, IYCN Project consultant
","English" "9691","Infant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCN) Project ","English","Multi-national","","ZAF","South Africa","South Africa","Urban|Rural|Peri-urban","completed","01-2009","01-2011","South Africa’s HIV burden is the greatest in the world. From 2009 to 2011, the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Infant & Young Child Nutrition Project worked to prevent HIV from reaching the next generation and to improve the nutritional status of mothers and children. The project informed a new set of national guidelines on infant and young child feeding in the context of HIV, and with national and international partners, identified opportunities for integrating nutrition assessment, counseling, and support services into programs focusing on prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. The project also worked in one district to mobilize communities and local government to integrate nutrition activities into community development plans. All of the project’s efforts have contributed to strengthening programs that seek to improve the nutrition of infants and young children, pregnant and lactating women, and orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), particularly populations at risk of contracting HIV.
","Distribution of complementary foods was reported to the Global Nutrition Policy Review (GNPR) 2009-2010
","","","","","","","","","","eLENA titles related to prevention or treatment of moderate acute malnutrition in children>>>Supplementary feeding in community settings for promoting child growth>>http://www.who.int/elena/titles/child_growth|Food supplementation in children with moderate acute malnutrition>>http://www.who.int/elena/titles/food_children_mam","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","English" "9691","Infant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCN) Project ","English","Multi-national","","ZAF","South Africa","South Africa","Urban|Rural|Peri-urban","completed","01-2009","01-2011","South Africa’s HIV burden is the greatest in the world. From 2009 to 2011, the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Infant & Young Child Nutrition Project worked to prevent HIV from reaching the next generation and to improve the nutritional status of mothers and children. The project informed a new set of national guidelines on infant and young child feeding in the context of HIV, and with national and international partners, identified opportunities for integrating nutrition assessment, counseling, and support services into programs focusing on prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. The project also worked in one district to mobilize communities and local government to integrate nutrition activities into community development plans. All of the project’s efforts have contributed to strengthening programs that seek to improve the nutrition of infants and young children, pregnant and lactating women, and orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), particularly populations at risk of contracting HIV.
","Maternal deworming in pregnancy was reported to the Global Nutrition Policy Review (GNPR) 2009-2010
","","","","","","","","","","Deworming to combat the health and nutritional impact of soil-transmitted helminths>>>Deworming to combat the health and nutritional impact of soil-transmitted helminths>>http://www.who.int/elena/titles/deworming","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","English" "9691","Infant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCN) Project ","English","Multi-national","","ZAF","South Africa","South Africa","Urban|Rural|Peri-urban","completed","01-2009","01-2011","South Africa’s HIV burden is the greatest in the world. From 2009 to 2011, the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Infant & Young Child Nutrition Project worked to prevent HIV from reaching the next generation and to improve the nutritional status of mothers and children. The project informed a new set of national guidelines on infant and young child feeding in the context of HIV, and with national and international partners, identified opportunities for integrating nutrition assessment, counseling, and support services into programs focusing on prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. The project also worked in one district to mobilize communities and local government to integrate nutrition activities into community development plans. All of the project’s efforts have contributed to strengthening programs that seek to improve the nutrition of infants and young children, pregnant and lactating women, and orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), particularly populations at risk of contracting HIV.
","Management of MAM was reported to the Global Nutrition Policy Review (GNPR) 2009-2010
","","","","National coverage","","","","","","eLENA titles related to prevention or treatment of moderate acute malnutrition in children>>>Supplementary feeding in community settings for promoting child growth>>http://www.who.int/elena/titles/child_growth|Food supplementation in children with moderate acute malnutrition>>http://www.who.int/elena/titles/food_children_mam","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","English" "9691","Infant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCN) Project ","English","Multi-national","","ZAF","South Africa","South Africa","","","","","South Africa’s HIV burden is the greatest in the world. From 2009 to 2011, the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Infant & Young Child Nutrition Project worked to prevent HIV from reaching the next generation and to improve the nutritional status of mothers and children. The project informed a new set of national guidelines on infant and young child feeding in the context of HIV, and with national and international partners, identified opportunities for integrating nutrition assessment, counseling, and support services into programs focusing on prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. The project also worked in one district to mobilize communities and local government to integrate nutrition activities into community development plans. All of the project’s efforts have contributed to strengthening programs that seek to improve the nutrition of infants and young children, pregnant and lactating women, and orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), particularly populations at risk of contracting HIV.
","Management of SAM was reported to the Global Nutrition Policy Review (GNPR) 2009-2010
","","","","National coverage","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","English" "9691","Infant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCN) Project ","English","Multi-national","","ZAF","South Africa","South Africa","","","","","South Africa’s HIV burden is the greatest in the world. From 2009 to 2011, the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Infant & Young Child Nutrition Project worked to prevent HIV from reaching the next generation and to improve the nutritional status of mothers and children. The project informed a new set of national guidelines on infant and young child feeding in the context of HIV, and with national and international partners, identified opportunities for integrating nutrition assessment, counseling, and support services into programs focusing on prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. The project also worked in one district to mobilize communities and local government to integrate nutrition activities into community development plans. All of the project’s efforts have contributed to strengthening programs that seek to improve the nutrition of infants and young children, pregnant and lactating women, and orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), particularly populations at risk of contracting HIV.
","South Africa’s HIV burden is the greatest in the world. From 2009 to 2011, the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Infant & Young Child Nutrition Project worked to prevent HIV from reaching the next generation and to improve the nutritional status of mothers and children. The project informed a new set of national guidelines on infant and young child feeding in the context of HIV, and with national and international partners, identified opportunities for integrating nutrition assessment, counseling, and support services into programs focusing on prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. The project also worked in one district to mobilize communities and local government to integrate nutrition activities into community development plans. All of the project’s efforts have contributed to strengthening programs that seek to improve the nutrition of infants and young children, pregnant and lactating women, and orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), particularly populations at risk of contracting HIV.
","Deworming of children 0-2 years was reported to the Global Nutrition Policy Review (GNPR) 2009-2010
","","","","National coverage","","","","","","Deworming to combat the health and nutritional impact of soil-transmitted helminths>>>Deworming to combat the health and nutritional impact of soil-transmitted helminths>>http://www.who.int/elena/titles/deworming","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","English" "9691","Infant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCN) Project ","English","Multi-national","","ZAF","South Africa","South Africa","","","","","South Africa’s HIV burden is the greatest in the world. From 2009 to 2011, the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Infant & Young Child Nutrition Project worked to prevent HIV from reaching the next generation and to improve the nutritional status of mothers and children. The project informed a new set of national guidelines on infant and young child feeding in the context of HIV, and with national and international partners, identified opportunities for integrating nutrition assessment, counseling, and support services into programs focusing on prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. The project also worked in one district to mobilize communities and local government to integrate nutrition activities into community development plans. All of the project’s efforts have contributed to strengthening programs that seek to improve the nutrition of infants and young children, pregnant and lactating women, and orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), particularly populations at risk of contracting HIV.
","South Africa’s HIV burden is the greatest in the world. From 2009 to 2011, the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Infant & Young Child Nutrition Project worked to prevent HIV from reaching the next generation and to improve the nutritional status of mothers and children. The project informed a new set of national guidelines on infant and young child feeding in the context of HIV, and with national and international partners, identified opportunities for integrating nutrition assessment, counseling, and support services into programs focusing on prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. The project also worked in one district to mobilize communities and local government to integrate nutrition activities into community development plans. All of the project’s efforts have contributed to strengthening programs that seek to improve the nutrition of infants and young children, pregnant and lactating women, and orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), particularly populations at risk of contracting HIV.
","Providing maternal supplements of balanced energy and protein was reported to the Global Nutrition Policy Review (GNPR) 2009-2010
","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","English" "9691","Infant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCN) Project ","English","Multi-national","","ZAF","South Africa","South Africa","","","","","South Africa’s HIV burden is the greatest in the world. From 2009 to 2011, the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Infant & Young Child Nutrition Project worked to prevent HIV from reaching the next generation and to improve the nutritional status of mothers and children. The project informed a new set of national guidelines on infant and young child feeding in the context of HIV, and with national and international partners, identified opportunities for integrating nutrition assessment, counseling, and support services into programs focusing on prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. The project also worked in one district to mobilize communities and local government to integrate nutrition activities into community development plans. All of the project’s efforts have contributed to strengthening programs that seek to improve the nutrition of infants and young children, pregnant and lactating women, and orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), particularly populations at risk of contracting HIV.
","South Africa’s HIV burden is the greatest in the world. From 2009 to 2011, the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Infant & Young Child Nutrition Project worked to prevent HIV from reaching the next generation and to improve the nutritional status of mothers and children. The project informed a new set of national guidelines on infant and young child feeding in the context of HIV, and with national and international partners, identified opportunities for integrating nutrition assessment, counseling, and support services into programs focusing on prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. The project also worked in one district to mobilize communities and local government to integrate nutrition activities into community development plans. All of the project’s efforts have contributed to strengthening programs that seek to improve the nutrition of infants and young children, pregnant and lactating women, and orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), particularly populations at risk of contracting HIV.
","Distribution of insecticide-treated bednets was reported to the Global Nutrition Policy Review (GNPR) 2009-2010
","","","","","","","","","","Insecticide-treated nets to prevent malaria and anaemia in pregnant women>>>Insecticide-treated nets to prevent malaria and anaemia in pregnant women>>http://www.who.int/elena/titles/bednets_malaria_pregnancy","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","English" "11466","Healthy Urbanisation: Tackling child malnutrition through intervening to change the social determinants of health in informal settlements and slums","English","Multi-national","","CHL|KEN","Chile|Kenya","Nairobi, Kenya|Mombasa, Kenya |Kisumu, Kenya|Valparaiso, Chile","Urban","on-going","01-2010","01-2013","The purpose of this project is to find out whether malnutrition in young children living in informal settlements and slums can be reduced through small-scale interventions operating to change the social determinants of health (SDH) through broadening participation. The SDH are a broad range of social and environmental factors operating at multiple levels of social organizations that can lead to inequities in the level and distribution of health and nutrition in a population.
This research will address the international poverty agenda through making a contribution to the first six of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDG) for which adequate nutrition is a crucial input. It responds to the challenge posed by the recent revitalisation of the Primary Health Care approach and the report of the WHO Commission on the SDH, which call for studies to clarify the complexity and dynamics of the social processes involved in health development and their contribution to health equity and better health and nutrition.
Studies in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa have shown that interventions to broaden participation and stakeholder participation can change the social determinants and lead to reduced child malnutrition but there is a gap in the evidence base for urban slum areas. This gap needs to be addressed because rapid rates of change and growth in many cities in developing countries have led to ineffective responses to the impacts of urbanization on child nutrition and to concern over high levels of child malnutrition. This research will therefore be conducted in the city of Mombasa in Kenya where child undernutrition in the slum areas is a serious public health problem. It will also be conducted in the major city of Valparaísoty in Chile which is of comparative interest because there are spiralling rates of child obesity is slum areas.
The study will use a cross-disciplinary approach drawing on the fields of health, food and nutrition, education, social development and governance to help 'join up' research, policy development and implementation across disciplinary boundaries.
","The study will be implemented in 3 phases.
The impact of these actions will be assessed quantitatively through collection of weight-for-height, weight-for-age and height-for-age data collected in baseline and follow-up surveys and any change in nutritional status will be measured using a controlled experimental design.
Qualitative data will also be collected to illuminate the process (actions, pathways and mechanisms -including those in existing structures) through which any change in nutritional status has been achieved.
","","Poor households living in slums of Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu","Poor households living in slums of Nairobi","","Weight-for-height, weight-for-age and height-for-age data collected in baseline surveys will be measured ","Weight-for-height, weight-for-age and height-for-age data collected at follow-up surveys and any change in nutritional status will be measured using a controlled experimental design. ","Vulnerable groups","","Conditional cash transfer programmes and nutritional status>>>Conditional cash transfer programmes and nutritional status>>http://www.who.int/elena/titles/cash_transfer","Financial resources","The cash transfer for poor households was put at Kshs 1,500 per month (within the urban food poverty line estimated at Kshs 1,490). Although it was considered an important learning process, government funding has not come through. The WFP and Oxfam/World are currently implementing the programme in limited informal settlements of Nairobi.","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","Evidence is beginning to emerge of over-nutrition in slum areas. This is mainly due to the fact that not all slum residents are poor, uneducated and migrants from rural communities, even though they live in the same environments. Differences in income, migration status, education and ethnic background influence diet with those more able economically providing high sugar, high fat and high salt foods to their children.
","","English" "11480","A2Z: The USAID Micronutrient and Child Blindness ","English","Multi-national","","UGA","Uganda","Kampala, Central Region, Uganda|Hoima, Western Region, Uganda|Bushenyi, Western Region, Uganda|Kitgum, Northern Region, Uganda|Lira, Northern Region, Uganda ","Urban|Rural|Peri-urban","completed","01-2005","01-2011","A2Z: The USAID Micronutrient and Child Blindness Project consolidates, builds, and expands on USAID's long-term investment in micronutrients, child survival, and nutrition. A2Z takes proven interventions to scale, introduces innovation, expands services, and builds sustainable programs to increase the use of key micronutrient and blindness interventions to improve child and maternal health. With work in vitamin A supplementation of children, newborn vitamin A, food fortification, maternal and child anemia control, monitoring and evaluation, and health systems strengthening, A2Z's focus countries have included Bangladesh, Cambodia, the East, Central and Southern Africa region, India, Nepal, Philippines, Tanzania, Uganda and West Bank.
The objectives of A2Z’s program in Uganda are to support increased vitamin A supplementation coverage in selected districts, expand coverage of fortified foods, improve coverage and adherence to anemia protocols for pregnant women, and support development of guidelines to include zinc in diarrhea case management for young children.
","A2Z supports Uganda’s national Child Days Plus (CDP) program for vitamin A and deworming each year at national and district levels. The project is collaborating with the Neglected Tropical Diseases program to train community medicine distributors to administer vitamin A supplements to children 6-59 months old, assist target districts in the development of guidelines, share best practices for planning of Child Days Plus, and conduct regional Child Days Plus feedback and planning meetings in collaboration with UNICEF. The project also supports data collection and supervision activities as part of the national health management information system.
",".
","","some districts","","","","","Vulnerable groups","","Vitamin A supplementation in neonates>>>Vitamin A supplementation in neonates>>http://www.who.int/elena/titles/vitamina_neonatal","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","English" "11480","A2Z: The USAID Micronutrient and Child Blindness ","English","Multi-national","","UGA","Uganda","Kampala, Central Region, Uganda|Hoima, Western Region, Uganda|Bushenyi, Western Region, Uganda|Kitgum, Northern Region, Uganda|Lira, Northern Region, Uganda ","Urban|Rural|Peri-urban","completed","01-2005","01-2011","A2Z: The USAID Micronutrient and Child Blindness Project consolidates, builds, and expands on USAID's long-term investment in micronutrients, child survival, and nutrition. A2Z takes proven interventions to scale, introduces innovation, expands services, and builds sustainable programs to increase the use of key micronutrient and blindness interventions to improve child and maternal health. With work in vitamin A supplementation of children, newborn vitamin A, food fortification, maternal and child anemia control, monitoring and evaluation, and health systems strengthening, A2Z's focus countries have included Bangladesh, Cambodia, the East, Central and Southern Africa region, India, Nepal, Philippines, Tanzania, Uganda and West Bank.
The objectives of A2Z’s program in Uganda are to support increased vitamin A supplementation coverage in selected districts, expand coverage of fortified foods, improve coverage and adherence to anemia protocols for pregnant women, and support development of guidelines to include zinc in diarrhea case management for young children.
","A2Z provides technical inputs to a wheat and maize flour fortification program supported by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). A2Z is also strengthening existing fortification programs in such as areas as inspection and monitoring of iodized salt and vitamin A fortified oil. The country routinely supervises factories, importation sites, and retail stores. Most of the salt in the country complies with iodization regulation, and more than 95 percent of the oil available at retail stores appears to be fortified with adequate vitamin A content. Wheat flour samples are also periodically analyzed for their iron content. A food and nutrition consumption survey is underway in collaboration with Makerere University, the National Working Group in Food Fortification, and GAIN to determine the suitability and potential benefit of the food fortification policies of the country. As part of advocacy and planning support, A2Z is assisting in cost studies of oil and sugar fortification.
","A2Z is also strengthening existing fortification programs in such as areas as inspection and monitoring of iodized salt and vitamin A fortified oil.
","more than 95 percent of the oil available at retail stores appears to be fortified ","","","","","Other","Universal salt iodization, vitamin A fortification of all oils","Iodization of salt>>>Iodization of salt>>http://www.who.int/elena/titles/salt_iodization","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","English" "11480","A2Z: The USAID Micronutrient and Child Blindness ","English","Multi-national","","UGA","Uganda","Kampala, Central Region, Uganda|Hoima, Western Region, Uganda|Bushenyi, Western Region, Uganda|Kitgum, Northern Region, Uganda|Lira, Northern Region, Uganda ","Urban|Rural|Peri-urban","completed","01-2005","01-2011","A2Z: The USAID Micronutrient and Child Blindness Project consolidates, builds, and expands on USAID's long-term investment in micronutrients, child survival, and nutrition. A2Z takes proven interventions to scale, introduces innovation, expands services, and builds sustainable programs to increase the use of key micronutrient and blindness interventions to improve child and maternal health. With work in vitamin A supplementation of children, newborn vitamin A, food fortification, maternal and child anemia control, monitoring and evaluation, and health systems strengthening, A2Z's focus countries have included Bangladesh, Cambodia, the East, Central and Southern Africa region, India, Nepal, Philippines, Tanzania, Uganda and West Bank.
The objectives of A2Z’s program in Uganda are to support increased vitamin A supplementation coverage in selected districts, expand coverage of fortified foods, improve coverage and adherence to anemia protocols for pregnant women, and support development of guidelines to include zinc in diarrhea case management for young children.
","A2Z works at national and district levels to help implement national guidelines on the prevention and control of maternal anemia. The intervention package includes reduction of malaria, deworming, and improved iron intake. Efforts are underway to revitalize maternal anemia reduction activities by positioning it as a key maternal mortality reduction approach. The project is systematically addressing bottlenecks such as low health worker knowledge and motivation and generally low community awareness (especially among mothers) on the dangers of anemia. Another bottleneck—poor logistics management with frequent stock outs of iron—was examined as part of an assessment of the availability of micronutrient supplements and medicines for use in micronutrient programs. The assessment was conducted in Uganda by A2Z in collaboration with MSH/RPM+.
","maternal anaemia
maternal mortality
","","","","","","","Sex","","Deworming to combat the health and nutritional impact of soil-transmitted helminths>>>Deworming to combat the health and nutritional impact of soil-transmitted helminths>>http://www.who.int/elena/titles/deworming","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","English" "11480","A2Z: The USAID Micronutrient and Child Blindness ","English","Multi-national","","UGA","Uganda","Kampala, Central Region, Uganda|Hoima, Western Region, Uganda|Bushenyi, Western Region, Uganda|Kitgum, Northern Region, Uganda|Lira, Northern Region, Uganda ","Urban|Rural|Peri-urban","completed","01-2005","01-2011","A2Z: The USAID Micronutrient and Child Blindness Project consolidates, builds, and expands on USAID's long-term investment in micronutrients, child survival, and nutrition. A2Z takes proven interventions to scale, introduces innovation, expands services, and builds sustainable programs to increase the use of key micronutrient and blindness interventions to improve child and maternal health. With work in vitamin A supplementation of children, newborn vitamin A, food fortification, maternal and child anemia control, monitoring and evaluation, and health systems strengthening, A2Z's focus countries have included Bangladesh, Cambodia, the East, Central and Southern Africa region, India, Nepal, Philippines, Tanzania, Uganda and West Bank.
The objectives of A2Z’s program in Uganda are to support increased vitamin A supplementation coverage in selected districts, expand coverage of fortified foods, improve coverage and adherence to anemia protocols for pregnant women, and support development of guidelines to include zinc in diarrhea case management for young children.
","A2Z provided assistance to the MOH in reviewing the plan for revitalization of oral rehydration therapy and advocated for the inclusion of zinc as an adjunct therapy for diarrhea treatment. Zinc therapy as part of diarrhea management was accepted as national treatment in December 2006.
","diarreal cases
","","","","","","","Vulnerable groups","","Zinc supplementation in the management of diarrhoea>>>Zinc supplementation in the management of diarrhoea>>http://www.who.int/elena/titles/zinc_diarrhoea","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","English" "11483","The MOST Project","English","Multi-national","","ETH|GHA|ZAF|UGA|ZMB","Ethiopia|Ghana|South Africa|Uganda|Zambia","Ethiopia|Ghana|South Africa|Uganda|Zambia","Urban|Rural|Peri-urban","completed","01-1997","01-2001","Background
Micronutrient deficiency adversely affects the health and economic and social development of individuals, communities, and nations. Given their high prevalence in developing regions, deficiencies in vitamin A, iron, and iodine have great public health significance.
Vitamin A deficiency weakens the immune system and, hence, increases the severity of infections. It is also the most common cause of blindness among children in developing countries. Iron deficiency anemia impairs immunity and reduces physical and mental capacities of populations. Iodine deficiency is the leading cause of mental and physical retardation in infants and children worldwide. As with vitamin A and iron, iodine deficiency increases the risk of death in newborns.
Programs that promote improved micronutrient status can alleviate the disability, morbidity, and mortality—particularly among young children and women—that are the consequences of micronutrient deficiency.
The MOST Mission
The MOST mission is to 1) maintain and enhance USAID's global leadership position in addressing micronutrient malnutrition, particularly vitamin A deficiency; 2) implement and evaluate state-of-the-art interventions to alleviate micronutrient deficiencies; and 3) provide technical guidance and coordination to other USAID projects with micronutrient-related components.
The MOST Strategy
The MOST strategy is built upon a framework of global and country-level results:
The global agenda focuses on 1) promoting a revised global agenda in collaboration with other organizations worldwide committed to reducing micronutrient malnutrition; 2) translating scientific knowledge into policy and program action; and 3) maximizing lessons learned through USAID’s extensive field program experience.
Country-level results address deficiencies in vitamin A, iron, and iodine: 1) vitamin A coverage of at least 80 percent of deficient children under 6 years of age; 2) moderate to severe anemia decreased by 30 percent in pregnant women and children 6–24 months of age; and 3) percentage of the population with symptoms of iodine deficiency reduced by 30 percent.
Country Activities
For micronutrient delivery at the country level, MOST’s role is to provide technical support to countries to guide the use of not only USAID funds, but also the full range of financial and human resources needed to eliminate micronutrient deficiencies from the list of public health problems.
In the design of country activities, MOST seeks the appropriate balance between supplementation, food fortification, and other food-based approaches to deliver micronutrients to at-risk populations in an effective, yet affordable way. Country activities are based upon analyses of a variety of relevant information:
—Prevalence and severity of micronutrient deficiencies
—Awareness of effects of micronutrient deficiencies
—Nutrition policies and programs
—Providers’ motivation, knowledge, and practices
—Food consumption data
—Production, distribution, and marketing of staple foods
—Estimates of the costs of alternative interventions
Key Areas of Activity
—Application of behavior change techniques to create demand for micronutrient programs and services
—Enhancement of the effectiveness and sustainability of supplementation programs
—Sound planning, implementation, and quality control of fortification programs
—Inclusion of other food-based approaches in programs
—Application of appropriate economic analysis to guide the evolution of country programs
—Use of monitoring and evaluation to improve program operations
—Development of public and private sector alliances to enhance the effectiveness of interventions
Target Groups
MOST focuses on the improvement of the micronutrient status of children under 6 years of age and women of childbearing age. Several intervention options available to address micronutrient deficiency, such as food fortification, will benefit not only those target groups, but also school-age children and adult males.
The MOST Team
The MOST team consists of five organizations led by the International Science and Technology Institute, Inc. (ISTI) as the primary contractor. ISTI's partners are the Academy for Educational Development, Helen Keller International, the International Food Policy Research Institute, and Johns Hopkins University.
In addition, five resource institutions have joined MOST for in-country implementation and technical tasks: CARE, International Executive Service Corps, Population Services International, Program for Appropriate Technology in Health, and Save the Children.
","Twice a year, at designated times, the three programs distribute capsules to children aged six months to five years. Each program follows a campaign model based upon intensified social mobilization and service delivery over two to seven days. The twice-yearly events have created a cadre of field-tested personnel in the three countries, who are skilled at working with the local communities and at promoting their support and active participation. All three programs have been associated with National Immunization Days (NIDs), a WHO global program to eradicate polio. Since NIDs were held annually, however, they provided an opportunity for only one dose of vitamin A each year. Because children with vitamin A deficiency should receive a supplement at least twice a year (every four to six months), another mechanism was needed for the second dose. Relying exclusively upon facility-based distribution to deliver the second dose was not a viable option for several reasons, but in particular because healthfacility attendance for older children was not high enough to ensure adequate coverage in the one-to-five-year age group.
In Zambia, the first non-NIDs vitamin A supplementation program was launched in August 1999, and later renamed Child Health Week (CHW) to make the focus on the child more explicit. It was also felt that, instead of limiting activities to a vertical vitamin A supplementation program, the opportunity should be seized to deliver an integrated service that included not only vitamin A capsules but also other health services such as de-worming, health education, immunization, family planning, prenatal care, and growth monitoring. Districts were encouraged to provide an integrated package of services commensurate with their local capacity and need — as long as vitamin A supplementation remained the core activity during that week. In Zambia, the first NIDs campaign took place in 1997, and was a nationwide undertaking. The program was scaled down to about half the districts in recent years. Since 1999, the focus has shifted to priority districts, where communities have been at a constant risk of cross-border polio infections due to civil-war-related migrations from neighboring countries. This narrower focus is referred to in Zambia as sub-NIDS.
The first round of vitamin A supplementation in Ghana was integrated into NIDs in 1996. By 1999, a detailed plan was developed to implement a nationwide stand-alone supplementation program for the second round. In 2000, the Ministry of Health (MOH) carried out the first vitamin A standalone capsule distribution in the country’s ten regions. Since that date, the program has become a two- to three-day stand-alone event used to deliver a second dose of vitamin A to all children 6 to 59 months of age. Volunteers from the Ghana Education Service, along with personnel from other decentralized departments, assist with the supervision and capsule-distribution effort. Community-based volunteers are in direct contact with caregivers and children and also work very closely with health workers, assemblymen, chiefs, opinion leaders, gong-gong beaters, and other community leaders to mobilize beneficiaries, administer vitamin A, and maintain distribution records.
In contrast to Zambia and Ghana, Nepal followed a phased approach to program implementation. Integration of vitamin A into NIDs in Nepal was initiated in 1997,
four years after a supplementation program was established in 8 of the country’s 75 districts. The second distribution campaign has since been phased in at a rate of eight to ten districts per year. By 2001, the program covered all but three politically unstable districts. Under the program, high-dose vitamin A capsules are distributed to all children aged 6 to 59 months during a twoday event.
","
Ghana
A monitoring team consisting of national, regional, and district supervisors carries out organized and random spot checks. Where necessary, vitamin A capsule administrators are assisted in performing their tasks. Capsule-distribution teams use all means of transportation available within the region and district, whether these be 4x4 vehicles, 2x4 pickups, motorcycles, or bicycles. MOH, district assemblies, decentralized departments, and local and international NGOs provide fuel and contribute to vehicle maintenance. At the end of each day, tally sheets are counted and summary sheets completed. Data are compiled by sub-district and district health management teams. After all figures are checked for accuracy, district coverage is calculated. District coverage data are sent to the regional nutrition officers and senior medical officers of public health, who compile regional coverage figures before sending them to the Nutrition Unit in Accra. Using regional figures, the Nutrition Unit estimates national coverage.
Zambia
Monitoring teams consisting of national, provincial, and district staff carry out systematic or random observations, depending on what they are monitoring. Where necessary, vitamin A capsule administrators are assisted in performing their tasks. At the end of each day, tally sheets are counted, summary sheets completed, and data compiled. District figures are then checked for accuracy, after which district coverage is calculated and the results forwarded to NFNC.
","Ghana: 3.5 million children ","Ghana: Exceeded target in May 2001; Zambia: 28 percent in 1999, 88 in Febraury 2002","","serum retinol levels of &lt;20 ug/dl,night-blindness prevalence,vitamin A supplementation coverage for children,subclinical vitamin A deficiency,","serum retinol levels of <20 ug/dl,night-blindness prevalence,vitamin A supplementation coverage for children,subclinical vitamin A deficiency,","Vulnerable groups","","Vitamin A supplementation in neonates>>>Vitamin A supplementation in neonates>>http://www.who.int/elena/titles/vitamina_neonatal","Insufficient staff","In Zambia and Ghana, it has been somewhat more difficult to generate a consistent cadre of volunteers for the vitamin A distribution. In each country, districts mobilize health post and sub-health post staff, identify extended outreach sites (including clinics, schools, and community centers),and then recruit community members to assist them with their activities. In Ghana, this has been relatively successful since there have been adequate clinic staff and a manageable number of outreach sites. In spite of this, many districts have continued to do some house-to-house visits to ensure high coverage. In Zambia, it has been more difficult to recruit community volunteers, and the clinic staff have been stretched to cover outreach sites.","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","Robin Houston (2003). Why They Work: An analysis of three successful public health interventions - Vitamin A supplementation programs in Ghana, Nepal, and Zambia
Background
Micronutrient deficiency adversely affects the health and economic and social development of individuals, communities, and nations. Given their high prevalence in developing regions, deficiencies in vitamin A, iron, and iodine have great public health significance.
Vitamin A deficiency weakens the immune system and, hence, increases the severity of infections. It is also the most common cause of blindness among children in developing countries. Iron deficiency anemia impairs immunity and reduces physical and mental capacities of populations. Iodine deficiency is the leading cause of mental and physical retardation in infants and children worldwide. As with vitamin A and iron, iodine deficiency increases the risk of death in newborns.
Programs that promote improved micronutrient status can alleviate the disability, morbidity, and mortality—particularly among young children and women—that are the consequences of micronutrient deficiency.
The MOST Mission
The MOST mission is to 1) maintain and enhance USAID's global leadership position in addressing micronutrient malnutrition, particularly vitamin A deficiency; 2) implement and evaluate state-of-the-art interventions to alleviate micronutrient deficiencies; and 3) provide technical guidance and coordination to other USAID projects with micronutrient-related components.
The MOST Strategy
The MOST strategy is built upon a framework of global and country-level results:
The global agenda focuses on 1) promoting a revised global agenda in collaboration with other organizations worldwide committed to reducing micronutrient malnutrition; 2) translating scientific knowledge into policy and program action; and 3) maximizing lessons learned through USAID’s extensive field program experience.
Country-level results address deficiencies in vitamin A, iron, and iodine: 1) vitamin A coverage of at least 80 percent of deficient children under 6 years of age; 2) moderate to severe anemia decreased by 30 percent in pregnant women and children 6–24 months of age; and 3) percentage of the population with symptoms of iodine deficiency reduced by 30 percent.
Country Activities
For micronutrient delivery at the country level, MOST’s role is to provide technical support to countries to guide the use of not only USAID funds, but also the full range of financial and human resources needed to eliminate micronutrient deficiencies from the list of public health problems.
In the design of country activities, MOST seeks the appropriate balance between supplementation, food fortification, and other food-based approaches to deliver micronutrients to at-risk populations in an effective, yet affordable way. Country activities are based upon analyses of a variety of relevant information:
—Prevalence and severity of micronutrient deficiencies
—Awareness of effects of micronutrient deficiencies
—Nutrition policies and programs
—Providers’ motivation, knowledge, and practices
—Food consumption data
—Production, distribution, and marketing of staple foods
—Estimates of the costs of alternative interventions
Key Areas of Activity
—Application of behavior change techniques to create demand for micronutrient programs and services
—Enhancement of the effectiveness and sustainability of supplementation programs
—Sound planning, implementation, and quality control of fortification programs
—Inclusion of other food-based approaches in programs
—Application of appropriate economic analysis to guide the evolution of country programs
—Use of monitoring and evaluation to improve program operations
—Development of public and private sector alliances to enhance the effectiveness of interventions
Target Groups
MOST focuses on the improvement of the micronutrient status of children under 6 years of age and women of childbearing age. Several intervention options available to address micronutrient deficiency, such as food fortification, will benefit not only those target groups, but also school-age children and adult males.
The MOST Team
The MOST team consists of five organizations led by the International Science and Technology Institute, Inc. (ISTI) as the primary contractor. ISTI's partners are the Academy for Educational Development, Helen Keller International, the International Food Policy Research Institute, and Johns Hopkins University.
In addition, five resource institutions have joined MOST for in-country implementation and technical tasks: CARE, International Executive Service Corps, Population Services International, Program for Appropriate Technology in Health, and Save the Children.
","Five data collection methods were used:
During the fieldwork, the enumerators worked in pairs. The enumerators were not allowed to use the instruments in the facilities where they worked. Each pair spent a full day at a health facility. Field supervisors supported the enumerators during the data collection and checked the questionnaires for consistency and completeness. This was to ensure that the data collected was accurate as possible.
","""""Many pregnant mothers do not come to ANC because they had several normal pregnancies and think all will continue to go on well always.”
- Health worker, Apac
“ The health worker at the health centre is very rude, she has no time for us; so we fear even asking questions or discussing any issue about our health. So I go all the way to Naguru health clinic and only here if I have no money for transport.”
- A pregnant woman, Kojja, Mukono
“ I think these tablets for blood should be given only to pregnant women who have no blood. It may cause a high blood level and lead to high blood pressure.”
- TBAs, Kyampisi
“ Women with increased blood should not take these tablets (iron and folic acids) because their heartbeats will increase and they will sweat very much.”
- TBAs, Seeta Nazigo
“ Some mothers say it smells and they throw away the tablets soon after the clinic.”
- Pregnant mothers, Kojja
“ Some mothers do not like taking tablets when they are pregnant.”
- Pregnant mothers, Seeta Nazigo
Background
Micronutrient deficiency adversely affects the health and economic and social development of individuals, communities, and nations. Given their high prevalence in developing regions, deficiencies in vitamin A, iron, and iodine have great public health significance.
Vitamin A deficiency weakens the immune system and, hence, increases the severity of infections. It is also the most common cause of blindness among children in developing countries. Iron deficiency anemia impairs immunity and reduces physical and mental capacities of populations. Iodine deficiency is the leading cause of mental and physical retardation in infants and children worldwide. As with vitamin A and iron, iodine deficiency increases the risk of death in newborns.
Programs that promote improved micronutrient status can alleviate the disability, morbidity, and mortality—particularly among young children and women—that are the consequences of micronutrient deficiency.
The MOST Mission
The MOST mission is to 1) maintain and enhance USAID's global leadership position in addressing micronutrient malnutrition, particularly vitamin A deficiency; 2) implement and evaluate state-of-the-art interventions to alleviate micronutrient deficiencies; and 3) provide technical guidance and coordination to other USAID projects with micronutrient-related components.
The MOST Strategy
The MOST strategy is built upon a framework of global and country-level results:
The global agenda focuses on 1) promoting a revised global agenda in collaboration with other organizations worldwide committed to reducing micronutrient malnutrition; 2) translating scientific knowledge into policy and program action; and 3) maximizing lessons learned through USAID’s extensive field program experience.
Country-level results address deficiencies in vitamin A, iron, and iodine: 1) vitamin A coverage of at least 80 percent of deficient children under 6 years of age; 2) moderate to severe anemia decreased by 30 percent in pregnant women and children 6–24 months of age; and 3) percentage of the population with symptoms of iodine deficiency reduced by 30 percent.
Country Activities
For micronutrient delivery at the country level, MOST’s role is to provide technical support to countries to guide the use of not only USAID funds, but also the full range of financial and human resources needed to eliminate micronutrient deficiencies from the list of public health problems.
In the design of country activities, MOST seeks the appropriate balance between supplementation, food fortification, and other food-based approaches to deliver micronutrients to at-risk populations in an effective, yet affordable way. Country activities are based upon analyses of a variety of relevant information:
—Prevalence and severity of micronutrient deficiencies
—Awareness of effects of micronutrient deficiencies
—Nutrition policies and programs
—Providers’ motivation, knowledge, and practices
—Food consumption data
—Production, distribution, and marketing of staple foods
—Estimates of the costs of alternative interventions
Key Areas of Activity
—Application of behavior change techniques to create demand for micronutrient programs and services
—Enhancement of the effectiveness and sustainability of supplementation programs
—Sound planning, implementation, and quality control of fortification programs
—Inclusion of other food-based approaches in programs
—Application of appropriate economic analysis to guide the evolution of country programs
—Use of monitoring and evaluation to improve program operations
—Development of public and private sector alliances to enhance the effectiveness of interventions
Target Groups
MOST focuses on the improvement of the micronutrient status of children under 6 years of age and women of childbearing age. Several intervention options available to address micronutrient deficiency, such as food fortification, will benefit not only those target groups, but also school-age children and adult males.
The MOST Team
The MOST team consists of five organizations led by the International Science and Technology Institute, Inc. (ISTI) as the primary contractor. ISTI's partners are the Academy for Educational Development, Helen Keller International, the International Food Policy Research Institute, and Johns Hopkins University.
In addition, five resource institutions have joined MOST for in-country implementation and technical tasks: CARE, International Executive Service Corps, Population Services International, Program for Appropriate Technology in Health, and Save the Children.
","Ethiopia
MOST is providing technical and implementation support to the Ministry of Health in the development of a national micronutrient program. The program is a cooperative effort between the MOH, USAID/Ethiopia, MOST, and UNICEF. Program components include strengthening of the newly formed nutrition division at the MOH and the micronutrient committee; development of a locally designed vitamin A supplementation strategy and its pilot test; support for initial trials of vitamin A sugar fortification in one of the country's four sugar factories; and support for information, education, and communication activities.
South Africa
MOST is working with counterparts at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) to support and strengthen a new vitamin A supplementation program being started by the Department of Health in Eastern Cape province. MOST is also supporting a pilot initiative by UWC that aims to incorporate micronutrient interventions into the Eastern Cape Integrated Nutrition Program.
.
","","","","","","","Vulnerable groups","","Vitamin A supplementation in neonates>>>Vitamin A supplementation in neonates>>http://www.who.int/elena/titles/vitamina_neonatal","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","English" "11483","The MOST Project","English","Multi-national","","ETH|GHA|ZAF|UGA|ZMB","Ethiopia|Ghana|South Africa|Uganda|Zambia","Ethiopia|Ghana|South Africa|Uganda|Zambia","Urban|Rural|Peri-urban","completed","01-1997","01-2001","Background
Micronutrient deficiency adversely affects the health and economic and social development of individuals, communities, and nations. Given their high prevalence in developing regions, deficiencies in vitamin A, iron, and iodine have great public health significance.
Vitamin A deficiency weakens the immune system and, hence, increases the severity of infections. It is also the most common cause of blindness among children in developing countries. Iron deficiency anemia impairs immunity and reduces physical and mental capacities of populations. Iodine deficiency is the leading cause of mental and physical retardation in infants and children worldwide. As with vitamin A and iron, iodine deficiency increases the risk of death in newborns.
Programs that promote improved micronutrient status can alleviate the disability, morbidity, and mortality—particularly among young children and women—that are the consequences of micronutrient deficiency.
The MOST Mission
The MOST mission is to 1) maintain and enhance USAID's global leadership position in addressing micronutrient malnutrition, particularly vitamin A deficiency; 2) implement and evaluate state-of-the-art interventions to alleviate micronutrient deficiencies; and 3) provide technical guidance and coordination to other USAID projects with micronutrient-related components.
The MOST Strategy
The MOST strategy is built upon a framework of global and country-level results:
The global agenda focuses on 1) promoting a revised global agenda in collaboration with other organizations worldwide committed to reducing micronutrient malnutrition; 2) translating scientific knowledge into policy and program action; and 3) maximizing lessons learned through USAID’s extensive field program experience.
Country-level results address deficiencies in vitamin A, iron, and iodine: 1) vitamin A coverage of at least 80 percent of deficient children under 6 years of age; 2) moderate to severe anemia decreased by 30 percent in pregnant women and children 6–24 months of age; and 3) percentage of the population with symptoms of iodine deficiency reduced by 30 percent.
Country Activities
For micronutrient delivery at the country level, MOST’s role is to provide technical support to countries to guide the use of not only USAID funds, but also the full range of financial and human resources needed to eliminate micronutrient deficiencies from the list of public health problems.
In the design of country activities, MOST seeks the appropriate balance between supplementation, food fortification, and other food-based approaches to deliver micronutrients to at-risk populations in an effective, yet affordable way. Country activities are based upon analyses of a variety of relevant information:
—Prevalence and severity of micronutrient deficiencies
—Awareness of effects of micronutrient deficiencies
—Nutrition policies and programs
—Providers’ motivation, knowledge, and practices
—Food consumption data
—Production, distribution, and marketing of staple foods
—Estimates of the costs of alternative interventions
Key Areas of Activity
—Application of behavior change techniques to create demand for micronutrient programs and services
—Enhancement of the effectiveness and sustainability of supplementation programs
—Sound planning, implementation, and quality control of fortification programs
—Inclusion of other food-based approaches in programs
—Application of appropriate economic analysis to guide the evolution of country programs
—Use of monitoring and evaluation to improve program operations
—Development of public and private sector alliances to enhance the effectiveness of interventions
Target Groups
MOST focuses on the improvement of the micronutrient status of children under 6 years of age and women of childbearing age. Several intervention options available to address micronutrient deficiency, such as food fortification, will benefit not only those target groups, but also school-age children and adult males.
The MOST Team
The MOST team consists of five organizations led by the International Science and Technology Institute, Inc. (ISTI) as the primary contractor. ISTI's partners are the Academy for Educational Development, Helen Keller International, the International Food Policy Research Institute, and Johns Hopkins University.
In addition, five resource institutions have joined MOST for in-country implementation and technical tasks: CARE, International Executive Service Corps, Population Services International, Program for Appropriate Technology in Health, and Save the Children.
","Government agencies encouraged the initial development of fortification: NFNC promoted initial research, sponsored meetings, and coordinated activities related to fortification; MOH researched the legal framework; the National Institute for Scientific and Industrial Research (NISIR) provided technical guidance; the Food and Drug Control Laboratory (FDCL) conducted monitoring and evaluation; and the Zambian Revenue Authority (ZRA) examined the tax structure. Industry acceptance allowed planning to begin, but donor support was critical to the development of the program: the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) was the lead financer of the project and provided technical assistance, UNICEF provided spare parts, and the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) provided spectrophotometers for Zambia Sugar and the FDCL.
While legislation was still being developed, Zambia Sugar went ahead with the launch of fortified Whitespoon Sugar on May 15, 1998. Zambia Sugar began its fortification program at 15 mg/kg, but cost considerations led the company to reduce the level to 10 mg/kg within three months. In May 1997, one year before fortification began, a consultant estimated the cost of fortifying 100,000 metric tons of sugar at 16 mg/kg to be around $1 million U.S., while fortifying at 20 mg/kg would cost almost $1.25 million.24 Reducing the level from 16 to 10 mg/kg could thus have reduced costs by approximately $375,000 a year.
","Modified Relative Dose Response Test (MRDR) in children
","The first outside tests of fortificant levels in sugar were controversial. Four months after the launch of fortified sugar, a team consisting of representatives from the MOH, the NFNC, and NISIR visited the Zambia Sugar mill. The team tested samples from the mill at the FDCL; these tests showed far lower levels of vitamin A than those shown in tests by Zambia Sugar. The government’s tests indicated a range of 0–13.6 mg/kg, while Zambia Sugar’s tests indicated a range of 9–21 mg/kg for the same samples. Zambia Sugar believes that the samples suffered sedimentation in the transport to the government laboratory and that this explains the different results.
MOST, the USAID micronutrient program, sponsored the creation of training manuals for health inspectors and Food and Drug enforcement officers, as well as a national training workshop from September 24 to October 7, 2000. The workshop focused on inspection procedures and methods, provided laboratory training where appropriate, and included a trip to the Zambia Sugar plant. Since the implementation of that program, Zambia Sugar has expressed satisfaction with law enforcement efforts. UNICEF subsequently funded workshops at the district level, using reproductions of the training manuals that had been produced with MOST funding.
","nationwide","..","","","","Vulnerable groups","","","Financial resources","","Communication","","Financial resources","","Adherence","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","English" "11489","Nutritional Improvement for children in urban Chile and Kenya (NICK) Project","English","Multi-national","","KEN","Kenya","Mombasa, Kenya","Urban","on-going","01-2010","01-2013","NICK (Nutritional Improvement for children in urban Chile and Kenya) is a three year study that started in October 2010 with funding from the UK Government Department for International Development (DFID) through the Economic and Social Research Council. This study helps the cities of Mombasa in Kenya and Valparaíso in Chile reduce child malnutrition using participatory action research to broaden stakeholder participation at municipal level to change the social determinants. These determinants control the everyday conditions in which people are living and include education, income, working conditions, housing, neighbourhood and community conditions, and social inclusion. It is envisaged that this study will contribute to existing knowledge and also serve as a useful guide for action not only in Kenya and Chile but also in other countries with high levels of child malnutrition.
The NICK project is being implemented in one Mombasa informal settlement (with one matched control settlement). The project, which started on October 1st 2010 and ends on September 30th 2013, is guided by the following central question: Can child malnutrition amongst families living in poverty in informal settlements and slums in Mombasa and Valparaíso be reduced through broadening community and stakeholder participation to change the social determinants of nutritional status?
The project seeks to address the following research questions:
Given the recognition that the determinants of child malnutrition are systemic and require multi-disciplinary concerted efforts to address, the Kenyan research team decided to explore ways of ensuring that the project is integrated into the national efforts that focus on child nutrition. The initial steps, therefore, involved holding discussions with the Nutrition Division in the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation (MOPHS). During these discussions (in January 2011), it emerged that there are multiple efforts being put in place to strengthen interventions on child malnutrition and related problems among the urban poor. One such initiative was the proposed formation of Urban Nutrition Working Groups (UNWG).
The Kenyan NICK team considered that establishing an UNWG in Mombasa was critical entry point that would help to make NICK activities an integral part of local initiatives with a high possibility of sustainability. This UNWG would function as the participatory action research (PAR) group that was needed for the NICK Project. The team, therefore, sought the support of the national nutrition office to do the following:
Following the granting of permission to work with the Provincial Nutrition Officer, several meetings were held in Mombasa to plan for an initial meeting with local stakeholders to introduce the project and form a Participatory Action Research (PAR) group. The agreement was that the UNWG would also serve as the PAR group. The research group also met with Dr. Shariff,3 the Director of Medical Services, in the Ministry of Public Health and sanitation (MOPHS) who was supportive of NICK and emphasized the need for the project to enhance the implementation of national nutrition priorities. The team also met with members of the Kenya Food Security Steering Group (KFSSG) who had just completed a national survey on Urban Food Security.
The preparatory phase was also utilized to carry out literature reviews and interviews to consolidate the situational analysis. A research permit was acquired, which was granted by the National Council for Science and Technology. With this permit, the Kenyan research team was able to plan for the baseline survey.
(i) Formation of the Provincial Nutrition Technical Committee and UNWG
This meeting was held in Mombasa on April 29th 2011. It brought together 24 participants who were drawn from the participating government departments and other partners. During this meeting, the team agreed to form the Provincial Nutrition Technical Committee under the leadership of the Provincial Nutritionist. Thirteen members were also nominated to form the UNWG under the leadership of the District Nutrition Officer. The members were supportive of this group due to the potential to have a coordinated approach to addressing child nutrition in the region.
(ii) Conduct of the baseline survey
During the initial meeting, it was agreed that the UNWG would be involved in carrying out the baseline survey. As part of community service, the members agreed that anthropometric measurements would be done for every child up to 5 years in the two study sites of Chaani (intervention) and Kongowea (control). Over 900 children were weighed and measured. Data from children 12-59 months indicate higher than national averages for stunting, with Chaani worse off than Kongowea.
The KDHS indicates high levels of stunting and underweight in the Coastal Province.
A household baseline survey was conducted (between June and July 2011) during which over 800 households were interviewed. The main issues addressed were child nutrition, health seeking behaviour and coping mechanisms. Data analysis is ongoing. The Kenyan team is now facilitating the UNGWA through three 6-monthly cycle of action and reflection to develop, implement and improve a range of small scale multisectiorial action to change the social determinants of child undernutrition.
(iii) 1st UNWG/PAR workshop – July 2011
This was a three-day meeting that was attended by 16 participants including the London-based researchers. A follow-up meeting for the UNWG was held on 20th July during which the first multisectorial action plan was finalised.
(iv) Community level activities
Community sensitization is ongoing. The UNWG has held meetings with health officials and village elders in Chaani (the intervention site). A public meeting was held with the community members on 7th November 2011, which was attended by over 250 people. So far 17 formalized groups have been identified and the next steps are to assess the training and research needs of these groups. Support for this group, in the form of training and provision of seed funds will be initiated in January 2011.
","
","","","Over 800 households; Over 900 children","","Anthropometric measurements","","Vulnerable groups","","Complementary feeding>>>Complementary feeding>>http://www.who.int/elena/titles/complementary_feeding","Others, please specify below","Competing interestsThe UNWG members are very busy with multiple responsibilities, which limits the amount of time they have for NICK activities, which are seen as not being directly part of their mandates. The implementation of national level campaigns, such as the polio campaign, interfered with planned programme activities.","Others, please specify below","Time constraints among Government officialsIt was difficult for the research team to interview the district level officers as key respondents for the baseline survey due to time constraints. Although some of them are interested in research they are hard pressed to put aside an hour for an interview.","Management","Managing expectationsIt has been difficult due to the low project budget. In Kenya, there is a tendency for officers to be given allowances when they attend meetings. Doing this would deplete the project budget completely. The research team has shared the project budget with the UNWG and an agreement has been reached to facilitate travel but not to provide ‘sitting allowances’ as a compromise.","Adherence","Balancing between studies and field activitiesCombining the field activities and the research activities of the extension research project on domestic violence and child undernutrition led to some delay in the implementation of community level activities and the 2nd PAR workshop. These activities will be initiated in earnest in January 2012. The PAR workshop will be held in February 2012","","","","","","","","","","","","","","
The current project implementation process introduces a different mechanism of working in partnership at the community level for the implementation partners. Although the project has experienced some challenges, the achievement to-date indicates that with more support and additional training, the UNWG is in a position to implement sustainable interventions to address the social determinants of child nutrition. The baseline survey tools that will be used at the end of the project will be a good measure of whether this approach will have borne the anticipated outcome of multiple implementers working together for the common good.
","","English" "11493","Strengthening Agricultural Technologies among People Living with HIV: Lessons Learned in the Border Towns of Busia, Kenya and Busia, Uganda","English","Multi-national","","KEN|UGA","Kenya|Uganda","Busia, Kenya|Busia, Uganda","Rural|Peri-urban","completed","01-2007","01-2008","The Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance Project (FANTA) of the Academy for Educational Development (AED) and the Ministry of Health (MOH) AIDS Control Programs (ACPs) in Kenya and Uganda worked together between 2007 and 2008 to integrate nutrition into the activities of HIV support groups in the border towns of Busia Uganda and Busia Kenya, funded by USAID/East Africa. The aim was to build skills in nutrition and disseminate national materials on nutrition and HIV developed by the national ACPs. However, PLHIV in the border towns increasingly reported lack of access to adequate food, in terms of quantity and variety, as the main reason they could not apply the dietary practices recommended during counseling sessions. In response, between September 2007 and September 2008 FANTA and the ROADS Project collaborated to facilitate the diffusion and use of appropriate technologies to improve the productivity of PLHIV agricultural activities developed under the ROADS Project in the two border towns.
","http://www.fantaproject.org/downloads/pdfs/FANTA_Busia2008.pdf
","8762|8576|8430|8302|8241|8671|8237","","Food and agriculture","Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Culture and Social Services, Kenya│Ministry of Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), Uganda│National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS), Uganda","","","Family Health International (incl.AED)","","","","","","National NGOs","AIDS Support Organisation; National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO), Uganda","Research/academia","Busia Agricultural Training Centre (BATC) in Kenya, Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI)","","","Other","Africa 2000 Network","","Bilateral and donor agencies and lenders","US Agency for International Development (USAID)","East Africa","Other","","Busia Parish Catholic Church, Kenya","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","11492","","Promotion of food security and agriculture","","","","Pregnant/lactating women with HIV/AIDS","","Busia , Kenya and Busia Uganda","Community-based","","The process involved identifying simple technologies to increase farm and garden outputs and linking clusters of people living with HIV (PLHIV) with local agricultural institutions including the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), Department of Culture and Social Services, Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), and Busia Agricultural Training Centre (BATC) in Kenya and the MOA, Ministry of Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO), and National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) in Uganda, as well as community development officers, community-based organizations (CBOs), and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the districts. FANTA facilitated the development of a participatory learning process to motivate groups of PLHIV to learn the new technologies to increase farm and garden output.
In phase one of the participatory learning process, FANTA and ROADS helped members of the clusters and agricultural institutions understand the agricultural technologies used in Busia, Kenya and Busia, Uganda to improve productivity. Phase two facilitated a process of linking cluster with agricultural institutions to help cluster members implement existing technologies that they had not widely used and to assess the impact of the process on the adaptation of the technologies. Neither FANTA nor ROADS invested substantial funds in the process, but provide technical assistance and connected the clusters to locally available technical assistance and support.
Three sensitization meetings were held, one joint meeting between cluster representatives, the FHI Cluster Coordinators, and FANTA staff and two meetings with groups on either side of the border. The meetings laid the foundation for agreement on the purpose of the activity and sharing of expectations. Over a period of two weeks, the group representatives identified viable and interesting agricultural technologies used in their localities and discussed how easily they could be implemented by PLHIV living in the towns (urban setting) and how they could improve their food diversity. In meetings with the agricultural institutions (mainly from Kenya), examples of agricultural technologies and activities were identified and discussed. Ministry of Agriculture and BATC extension personnel were available in the meetings to explain the different technologies.
The cross-border learning process was initiated by 14 representatives of the Ugandan clusters, who visited their peers on the Kenyan side of the border in November 2007. For two days they visited homes and training centers to see different agricultural technologies and livelihood activities implemented in Kenya and discussed the
feasibility of their adoption in their own context. At BATC the Ugandan visitors toured all the Group identification of learning content and methodology Preliminary sensitization meetings with cluster groups Group consultative meetings Meetings of Cluster representatives with departments of agriculture, NGOs, research institutions, and farmer training Cross‐border learning and home visits Arrange meetings among ROADS representatives, cluster representatives from Kenya and Uganda, and FANTA. Explain the different technologies that could be used in the locale and by PLHIV. Agree on how groups would implement the technologies and priorities. Group consensus meetings See different technologies in the communities and discuss.
Visits were also made to school gardens, community land (e.g., belonging to clusters of orphans and vulnerable children [OVC] in Kenya), seed multiplication sites, and farmer training centers. The cluster members discussed opportunities for and challenges of implementing similar activities in the urban Uganda context. Group consensus meetings were held to prioritize what the clusters wanted to learn about and the optimal methods of learning.
","Feed the Future, the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative, is establishing a lasting foundation for progress against global hunger. With a focus on smallholder farmers, particularly women, Feed the Future supports partner countries in developing their agriculture sectors to spur economic growth that increases incomes and reduces hunger, poverty, and undernutrition. Feed the Future efforts are driven by country-led priorities and rooted in partnership with donor organizations, the private sector, and civil society to enable long-term success. Feed the Future aims to assist millions of vulnerable women, children, and family members to escape hunger and poverty, while also reaching significant numbers of children with highly effective nutrition interventions to prevent stunting and child mortality.
Over the next five years in Kenya, Feed the Future aims to help an estimated 502,000 vulnerable Kenyan women, children and family members—mostly smallholder farmers—escape hunger and poverty. More than 230,000 children will be reached with services to improve their nutrition and prevent stunting and child mortality. Significant numbers of additional rural populations will achieve improved income and nutritional status from strategic policy engagement and institutional investments.
To meet its objectives, Feed the Future Kenya is making core investments in three key areas:
Target Regions
Feed the Future is targeting high-rainfall areas with dense populations, high poverty and malnourishment, as well as semi-arid areas. Both areas have great potential for raising agricultural productivity. These target areas also encompass the highest concentrations of malnourished children, female-headed households, and rural poor.
Highlights
Science and Technology. U.S. support to the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute focuses on research on crops for the semi-arid zone, including improved seeds, pest control, and food safety for maize, sorghum, millet, sweet potato, cowpea, and pigeon pea. Feed the Future also works with the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Services to increase quality and availability of drought-tolerant crops and varieties.
Engaging Women and Youth. Feed the Future supports activities that empower women and improve the nutritional status of women and children. Women manage an estimated 44 percent of Kenya’s smallholder households and are active at every point in the food chain. Their contribution to commodities, grown mainly in home gardens, is quite significant, providing essential nutrients and often the only food available during the lean seasons or when the main harvest fails. Feed the Future will also engage youth in farming, processing and trading to relieve high levels of youth unemployment. More than 67 percent of the under- and unemployed in Kenya are young women and men of 15 to 30 years of age.
Value Chains. Feed the Future is focusing its efforts on improving several key agricultural value chains: horticulture, dairy and maize for the High Rainfall (HR) areas; and drought-tolerant crops (sorghum/millet and root crop systems), drought-tolerant maize, horticulture, and pulses for Semi-Arid (SA) areas. Attention is focused on every “link” in the value chain—from inputs like fertilizer and seeds, to credit, to production methods, storage, transport, processing, farmers’ cooperatives, and markets in Kenya, East Africa and overseas.
","MAIZE AND DROUGHT-TOLERANT STAPLE CROP VALUE CHAIN
Kenya’s maize sub sector is approaching a critical time when input supply characteristics, land reform, availability of supporting factors of production, and market price dynamics will define the competitiveness of the industry in the mid- to long term. This environment presents an opportune moment for the USG’s current and future investments. At the same time, there has been a dearth of investment in alternative staple crops and, as a result, there is a lack of data. In collaboration with the private sector, FTF will support value chain assessments that deepen and fill gaps in existing knowledge – especially related to these crops in SA2 – to inform the FTFS’ further implementation and private sector investments.
As noted, yields of staple crops in Kenya are low relative to regional averages. Addressing productivity issues in maize and drought-tolerant staples will be a key focus. Promoting improved transfer of technologies will require investment in agricultural research to develop improved technologies. This will be especially important for the neglected drought-tolerant crops. Equally important is the dissemination of knowledge of these technologies, accompanying management practices, the extension services to transfer knowledge on how best to use technologies, and the commercialization and dissemination of technologies to farmers who need them. Consequently interventions will leverage private sector partners in concert with public sector extension services (although limited in certain counties of the two focus areas) to disseminate and commercialize improved technologies through ―smart‖ extension methods, e.g., ICT.
Achieving productivity growth also will require program investments to promote improved access to high-quality inputs that are affordable and provide the knowledge (extension services) on how to use them optimally, including improving input use efficiency through proper soil and water management techniques. Seed and fertilizer companies and agro-dealers will play key roles in setting up demonstration plots and holding ―farmer field days‖ so that farmers can learn about different varieties and practices. Efforts will be made by the Mission to incorporate gender awareness and nutrition- and food preparation-related messaging during those ―field days.‖ The seed and fertilizer companies have also begun to package inputs into smaller quantities, thereby more affordable to poor farmers. The current KMDP is working through its sub-grantees, like Farm Input Promotions (FIPS) – which uses samples of inputs (i.e., seeds, fertilizers, etc.) donated by private companies – for demonstration on farmers’ fields, provides extension information, and sells inputs in small affordable packages, an approach that has been effective in increasing access to inputs and extension services to women.
Market access will be essential to increasing smallholder incomes. The Mission will facilitate a more structured market for staple food crops by: 1) increasing smallholder farmers’ understanding of end-market requirements; 2) facilitating access to training to meet end-market requirements; and 3) improving farmers’ market intelligence and capacity to make informed decisions. Public and private sector investments in storage and centralized market infrastructure will improve the benefits smallholders gain from market engagement and lead to increases in rural household incomes.
Regarding sorghum, market outlets seek varieties with high milling and brewing qualities, and subsistence farmers require high-yielding varieties with specific taste, color and cooking characteristics. The segmentation of these varieties and products to meet the specific market demands has not been done and, as a result, farmers’ marketing strategies are ―hit or miss.‖ Hence, the program will segment the market niches and match the niches to sorghum varieties and products. This approach will highlight the opportunities for farmer organizations to deliver to the segmented market outlets through the segmented sorghum varieties and products.
Fostering investments by the private sector as well as access to rural finance will be essential to the sustainability and scalability of productivity improvements. Kenya has a vibrant private sector hungry for profitable opportunities. To both meet the development challenges and make a profit, USAID/K will use its new Innovation Engine (see below) to buy down the risks for private sector investments in innovative areas. To improve access to rural finance, the Mission’s program, along with USAID/EA's FTFS program-related activities, will:
By tapping into the networks of EAGC, the activities will help build regional linkages for traders. In addition, access to rural finance will be further improved through USAID's recently commenced Financial Inclusion for Rural Microenterprises (FIRM) project which – in collaboration with the U.K. Department for International Development (DFID) – will improve productivity and growth of agricultural value chains through expanded financial services to underserved groups, geographic locations and new product areas. FIRM will facilitate opportunities for agribusiness development and overall market efficiencies through a package of financial services to vulnerable groups, including young and female smallholder farmers in rural and agricultural sectors.
Value chain development in HR1 and SA2 will require the aggregation of farmers in order to facilitate access to markets, services, financing and technology transfer. Previously, the KMDP contributed to the development of farmer associations, including women associations, in the Western Province and Rift Valley and will continue to do so in the targeted FTFS counties of those provinces. Consequently, the FTFS program will strengthen farmer groups, associations and cooperatives where they can effectively benefit their members.
A key outcome of KMDP from 2002-2010 was to foster a more responsive policy environment for the maize sub-sector. Despite KMDP's involvement in a relatively successful decade of reform, the maize sector and, to a large extent, other staple crops are still characterized by highly guarded value chain positions and often distorted policy. Consequently, the FTFS program will be a strong advocate of a market-driven approach at the national level, providing a key voice to discussions regarding GOK agricultural policies and simultaneously strengthening value chain players to advocate for better policies. The planned continuation of USAID support to the Tegemeo Institute, for example, will play a key role in advocacy based upon empirical evidence to further bolster the GOK policy dialogue.
Finally, promoting NRM and adaptation to climate change will be needed to support the sustainability of impacts under FTF. This will involve the inclusion of sustainable intensification practices (―climate smart‖ practices) in staple crop production including: 1) soil management techniques, such as conservation agriculture and integrated soil fertility management; 2) the inclusion of fertilizer and fodder trees into annual crop production systems (―evergreen agriculture‖); 3) water efficiency measures, such as rainwater capture and storage; and 4) integrated pest management. The ―climate smart‖ practices will be used in combination with drought-tolerant varieties of seeds and inputs to increase productivity, fertilizer use efficiency and climate resilience. While access to and sustainable management of natural resources will be a central theme regardless of income group or geographic area, it is particularly key to addressing the vulnerability of the poorest and most food insecure.
","The Mission is currently reviewing options for reinforcing its existing monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework by establishing a comprehensive knowledge management system that builds links to ongoing initiatives aimed at strengthening U.S. Government, national and regional agriculture sector-wide M&E and knowledge management.
USAID/K will link to the GOK-led and CAADP-mandated ―National Integrated Monitoring and Evaluation System‖ which will serve as a mutually agreed framework for performance monitoring towards the goal of increasing food security. The Mission also will link its knowledge management system to the Regional Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System (ReSAKSS), an information and knowledge management initiative, to promote and support effective and sustainable agricultural and rural development strategies across Africa. Through ReSAKSS, the Mission will collaborate with the USAID/EA and other Missions in Africa in tracking intra-regional trade data. The Mission will also use ReSAKSS to provide meta-analyses contributing to synthesized studies suitable for shared learning by numerous stakeholders.
The Mission will utilize the following tools in establishing and maintaining its M&E efforts: The Mission’s FTFS Results Framework which is the conceptual and analytical structure that establishes the goals and objectives of the FTF Initiative in Kenya; A performance monitoring/management plan (PMP) comprised of standard and custom FTF performance indicators to track progress toward desired results. Data systems will be developed and refined based on findings of a Mission-wide data quality assessment (DQA) carried out in March/April 2011; Tegemeo Institute poverty analyses in conjunction with Africa Bureau/Sustainable Development Office (AFR/SD); The Mission will undertake local capacity-building investments to improve the quality and frequency of data collection and use; Biannual independent indicator surveys by Tegemeo Institute to gauge progress made towards achieving results and a feedback loop to improve performance; Mid-term and impact evaluations will be carried out to determine the measureable effects of the FTFS investments; and The Mission will engage in regular knowledge-sharing activities with FTFS development partners and implementers to foster learning and use of M&E findings.
","Estimated 502,000 vulnerable Kenyan women, children and family members—mostly smallholder farmers—escape hunger and poverty. More than 230,000 children will be reached with services to improve their nutrition and prevent stunting and child mortality.",".","","Number of new technologies or management practices made available for transfer as a result of USG assistance; Number of rural households benefiting directly from USG interventions; Number of producers organizations, water users associations, trade and business associations, and community-based organizations (CBOs) receiving USG assistance; Percentage of children < 5 years who are underweight","Number of new technologies or management practices made available for transfer as a result of USG assistance; Number of rural households benefiting directly from USG interventions; Number of producers organizations, water users associations, trade and business associations, and community-based organizations (CBOs) receiving USG assistance; Percentage of children < 5 years who are underweight","Vulnerable groups","","Biofortification of staple crops>>>Biofortification of staple crops>>http://www.who.int/elena/titles/biofortification","Financial resources","Business service provider interventions▪Grow market linkages (domestic and regional)▪Facilitate market development including structured trade and transparent transactions▪Link to input suppliers to expand services▪Provide value chain financing","Supplies","Input supplier interventions▪Expand inventory, crop and dairy services, & reach▪Link to business service providers▪Pilot aggregation (e.g., for WFP P4P program)▪Capacity building for business and financial mgmt.▪New business models","Infrastructure","Processor/buyer interventionsProposed Future USG Engagement▪Capacity building in business and finance▪Development of innovative business models▪Development of premium product schemes▪Link to input suppliers, business service providers, and producer organizations","Stakeholder","Producer organization interventions▪Continue capacity building in business, finance, contracts, grades/standards, productivity▪Link to input suppliers, business service providers, processors","","","","","","","","","","","","","","To capture lesons learnt
Combined Evaluation
Impact study
Feed the Future, the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative, is establishing a lasting foundation for progress against global hunger. With a focus on smallholder farmers, particularly women, Feed the Future supports partner countries in developing their agriculture sectors to spur economic growth that increases incomes and reduces hunger, poverty, and undernutrition. Feed the Future efforts are driven by country-led priorities and rooted in partnership with donor organizations, the private sector, and civil society to enable long-term success. Feed the Future aims to assist millions of vulnerable women, children, and family members to escape hunger and poverty, while also reaching significant numbers of children with highly effective nutrition interventions to prevent stunting and child mortality.
Over the next five years in Kenya, Feed the Future aims to help an estimated 502,000 vulnerable Kenyan women, children and family members—mostly smallholder farmers—escape hunger and poverty. More than 230,000 children will be reached with services to improve their nutrition and prevent stunting and child mortality. Significant numbers of additional rural populations will achieve improved income and nutritional status from strategic policy engagement and institutional investments.
To meet its objectives, Feed the Future Kenya is making core investments in three key areas:
Target Regions
Feed the Future is targeting high-rainfall areas with dense populations, high poverty and malnourishment, as well as semi-arid areas. Both areas have great potential for raising agricultural productivity. These target areas also encompass the highest concentrations of malnourished children, female-headed households, and rural poor.
Highlights
Science and Technology. U.S. support to the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute focuses on research on crops for the semi-arid zone, including improved seeds, pest control, and food safety for maize, sorghum, millet, sweet potato, cowpea, and pigeon pea. Feed the Future also works with the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Services to increase quality and availability of drought-tolerant crops and varieties.
Engaging Women and Youth. Feed the Future supports activities that empower women and improve the nutritional status of women and children. Women manage an estimated 44 percent of Kenya’s smallholder households and are active at every point in the food chain. Their contribution to commodities, grown mainly in home gardens, is quite significant, providing essential nutrients and often the only food available during the lean seasons or when the main harvest fails. Feed the Future will also engage youth in farming, processing and trading to relieve high levels of youth unemployment. More than 67 percent of the under- and unemployed in Kenya are young women and men of 15 to 30 years of age.
Value Chains. Feed the Future is focusing its efforts on improving several key agricultural value chains: horticulture, dairy and maize for the High Rainfall (HR) areas; and drought-tolerant crops (sorghum/millet and root crop systems), drought-tolerant maize, horticulture, and pulses for Semi-Arid (SA) areas. Attention is focused on every “link” in the value chain—from inputs like fertilizer and seeds, to credit, to production methods, storage, transport, processing, farmers’ cooperatives, and markets in Kenya, East Africa and overseas.
"," DAIRY VALUE CHAIN
The FTFS will build on the Kenya Dairy Sector Competitiveness Program (KDSCP), currently running through April 2013, which aims to improve Kenya’s dairy industry competitiveness, and increase the economic benefits to stakeholders in the entire dairy value chain. However, the KDSCP is only operating in the Central, Rift Valley and a small section of Western Provinces due to high density of dairy cattle and favorable agro-ecological conditions necessary for dairy production.
To improve productivity, KDSCP works with male and female dairy farmers to facilitate their transition from loosely organized groups into sustainable business associations able to either access or provide expanded and diversified services to their members. The KDSCP’s BDS approach facilitates service provision to all actors along the value chain, using a wide range of change agents to train farmers on productivity-enhancing technologies to increase production per cow and reduce costs of production. Fodder preservation is the key to smoothing milk flows over the entire year, and new fodder varieties developed by Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) can improve nutrition and decrease feed costs while increasing milk production. An emerging technology developed by International Center for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) to control crops pests has spillover benefits for dairy. Planting of desmodium and napier grass at specific locations in crop fields controls cereal pests; these crops are also excellent fodder for dairy. Interestingly, it appears that women are more likely than men and youth to adopt many of these feed technologies.
Renewed efforts will be required to bring down the cost of high quality semen, so that smallholders can afford to use AI and improve the genetic potential of their animals. Efficiency of AI can be increased by improving farmers’ ability to recognize correct breeding times and improved skills of inseminators.
Milk cooling centers – a key change agent – provide an excellent platform for producers to access goods and services. The centers enable producers to bulk and chill milk as well as consolidate their needs for services and goods, thereby making it more efficient for the private sector to engage with smallholders. Processors are also key change agents whereby, through a ―check off system,‖ farmers are supplied with feed and AI and vet services, and pay for those services by having the processor deduct costs from each producer’s milk sales. Many banks that lend to dairy farmers require that they have contracts with these processors in order to guarantee their loans.
KDSCP currently focuses much of its activities on dairy quality standards, and assisting farmers, traders and processors to adopt practices that will improve the quality of milk. It works through private and public sector service providers to train smallholder dairy farmers on milk testing techniques, disease prevention and testing with modern technologies. Business Development Service (BDS) providers also facilitate farmer associations to negotiate long-term supply contracts with processors, and to receive premiums for chilled milk. More work is required, however, towards establishing premiums for other important attributes, such as butterfat content. Market information is now more widely accessible to producers through working groups that act to better coordinate the local dairy sector.
It will be important to increase the capacity of cooling centers to implement quality control frameworks, such as Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), and provide assistance to acquire International Standards Organization (ISO) or equivalent quality certification. Achieving these levels of quality will be essential for Kenyan milk to enter COMESA and other international markets. Support to the Kenya Dairy Board (KDB) and the East and Southern African Dairy Association – important partners in moving Kenya towards meeting regional standards for dairy products – will also help expand Kenya’s reach into COMESA markets.
With increased organization of producers into business associations, producers will be able to increase their investments in herds through upgrading breed quality and investing in feed and animal health technologies. Service providers will have expanded demand for their goods and services (e.g., silage making equipment and forage choppers) and some, such as processors, will have an incentive to invest in expanded facilities. Some examples of investment include Nestlé’s investment in upgrading a milk powder plant at the Kenya Creameries Cooperative (KCC), while the Brookside Dairy has set up a new powder plant. Farmer-owned chilling plants have invested in trucks to transport milk to processors, and two Kenyan insurance agencies are offering insurance products to farmers.
As banks become more knowledgeable about the risks and opportunities in the dairy sector, they are increasingly lending to the sector. Several banks have come forward to finance dairy investments by using guarantee mechanisms to decrease their risk. Access to rural finance will be further improved through USAID’s FIRM Project which, in collaboration with DFID, has established a Value Chain Finance Center to promote financial access through the rural areas for firms all along the value chain.
The FIRM Project (currently running through CY 2013) has conducted a dairy value chain finance analysis that identified profitability at key parts of the value chain. Banks will increase lending in those areas of the value chain that have the most banking potential, thereby increasing investment in the sector. It will be important to identify the less bankable parts of the value chain, such as the dairy feed sector, and concentrate support to improve bankability in those parts to further develop the dairy industry.
The dairy sector also has great potential to contribute to improved NRM practices, so current and future implementers will incorporate best management practices for improved grazing, pasture management, and ―cut and carry‖ techniques to enhance productivity and ecosystem function. This will include encouraging farmers to grow fodder varieties that are complementary to annual crop production, e.g., varieties that are nitrogen fixing or important for biological control of crop pests. Such practices can have co-benefits to staple crop production since inter-cropping certain fodder varieties with annual crops (―evergreen agriculture‖) can increase crop productivity. Manure and run-off from dairy can become environmental and health hazards, but properly managed manure can contribute greatly to improved soil fertility and soil quality, including the retention of water and important soil nutrients. Use of manure is a critical component of integrated soil fertility management and thus, for dairy farmers who also cultivate crops, this is another important co-benefit. Additionally, the generation of biogas will become increasingly important as a source of energy for households as electricity and kerosene become more expensive. Consequently, the nexus between dairy farming and agriculture and ―clean energy‖ will be another area of opportunity to be addressed during the course of the Strategy’s implementation.
These interventions will be particularly important as one aspect of adapting to climate change, and producers will need training in these technologies and practices.
More dairy products available at lower costs encourage increased consumption of this nutrition rich product among lower-income groups. KDSCP works in the informal milk chain where women, the youth and very-poor dominate. Gender sensitive programming and improving quality standards naturally fits with increasing nutritional opportunities in the informal milk chain because mothers often are responsible for child rearing. Not only availing more dairy products and improving milk quality, but increasing messaging about the nutritional benefits of dairy products will encourage consumption of this nutritionally packed food product. Also, improving the informal milk chain will enhance economic benefits for women who dominate informal milk trade and rural youth engaged in off-farm milk transport services.
New support to and capacity building of various GOK and stakeholder organizations will be important to identify issues constraining Kenya’s dairy sector competitiveness. The ongoing KDSCP, however, is building capacity of the Dairy Task Force, with a focus on policy advocacy. The rejuvenated Task Force is currently leading the implementation of policy changes and action plans that are critical to the dairy sector. Assessments of key issues have provided the necessary analyses to inform stakeholders and GOK decision makers. The Task Force is increasing the interaction among value chain actors, the GOK and development partners, and has seen increased efficiencies in the sector, both for donor projects as well as private sector investments. The Dairy Master Plan – which was initially shelved due to inadequate collaboration – is now back on track.
","The Mission is currently reviewing options for reinforcing its existing monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework by establishing a comprehensive knowledge management system that builds links to ongoing initiatives aimed at strengthening U.S. Government, national and regional agriculture sector-wide M&E and knowledge management.
USAID/K will link to the GOK-led and CAADP-mandated ―National Integrated Monitoring and Evaluation System‖ which will serve as a mutually agreed framework for performance monitoring towards the goal of increasing food security. The Mission also will link its knowledge management system to the Regional Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System (ReSAKSS), an information and knowledge management initiative, to promote and support effective and sustainable agricultural and rural development strategies across Africa. Through ReSAKSS, the Mission will collaborate with the USAID/EA and other Missions in Africa in tracking intra-regional trade data. The Mission will also use ReSAKSS to provide meta-analyses contributing to synthesized studies suitable for shared learning by numerous stakeholders.
The Mission will utilize the following tools in establishing and maintaining its M&E efforts: The Mission’s FTFS Results Framework which is the conceptual and analytical structure that establishes the goals and objectives of the FTF Initiative in Kenya; A performance monitoring/management plan (PMP) comprised of standard and custom FTF performance indicators to track progress toward desired results. Data systems will be developed and refined based on findings of a Mission-wide data quality assessment (DQA) carried out in March/April 2011; Tegemeo Institute poverty analyses in conjunction with Africa Bureau/Sustainable Development Office (AFR/SD); The Mission will undertake local capacity-building investments to improve the quality and frequency of data collection and use; Biannual independent indicator surveys by Tegemeo Institute to gauge progress made towards achieving results and a feedback loop to improve performance; Mid-term and impact evaluations will be carried out to determine the measureable effects of the FTFS investments; and The Mission will engage in regular knowledge-sharing activities with FTFS development partners and implementers to foster learning and use of M&E findings.
","Estimated 502,000 vulnerable Kenyan women, children and family members—mostly smallholder farmers—escape hunger and poverty. More than 230,000 children will be reached with services to improve their nutrition and prevent stunting and child mortality.",".","","Number of new technologies or management practices made available for transfer as a result of USG assistance; Number of rural households benefiting directly from USG interventions; Number of producers organizations, water users associations, trade and business associations, and community-based organizations (CBOs) receiving USG assistance; Percentage of children < 5 years who are underweight","Number of new technologies or management practices made available for transfer as a result of USG assistance; Number of rural households benefiting directly from USG interventions; Number of producers organizations, water users associations, trade and business associations, and community-based organizations (CBOs) receiving USG assistance; Percentage of children < 5 years who are underweight","Socio-economic status","","","Supplies","","Financial resources","","Infrastructure","","Stakeholder","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","To capture lessons learned
Combined Evaluation
Impact study
Feed the Future, the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative, is establishing a lasting foundation for progress against global hunger. With a focus on smallholder farmers, particularly women, Feed the Future supports partner countries in developing their agriculture sectors to spur economic growth that increases incomes and reduces hunger, poverty, and undernutrition. Feed the Future efforts are driven by country-led priorities and rooted in partnership with donor organizations, the private sector, and civil society to enable long-term success. Feed the Future aims to assist millions of vulnerable women, children, and family members to escape hunger and poverty, while also reaching significant numbers of children with highly effective nutrition interventions to prevent stunting and child mortality.
Over the next five years in Kenya, Feed the Future aims to help an estimated 502,000 vulnerable Kenyan women, children and family members—mostly smallholder farmers—escape hunger and poverty. More than 230,000 children will be reached with services to improve their nutrition and prevent stunting and child mortality. Significant numbers of additional rural populations will achieve improved income and nutritional status from strategic policy engagement and institutional investments.
To meet its objectives, Feed the Future Kenya is making core investments in three key areas:
Target Regions
Feed the Future is targeting high-rainfall areas with dense populations, high poverty and malnourishment, as well as semi-arid areas. Both areas have great potential for raising agricultural productivity. These target areas also encompass the highest concentrations of malnourished children, female-headed households, and rural poor.
Highlights
Science and Technology. U.S. support to the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute focuses on research on crops for the semi-arid zone, including improved seeds, pest control, and food safety for maize, sorghum, millet, sweet potato, cowpea, and pigeon pea. Feed the Future also works with the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Services to increase quality and availability of drought-tolerant crops and varieties.
Engaging Women and Youth. Feed the Future supports activities that empower women and improve the nutritional status of women and children. Women manage an estimated 44 percent of Kenya’s smallholder households and are active at every point in the food chain. Their contribution to commodities, grown mainly in home gardens, is quite significant, providing essential nutrients and often the only food available during the lean seasons or when the main harvest fails. Feed the Future will also engage youth in farming, processing and trading to relieve high levels of youth unemployment. More than 67 percent of the under- and unemployed in Kenya are young women and men of 15 to 30 years of age.
Value Chains. Feed the Future is focusing its efforts on improving several key agricultural value chains: horticulture, dairy and maize for the High Rainfall (HR) areas; and drought-tolerant crops (sorghum/millet and root crop systems), drought-tolerant maize, horticulture, and pulses for Semi-Arid (SA) areas. Attention is focused on every “link” in the value chain—from inputs like fertilizer and seeds, to credit, to production methods, storage, transport, processing, farmers’ cooperatives, and markets in Kenya, East Africa and overseas.
","HORTICULTURE VALUE CHAIN
Horticulture has a distinct link to decreasing under-nutrition. Promoting production and marketing of high-nutrition horticultural crops and increasing messaging about the nutritional benefits associated with highly nutritious horticultural products will encourage increased consumption of these foods. For example, kitchen and community gardens provide excellent sources of nutrition for those who have limited access to land and/or resources. These gardens are also often managed by women. Decision-making over products from ―kitchen gardens‖ is often relegated to women for household consumption. Also, women earn direct income from marketing of surpluses from kitchen gardens.
KHCP is currently working in seven zones, including the HR1 and SA2 regions. Consequently, during the course of the FTFS implementation but in a deliberate timed fashion, the KHCP will evolve its program of activities to focus on the HR1 and SA2 regions.
Currently, KHCP expects to have the following impacts by February 2015, but these will be revised in accordance with the smooth transition to the new focus areas:
The Mission is currently reviewing options for reinforcing its existing monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework by establishing a comprehensive knowledge management system that builds links to ongoing initiatives aimed at strengthening U.S. Government, national and regional agriculture sector-wide M&E and knowledge management.
USAID/K will link to the GOK-led and CAADP-mandated ―National Integrated Monitoring and Evaluation System‖ which will serve as a mutually agreed framework for performance monitoring towards the goal of increasing food security. The Mission also will link its knowledge management system to the Regional Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System (ReSAKSS), an information and knowledge management initiative, to promote and support effective and sustainable agricultural and rural development strategies across Africa. Through ReSAKSS, the Mission will collaborate with the USAID/EA and other Missions in Africa in tracking intra-regional trade data. The Mission will also use ReSAKSS to provide meta-analyses contributing to synthesized studies suitable for shared learning by numerous stakeholders.
The Mission will utilize the following tools in establishing and maintaining its M&E efforts: The Mission’s FTFS Results Framework which is the conceptual and analytical structure that establishes the goals and objectives of the FTF Initiative in Kenya; A performance monitoring/management plan (PMP) comprised of standard and custom FTF performance indicators to track progress toward desired results. Data systems will be developed and refined based on findings of a Mission-wide data quality assessment (DQA) carried out in March/April 2011; Tegemeo Institute poverty analyses in conjunction with Africa Bureau/Sustainable Development Office (AFR/SD); The Mission will undertake local capacity-building investments to improve the quality and frequency of data collection and use; Biannual independent indicator surveys by Tegemeo Institute to gauge progress made towards achieving results and a feedback loop to improve performance; Mid-term and impact evaluations will be carried out to determine the measureable effects of the FTFS investments; and The Mission will engage in regular knowledge-sharing activities with FTFS development partners and implementers to foster learning and use of M&E findings.
","Estimated 502,000 vulnerable Kenyan women, children and family members—mostly smallholder farmers—escape hunger and poverty. More than 230,000 children will be reached with services to improve their nutrition and prevent stunting and child mortality. ",".","","Number of new technologies or management practices made available for transfer as a result of USG assistance; Number of rural households benefiting directly from USG interventions; Number of producers organizations, water users associations, trade and business associations, and community-based organizations (CBOs) receiving USG assistance; Percentage of children < 5 years who are underweight","Number of new technologies or management practices made available for transfer as a result of USG assistance; Number of rural households benefiting directly from USG interventions; Number of producers organizations, water users associations, trade and business associations, and community-based organizations (CBOs) receiving USG assistance; Percentage of children < 5 years who are underweight","Sex","","","Supplies","","Financial resources","","Stakeholder","","Infrastructure","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","To capture lessons learnt
Combined Evaluation
Impact study
Feed the Future, the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative, is establishing a lasting foundation for progress against global hunger. With a focus on smallholder farmers, particularly women, Feed the Future supports partner countries in developing their agriculture sectors to spur economic growth that increases incomes and reduces hunger, poverty, and undernutrition. Feed the Future efforts are driven by country-led priorities and rooted in partnership with donor organizations, the private sector, and civil society to enable long-term success. Feed the Future aims to assist millions of vulnerable women, children, and family members to escape hunger and poverty, while also reaching significant numbers of children with highly effective nutrition interventions to prevent stunting and child mortality.
Over the next five years in Kenya, Feed the Future aims to help an estimated 502,000 vulnerable Kenyan women, children and family members—mostly smallholder farmers—escape hunger and poverty. More than 230,000 children will be reached with services to improve their nutrition and prevent stunting and child mortality. Significant numbers of additional rural populations will achieve improved income and nutritional status from strategic policy engagement and institutional investments.
To meet its objectives, Feed the Future Kenya is making core investments in three key areas:
Target Regions
Feed the Future is targeting high-rainfall areas with dense populations, high poverty and malnourishment, as well as semi-arid areas. Both areas have great potential for raising agricultural productivity. These target areas also encompass the highest concentrations of malnourished children, female-headed households, and rural poor.
Highlights
Science and Technology. U.S. support to the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute focuses on research on crops for the semi-arid zone, including improved seeds, pest control, and food safety for maize, sorghum, millet, sweet potato, cowpea, and pigeon pea. Feed the Future also works with the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Services to increase quality and availability of drought-tolerant crops and varieties.
Engaging Women and Youth. Feed the Future supports activities that empower women and improve the nutritional status of women and children. Women manage an estimated 44 percent of Kenya’s smallholder households and are active at every point in the food chain. Their contribution to commodities, grown mainly in home gardens, is quite significant, providing essential nutrients and often the only food available during the lean seasons or when the main harvest fails. Feed the Future will also engage youth in farming, processing and trading to relieve high levels of youth unemployment. More than 67 percent of the under- and unemployed in Kenya are young women and men of 15 to 30 years of age.
Value Chains. Feed the Future is focusing its efforts on improving several key agricultural value chains: horticulture, dairy and maize for the High Rainfall (HR) areas; and drought-tolerant crops (sorghum/millet and root crop systems), drought-tolerant maize, horticulture, and pulses for Semi-Arid (SA) areas. Attention is focused on every “link” in the value chain—from inputs like fertilizer and seeds, to credit, to production methods, storage, transport, processing, farmers’ cooperatives, and markets in Kenya, East Africa and overseas.
","Women will form a core target group in the s FTFS because of their critical role in food production and nutrition in Kenya. It is estimated that nearly half or 44 percent of Kenya’s smallholder households are managed by women. This is largely attributed to rapid rural to urban migration by men in search of employment. Women are active at every point in the food chain and are often responsible for protecting the safety and wholesomeness of food in their households. Their contribution to food commodities such as pulses, potatoes, legumes, sorghum, fruits and vegetables is quite significant. Grown mainly in home gardens, they provide essential nutrients and are often the only food available during the lean seasons or when the main harvest fails.
In the dairy sector, women and the ultra-poor predominate in the informal milk chain. A gender value chain assessment completed by USAID in High Rainfall Zone 1 found that while the ―morning‖ milk is sold to processors, the ―evening‖ milk is often left for family consumption under the control of women in the majority of male-headed households. Most surpluses after consumption are sold in the informal chain, generating income directly for women in these households.
By FY10, female-headed households comprised 49 percent of households that benefited from USAID/K assistance. Strategies that contributed to increased women’s participation included decentralized extension approaches that are tailored to suit women’s time schedules, promotion of ―gender-balanced‖ crops and leadership training for women, and use of embedded business development service (BDS). The horticulture program recorded the highest number of women beneficiaries by supporting nutritious crops – including leafy vegetables, sweet potatoes, beans and butternut squash – where women predominate in production and marketing, and where they have greater control over revenues. Horticulture marketing contracts between women’s groups and buyers were established, allowing women to receive their payments directly.
The Kenyan FTFS will support activities that economically empower women and improve the nutritional status of women and children. Building on USAID/K’s past successes in gender and value chains, the FTFS will: Increase women’s gains by expanding support to nutritious horticultural and staple food crops; Promote private sector response by which small improvements to the informal milk chain, where women and the poor and ultra-poor predominate, could lead to healthier and more affordable options; Through the FTF Innovation Engine, seek innovations that promote local-level processing of fortified foods, such as through ―posho mills,‖ that are easily accessible and affordable to rural women; Catalyze social innovation approaches that reduce gender inequalities in agricultural production and benefits from production – such as innovations in agricultural labor saving technologies and practices to reduce women’s labor burden, linking women to extension and markets and promoting farming as a family business; Undertake gender-value chain assessments for each of the targeted sub-sectors in FTF geographical areas to guide implementation; and Scale-up training on integration of gender in value chains to all FTFS partners.
","The Mission is currently reviewing options for reinforcing its existing monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework by establishing a comprehensive knowledge management system that builds links to ongoing initiatives aimed at strengthening U.S. Government, national and regional agriculture sector-wide M&E and knowledge management.
USAID/K will link to the GOK-led and CAADP-mandated ―National Integrated Monitoring and Evaluation System‖ which will serve as a mutually agreed framework for performance monitoring towards the goal of increasing food security. The Mission also will link its knowledge management system to the Regional Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System (ReSAKSS), an information and knowledge management initiative, to promote and support effective and sustainable agricultural and rural development strategies across Africa. Through ReSAKSS, the Mission will collaborate with the USAID/EA and other Missions in Africa in tracking intra-regional trade data. The Mission will also use ReSAKSS to provide meta-analyses contributing to synthesized studies suitable for shared learning by numerous stakeholders.
The Mission will utilize the following tools in establishing and maintaining its M&E efforts: The Mission’s FTFS Results Framework which is the conceptual and analytical structure that establishes the goals and objectives of the FTF Initiative in Kenya; A performance monitoring/management plan (PMP) comprised of standard and custom FTF performance indicators to track progress toward desired results. Data systems will be developed and refined based on findings of a Mission-wide data quality assessment (DQA) carried out in March/April 2011; Tegemeo Institute poverty analyses in conjunction with Africa Bureau/Sustainable Development Office (AFR/SD); The Mission will undertake local capacity-building investments to improve the quality and frequency of data collection and use; Biannual independent indicator surveys by Tegemeo Institute to gauge progress made towards achieving results and a feedback loop to improve performance; Mid-term and impact evaluations will be carried out to determine the measureable effects of the FTFS investments; and The Mission will engage in regular knowledge-sharing activities with FTFS development partners and implementers to foster learning and use of M&E findings.
","Estimated 502,000 vulnerable Kenyan women, children and family members—mostly smallholder farmers—escape hunger and poverty. More than 230,000 children will be reached with services to improve their nutrition and prevent stunting and child mortality.",".","","Number of new technologies or management practices made available for transfer as a result of USG assistance; Number of rural households benefiting directly from USG interventions; Number of producers organizations, water users associations, trade and business associations, and community-based organizations (CBOs) receiving USG assistance; Percentage of children < 5 years who are underweight","Number of new technologies or management practices made available for transfer as a result of USG assistance; Number of rural households benefiting directly from USG interventions; Number of producers organizations, water users associations, trade and business associations, and community-based organizations (CBOs) receiving USG assistance; Percentage of children < 5 years who are underweight","Sex","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","To capture lessons learnt
Combined Evaluation
Impact study
Feed the Future, the U.S. government’s global hunger and food security initiative, is a $3.5 billion commitment to support country-driven approaches to address the root causes of poverty, hunger and undernutrition. A whole-of-government initiative led by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Feed the Future leverages the strengths of multilateral institutions, civil society and the private sector. Globally we aim to assist 18 million vulnerable women, hildren, and family members – mostly smallholder farmers – escape hunger and poverty. Together, we will increase agricultural productivity, decrease poverty, drive economic growth, and reduce undernutrition to improve millions of lives.
Over the next five years in Uganda, Feed the Future aims to help an estimated 709,000 vulnerable Ugandan women, children and family members—mostly mallholder farmers—escape hunger and poverty. More than 450,000 children will be reached with services to improve their nutrition and prevent stunting and child mortality. Significant numbers of additional rural populations will achieve improved income and nutritional status from strategic policy engagement and institutional investments.
To meet its objectives, Feed the Future Uganda is making core investments in three key areas:
1. Nutrition
2. Agriculture. The maize, coffee and bean belt are in Southwest and Central Uganda. The choice to focus on these value chains represents considerations regarding Ugandan government priorities, division of donor labor, and the highest impact interventions for the expected scale of Feed the Future resources.
3. Connecting Nutrition to Agriculture
USAID will build on previous strategic investments in nutrition and take them to scale in the areas and populations of greatest need to support the GOU and private sector to reduce chronic undernutrition in the country with a primary focus on prevention. Through these interventions an estimated 709,000 vulnerable Ugandan women, children, and family members—mostly smallholder farmers—will receive targeted assistance to escape hunger and poverty. More than 450,000 children will be reached with services to improve their nutrition and prevent stunting and child mortality. The core investments in nutrition will focus on community and facility based prevention and treatment, targeted nutrition service delivery, the enabling environment for nutrition and capacity building.
Community and Facility-Base Prevention and Treatment
By emphasizing prevention, FTF programs will help to reduce not only chronic undernutrition, but should also reduce the number of severely/acutely malnourished children as well, resulting in fewer children outside HIV and emergency situations needing treatment for severe acute malnutrition. For the treatment of acute malnutrition, Uganda has adopted a national protocol for the Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (IMAM). Through a ommunity and facility based approach to treating under nutrition, therapeutic and/or supplementary food is provided to severe or moderately malnourished children, with medical support, nutrition education, and at-home follow up through community based volunteers. FTF and PEPFAR’s partnership on the production, distribution, and management of RUTF support the larger national IMAM protocols.
Capacity Building
Capacity building at the national and district level is critical. Nutrition has only recently become a priority in the health sector, and without strong nutrition champions and policies centrally, nutrition priorities will not be realized. USAID will continue to train health workers in new IMAM guidelines for use in health facilities and will expand technical assistance and capacity building at the national level beyond the health sector to include Agriculture and other ministries who can contribute to a national action plan on nutrition.
","Some key outputs of nutrition activities are: nutrition officers placed in a majority of districts; active Food and Nutrition Councils organized in districts; mandatory fortification of major manufactured foods; therapeutic food reconstituted from locally available foods developed and distributed to district and regional hospitals; and community behavior changes to prevent undernutrition.
","PERFORMANCE MONITORING
Through an interactive approach across Mission teams and in collaboration with other donors and the GOU, the USG FTF effort will go beyond the status quo of performance monitoring. At the basic level, data will be collected by implementing partners and reported to USAID/Uganda through quarterly reports while quality will be assessed via Data Quality Assessment visits to the field.
IMPACT EVALUATION
To build an evidence base to adjust ongoing projects and inform future programs, we will design rigorous impact evaluations for select FTF programs. We have already identified such an opportunity with our Community Connector program, which fully integrates agriculture and nutrition activities at the household level. Discussions have been held with partners within the MIT Poverty Action Lab consortium on the use of Randomized Control Trial (RCT) experiments. We will use the results of these impact evaluations to test the hypotheses of our FTF strategy and make mid-stream adjustments to programs if necessary, or scale up programs that are working well. Using the earning component of FTF programs like Community Connector is in line with the Mission’s continuing CLA component. We will also partner with other donors to disseminate and promote lessons learned. USAID/Uganda, through unbiased and independent impact evaluations, will identify interventions that work; we will be an active contributor to the greater discourse in testable development hypotheses and our programs will benefit from our increased understanding
CAPACITY BUILDING/SUPPORT TO DATA COLLECTION
A key component of our Feed the Future program will be capacity building of the Government of Uganda in the collection, analysis, and use of agriculture and nutrition data for planning, monitoring, and evaluation. We will work with all relevant government agencies and ministries including the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, and the Ministry of Health. We will work in partnership with the National Planning authority as they attempt to convene the multisectoral Food and Nutrition Council as a cohesive and functional unit. We will seek to build local academic institutions’ capacity in nutrition through improved pre-service and in-service training, and enhanced research capacity. In addition to training in data collection and assistance in improving data systems, we will build analytical capacity in the Ministry of Agriculture by establishing a Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System (SAKSS) node.
NUTRITION COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH AND SUPPORT PROGRAM (CRSP)
We will use the Nutrition CRSP to assist us with specific research questions that tell us about the impact of our nutrition-related FTF programs. We have already had preliminary discussions with a Nutrition CRSP team. The Nutrition CRSP is intended to investigate effective ways of translating research results into widespread development practice. The CRSP anticipates the development of a well-balanced research strategy that is both innovative and problem solving, responds to the food and nutrition scientific needs, and to the capacity development requirements of Uganda. USAID/Uganda, through the CRSP, will be better positioned to build more effective strategies and programs, while establishing a research capacity within the Mission and the country as a whole. As programs continue to be developed and procured in the coming months, the CRSP will assist in collecting the relevant local and international knowledge base needed to better implement, evaluate, and learn from our programs. Within individual programs, the CRSP will be an active participant in identifying and rigorously measure testable hypotheses related to food security.
","estimated 709,000 vulnerable Ugandan women, children, and family members—mostly smallholder farmers—will receive targeted assistance to escape hunger and poverty. More than 450,000 children will be reached with services to improve their nutrition","This component will reach children in 47 districts in the Southwest and North of Uganda","","","Prevalence of households with moderate or severe hunger;Prevalence of children 6-23 months receiving a minimum acceptable diet; Prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding of children under 6 months; Number of health facilities with established capacity to manage acute under nutrition; Prevalence of anemia among children 6-59 months; Prevalence of Poverty: Percent of people living on less than $1.25/day; Expenditures of rural households;Prevalence of stunted children under five; Change in average score on Household Hunger index; Percent of children 6-23 months who received a Minimum Acceptable Diet.","Vulnerable groups","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","English" "11629","Feed the Future: The U.S. Government’s Global Hunger and Food Security Initiative","English","Multi-national","","UGA","Uganda","Northern Uganda |central “Maize Belt|Southwest Uganda","Rural|Peri-urban","on-going","01-2011","01-2015","Feed the Future, the U.S. government’s global hunger and food security initiative, is a $3.5 billion commitment to support country-driven approaches to address the root causes of poverty, hunger and undernutrition. A whole-of-government initiative led by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Feed the Future leverages the strengths of multilateral institutions, civil society and the private sector. Globally we aim to assist 18 million vulnerable women, hildren, and family members – mostly smallholder farmers – escape hunger and poverty. Together, we will increase agricultural productivity, decrease poverty, drive economic growth, and reduce undernutrition to improve millions of lives.
Over the next five years in Uganda, Feed the Future aims to help an estimated 709,000 vulnerable Ugandan women, children and family members—mostly mallholder farmers—escape hunger and poverty. More than 450,000 children will be reached with services to improve their nutrition and prevent stunting and child mortality. Significant numbers of additional rural populations will achieve improved income and nutritional status from strategic policy engagement and institutional investments.
To meet its objectives, Feed the Future Uganda is making core investments in three key areas:
1. Nutrition
2. Agriculture. The maize, coffee and bean belt are in Southwest and Central Uganda. The choice to focus on these value chains represents considerations regarding Ugandan government priorities, division of donor labor, and the highest impact interventions for the expected scale of Feed the Future resources.
3. Connecting Nutrition to Agriculture
USAID will build on previous strategic investments in nutrition and take them to scale in the areas and populations of greatest need to support the GOU and private sector to reduce chronic undernutrition in the country with a primary focus on prevention. Through these interventions an estimated 709,000 vulnerable Ugandan women, children, and family members—mostly smallholder farmers—will receive targeted assistance to escape hunger and poverty. More than 450,000 children will be reached with services to improve their nutrition and prevent stunting and child mortality. The core investments in nutrition will focus on community and facility based prevention and treatment, targeted nutrition service delivery, the enabling environment for nutrition and capacity building.
Targeted Nutrition Service Delivery – Fortification and Supplementation
Targeted nutrition service delivery is focused primarily on approaches to reduce specific micronutrient
deficiencies in Uganda. FTF will continue to support vitamin A supplementation and de-worming for
children and iron folic acid supplementation and de-worming for pregnant women at the facility level,
through district-level health programs in target geographical areas. In addition, food fortification
activities will be supported to improve the necessary vitamin and mineral content of staple foods that
will reach a larger target audience, primarily in urban and peri-urban areas where fortified foods are
more accessible. This will build on previous work supported by the USG that has resulted in cooking
oil fortification with vitamin A that now covers more than 85 percent of the country’s market and the
fortification of maize and wheat flour with vitamin A, iron, zinc, folic acid and vitamin B12 and. New food fortification vehicles will be added that include sugar fortification with vitamin A.
The agriculture team is also looking at improved seed varieties to increase micronutrient content such as the orange-fleshed sweet potato, which has increased levels of beta-carotene (Vitamin A). The introduction of fortification of foods will be combined with educational activities that promote dietary diversity through the community and facility based programs.
As previously mentioned, a key component to treatment of undernutrition in Uganda is the production of therapeutic and complementary foods. USG’s Feed the Future will expand on previous investments in local ready-to-use therapeutic food production to increase availability and distribution in health facilities across the country to treat acute undernutrition.
Enabling Environment
Our program will work to leverage other sectors (e.g., agriculture, water, public/private, etc) to create demand for fortified foods, adopt good nutrition behaviors, and activities like exclusive breastfeeding and integrated nutrition/WASH/food hygiene. Advocacy efforts will continue to emphasize the importance of nutrition among key stakeholders. Uganda is one of the countries that is taking on the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) initiative spear headed globally by the Irish Government, U.S. Government and the UN. SUN focuses on integration of relevant sectors with a view to addressing the window of opportunity within the 1,000 days (from minus 9 months to 24 months). We will work to harmonize FTF and SUN activities to maximize efficiency and national coverage in close consultation with MOH, MAAIF and other stakeholders. Through the existing micronutrient fortification program that has successfully enriched common staples such as oil and flour, FTF will continue to advocate for mandatory fortification of manufactured foods.
","Some key outputs of nutrition activities are: nutrition officers placed in a majority of districts; active Food and Nutrition Councils organized in districts; mandatory fortification of major manufactured foods; therapeutic food reconstituted from locally available foods developed and distributed to district and regional hospitals; and community behavior changes to prevent undernutrition.
","PERFORMANCE MONITORING
Through an interactive approach across Mission teams and in collaboration with other donors and the GOU, the USG FTF effort will go beyond the status quo of performance monitoring. At the basic level, data will be collected by implementing partners and reported to USAID/Uganda through quarterly reports while quality will be assessed via Data Quality Assessment visits to the field.
IMPACT EVALUATION
To build an evidence base to adjust ongoing projects and inform future programs, we will design rigorous impact evaluations for select FTF programs. We have already identified such an opportunity with our Community Connector program, which fully integrates agriculture and nutrition activities at the household level. Discussions have been held with partners within the MIT Poverty Action Lab consortium on the use of Randomized Control Trial (RCT) experiments. We will use the results of these impact evaluations to test the hypotheses of our FTF strategy and make mid-stream adjustments to programs if necessary, or scale up programs that are working well. Using the earning component of FTF programs like Community Connector is in line with the Mission’s continuing CLA component. We will also partner with other donors to disseminate and promote lessons learned. USAID/Uganda, through unbiased and independent impact evaluations, will identify interventions that work; we will be an active contributor to the greater discourse in testable development hypotheses and our programs will benefit from our increased understanding
CAPACITY BUILDING/SUPPORT TO DATA COLLECTION
A key component of our Feed the Future program will be capacity building of the Government of Uganda in the collection, analysis, and use of agriculture and nutrition data for planning, monitoring, and evaluation. We will work with all relevant government agencies and ministries including the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, and the Ministry of Health. We will work in partnership with the National Planning authority as they attempt to convene the multisectoral Food and Nutrition Council as a cohesive and functional unit. We will seek to build local academic institutions’ capacity in nutrition through improved pre-service and in-service training, and enhanced research capacity. In addition to training in data collection and assistance in improving data systems, we will build analytical capacity in the Ministry of Agriculture by establishing a Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System (SAKSS) node.
NUTRITION COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH AND SUPPORT PROGRAM (CRSP)
We will use the Nutrition CRSP to assist us with specific research questions that tell us about the impact of our nutrition-related FTF programs. We have already had preliminary discussions with a Nutrition CRSP team. The Nutrition CRSP is intended to investigate effective ways of translating research results into widespread development practice. The CRSP anticipates the development of a well-balanced research strategy that is both innovative and problem solving, responds to the food and nutrition scientific needs, and to the capacity development requirements of Uganda. USAID/Uganda, through the CRSP, will be better positioned to build more effective strategies and programs, while establishing a research capacity within the Mission and the country as a whole. As programs continue to be developed and procured in the coming months, the CRSP will assist in collecting the relevant local and international knowledge base needed to better implement, evaluate, and learn from our programs. Within individual programs, the CRSP will be an active participant in identifying and rigorously measure testable hypotheses related to food security.
","estimated 709,000 vulnerable Ugandan women, children, and family members—mostly smallholder farmers—will receive targeted assistance to escape hunger and poverty. More than 450,000 children will be reached with services to improve their nutrition","This component will reach children in 47 districts in the Southwest and North of Uganda.","","","Prevalence of households with moderate or severe hunger;Prevalence of children 6-23 months receiving a minimum acceptable diet; Prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding of children under 6 months; Number of health facilities with established capacity to manage acute under nutrition; Prevalence of anemia among children 6-59 months; Prevalence of Poverty: Percent of people living on less than $1.25/day; Expenditures of rural households;Prevalence of stunted children under five; Change in average score on Household Hunger index; Percent of children 6-23 months who received a Minimum Acceptable Diet.","Vulnerable groups","","Multiple micronutrient powders for home fortification of foods consumed by pregnant women>>>Multiple micronutrient powders for home fortification of foods consumed by pregnant women>>http://www.who.int/elena/titles/micronutrients_pregnancy","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","English" "11629","Feed the Future: The U.S. Government’s Global Hunger and Food Security Initiative","English","Multi-national","","UGA","Uganda","Northern Uganda |central “Maize Belt|Southwest Uganda","Rural|Peri-urban","on-going","01-2011","01-2015","Feed the Future, the U.S. government’s global hunger and food security initiative, is a $3.5 billion commitment to support country-driven approaches to address the root causes of poverty, hunger and undernutrition. A whole-of-government initiative led by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Feed the Future leverages the strengths of multilateral institutions, civil society and the private sector. Globally we aim to assist 18 million vulnerable women, hildren, and family members – mostly smallholder farmers – escape hunger and poverty. Together, we will increase agricultural productivity, decrease poverty, drive economic growth, and reduce undernutrition to improve millions of lives.
Over the next five years in Uganda, Feed the Future aims to help an estimated 709,000 vulnerable Ugandan women, children and family members—mostly mallholder farmers—escape hunger and poverty. More than 450,000 children will be reached with services to improve their nutrition and prevent stunting and child mortality. Significant numbers of additional rural populations will achieve improved income and nutritional status from strategic policy engagement and institutional investments.
To meet its objectives, Feed the Future Uganda is making core investments in three key areas:
1. Nutrition
2. Agriculture. The maize, coffee and bean belt are in Southwest and Central Uganda. The choice to focus on these value chains represents considerations regarding Ugandan government priorities, division of donor labor, and the highest impact interventions for the expected scale of Feed the Future resources.
3. Connecting Nutrition to Agriculture
Priority Value Chains
Our investments will focus on value chains with the greatest market potential, the highest number of farmers, and the greatest income potential for farmers. Impact on nutrition and role of gender were also critical considerations in our value chain focus, as was the potential for sector-wide impact and maximum return on investment. Many of the value chain components have integrated nutrition and agriculture dimensions. The starting point for this strategy is the Government of Uganda’s Agriculture Sector Development Strategy and Investment Plan (DSIP) where ten priority value chains were selected. In looking at each commodity, maize and coffee stood out as key drivers for conomic growth in terms of number of farmers, market demand, and income potential. Most of the Ugandan staple diet is built around other staples like beans, cassava, and banana – leaving maize to function more as a cash crop that responds to regional food security and trade demands, rather than as a household staple. Fish, dairy and livestock were also considered. However all three present a number of challenges that would require substantially higher levels of investment to address and would deliver a much lower rate of return for dollar invested.
Value-chain Investments
Policy - The USG FTF strategy will support a five-year policy reform initiative in agriculture, trade, health and gender equity. Some examples of policy priorities include the passage of Uganda’s Biotechnology and Bio-safely bill, effective implementation of the Agricultural Chemicals Control Act (1989, amended in 2006) which establishes a licensing regime for insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and fertilizers, and controls and regulates the manufacture, storage, distribution, trade, import, and export of agricultural chemicals, effective implementation of the Agriculture Seeds and Plant Act (1994) which regulates seed companies operating or importing plant material into Uganda, and passage of the Food and Nutrition Bill and related Health, Nutrition and Sanitation policies for a proposed National Food and Drug Authority. Review of Uganda’s marriage and family act lays out the ownership and control of assets for women. It is critical to address key gender components of legislation.
Capacity Building - Support to strengthen key public and private sector institutions at the national and district levels is essential to the overall success of our Feed the Future activities. This five-year set of activities will focus on building capacity within the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, and Ministries of Health and Agriculture to collect and analyze data, and to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of their programs. There will also be a short, medium, and long-term training and education component to develop the next generation of Uganda decision makers.
Agriculture Research – Feed the Future will support continued research in three areas:Biotechnology to protect food security crops from serious disease threat – specifically cassava (Cassava MOSAIC) and banana (Banana Wilt (BXW) and Black Sigatoka Disease); breeding to increase stress tolerance and disease resistance for Feed the Future focus crops (maize, coffee and beans); and partnership with Harvest Plus to scale-up the production and mainstream marketing of bio-fortified/nutritionally enhanced crop varieties - specifically Orange-fleshed Sweet Potato and high zinc/iron beans.
Increased Quality and Production – USG will contribute to a $50 million partnership with DANIDA, the EU, Belgium, and Sweden to address farm-level constraints to quality and production in maize, beans and coffee. The program will also focus on increasing farmer access to financial services and supporting trade-related sanitary and phytosanitary standards and quality management systems. Agro-Input Supply - A five-year program to increase the quality, availability, and use of inputs. This program will build the capacity of the Uganda National Agriculture Input Dealers Association (UNADA) and private sector retailers.
Farm-level Aggregation and Market Linkages - This program will work to build the capacity of farmer organizations to enter into agreements with major buyers, access finance, purchase inputs, bulk, clean, and process their commodities. The program will work in conjunction with the Abi-Trust Partnership (DANIDA) and emphasize linkages to the WFP's Purchase for Progress efforts and the Uganda Commodity Exchange.
Market-Information System - This program will work with local partners to utilize the latest in information and communications technology to address market information gaps for smallholder farmers.
","Some key outputs include:
PERFORMANCE MONITORING
Through an interactive approach across Mission teams and in collaboration with other donors and the GOU, the USG FTF effort will go beyond the status quo of performance monitoring. At the basic level, data will be collected by implementing partners and reported to USAID/Uganda through quarterly reports while quality will be assessed via Data Quality Assessment visits to the field.
IMPACT EVALUATION
To build an evidence base to adjust ongoing projects and inform future programs, we will design rigorous impact evaluations for select FTF programs. We have already identified such an opportunity with our Community Connector program, which fully integrates agriculture and nutrition activities at the household level. Discussions have been held with partners within the MIT Poverty Action Lab consortium on the use of Randomized Control Trial (RCT) experiments. We will use the results of these impact evaluations to test the hypotheses of our FTF strategy and make mid-stream adjustments to programs if necessary, or scale up programs that are working well. Using the earning component of FTF programs like Community Connector is in line with the Mission’s continuing CLA component. We will also partner with other donors to disseminate and promote lessons learned. USAID/Uganda, through unbiased and independent impact evaluations, will identify interventions that work; we will be an active contributor to the greater discourse in testable development hypotheses and our programs will benefit from our increased understanding
CAPACITY BUILDING/SUPPORT TO DATA COLLECTION
A key component of our Feed the Future program will be capacity building of the Government of Uganda in the collection, analysis, and use of agriculture and nutrition data for planning, monitoring, and evaluation. We will work with all relevant government agencies and ministries including the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, and the Ministry of Health. We will work in partnership with the National Planning authority as they attempt to convene the multisectoral Food and Nutrition Council as a cohesive and functional unit. We will seek to build local academic institutions’ capacity in nutrition through improved pre-service and in-service training, and enhanced research capacity. In addition to training in data collection and assistance in improving data systems, we will build analytical capacity in the Ministry of Agriculture by establishing a Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System (SAKSS) node.
NUTRITION COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH AND SUPPORT PROGRAM (CRSP)
We will use the Nutrition CRSP to assist us with specific research questions that tell us about the impact of our nutrition-related FTF programs. We have already had preliminary discussions with a Nutrition CRSP team. The Nutrition CRSP is intended to investigate effective ways of translating research results into widespread development practice. The CRSP anticipates the development of a well-balanced research strategy that is both innovative and problem solving, responds to the food and nutrition scientific needs, and to the capacity development requirements of Uganda. USAID/Uganda, through the CRSP, will be better positioned to build more effective strategies and programs, while establishing a research capacity within the Mission and the country as a whole. As programs continue to be developed and procured in the coming months, the CRSP will assist in collecting the relevant local and international knowledge base needed to better implement, evaluate, and learn from our programs. Within individual programs, the CRSP will be an active participant in identifying and rigorously measure testable hypotheses related to food security.
","estimated 709,000 vulnerable Ugandan women, children and family members—mostly smallholder farmers—escape hunger and poverty. ","This component will reach farmers in 62 districts in the maize, coffee, and beans belt in Southwest and Central Uganda.","","Uganda National Household Survey, 2009/2010; Demographic Health Survey, 2006; The 2008 Uganda Food Consumption Survey; 2007 Uganda Service Provision Survey; The Uganda National Household Survey 2008/2009","Percent growth in agricultural GDP of maize and coffee; Percent change in value of intra-regional exports of targeted agricultural commodities as a result of USG assistance; Post-harvest losses as a percentage of overall harvest, for selected commodities; Value of new private sector investment in the agriculture sector or food chain leveraged by FTF.implementationCapacity of relevant national statistical office to collect high-quality agricultural data","Socio-economic status","","Biofortification of staple crops>>>Biofortification of staple crops>>http://www.who.int/elena/titles/biofortification","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","English" "11637","Purchase for Progress (P4P) Pilot Initiative ","English","Multi-national","","AFG|BFA|COD|SLV|ETH|GHA|GTM|HND|KEN|LAO|LBR|MWI|MLI|MOZ|NIC|RWA|SLE|SSD|UGA|TZA|ZMB","Afghanistan|Burkina Faso|Democratic Republic of the Congo|El Salvador|Ethiopia|Ghana|Guatemala|Honduras|Kenya|Lao People's Democratic Republic|Liberia|Malawi|Mali|Mozambique|Nicaragua|Rwanda|Sierra Leone|South Sudan|Uganda|United Republic of Tanzania|Zambia","","Rural|Peri-urban","on-going","01-2008","01-2013","As the world’s largest humanitarian agency, WFP is a major staple food buyer. In 2012, WFP bought US$1.1 billion worth of food – more than 75 percent of this in developing countries WFP buys locally in developing countries when its criteria of price, quality and quantity can be met. P4P is a logical continuation of this local procurement with the intent to achieve a higher developmental gain with WFP’s procurement footprint by buying increasingly in a smallholder-friendly way.
Through P4P, WFP’s demand provides smallholder farmers in 20 pilot countries with a greater incentive to invest in their production, as they have the possibility to sell to a reliable buyer and receive a fair price for their crops. It is envisioned that in the wake of WFP purchasing in a more smallholder-friendly way, other buyers of staple commodities including Governments and the private sector will also increasingly be able to buy from smallholders.
P4P at the same time invests in capacity building at country level in areas such as post-harvest handling or storage, which will yield sustainable results in boosting national food security over the long term. The five year pilot P4P (2009 - 2013)[1] rests on three pillars:
WFP usually buys food through large competitive tenders. Through P4P, WFP is testing new procurement approaches more suited to smallholder farmers and:
Country approaches to P4P are tailored to suit the opportunities and constraints within each country. Generally, however, each programme has applied one or more of the general approaches:
Approach #1: Farmers’ organisations and capacity building partnerships:
Approach #2: Support to emerging structured trading systems
Approach #3: Small and medium traders
Approach #4: Developing local food processing capacity
.
","M&E system specifies data collection and analysis methods designed to track a number of indicators of programme performance.
The M&E system collects data from a number of sources including:
The M&E system also incorporates peer review to identify and validate best practices. At the country level, these include stakeholder meetings, workshops, and annual reviews. At the regional level, WFP is using writeshops and regional workshops to consolidate and validate learning. At the global/programme level, a Technical Review Panel meets annually to review and help interpret results and to guide implementation. Peer review meetings, annual reviews, internal (to WFP) stakeholder groups, and external evaluations also serve to validate results.
Managing the learning process for a programme with the scope and scale of P4P has been challenging and the design and evolution of the M&E system reflect these challenges. In particular:
Economic Research Consortium (AERC) to manage collection and analysis of the quantitative data.
Since P4P's launch in September 2008,
Stories From the Field: Ethiopi
Women farmers face many obstacles that they need to overcome to become successful business women. But the example of Mashuu, from Chefo Umbera, southern Ethiopia, shows that with the right support, female farmers can become independent market players.
When she left school, Mashuu noticed her peers marrying early, sometimes to men who took more than one wife. Mashuu saw her future differently, and together with two sisters and a sister-in-law, formed a women’s group, hoping to empower women through family planning education and HIV/AIDS awareness. They started with four members – today, there are 165.
“As the group started to grow, I realized we needed to become strong and independent economically,” said Mashuu. And that was how Jalela Primary Cooperative was born. Women bring their cereal harvests to Jalela, and the cooperative then sells it to Mira, their local cooperative union. The union sells the aggregated commodities to buyers such as WFP.
The 2011 drought-induced crop failure led to high market prices and a shortage of marketable produce in Ethiopia. This caused most cooperatives to default on their contracts with WFP. But Jalela still sold 30 metric tons of maize to WFP. The net profit of about US$170 was in part kept for the cooperative and in part distributed to the co-op members. Mashuu still has high hopes for the future despite the difficulties with the 2011 drought. She has plans to build a grain mill, start dairy production, and even bring electricity to the Jalela co-op. “We are going to change our lives,” she concludes.
The Experience in Guatemala
In Guatemala, P4P focuses on sales beyond WFP for two reasons: to promote long-term sustainability and to provide alternative outlets for farmers’ surplus production. Since WFP in Guatemala distributes only a few thousand metric tons (mt) of food every year, the quantities it can purchase from smallholder farmers’ organizations is relatively small, as illustrated in the table below.
P4P assisted Farmers’ Organizations (FOs) are located in northern and eastern regions of Guatemala as well as on the Pacific Coastal plain. A market study examined potential alternative buyers for both bulked and processed grain, including regional and national buyers such as the food industry, private traders, exporters, NGOs and the Government of Guatemala. According to information collected between 2008 through 2012, approximately a third of the P4P supported FOs have sold maize or beans to buyers beyond WFP. Of the total of 6,800 mt sold, 70% was maize (4,800 mt) and the rest beans (2,000 mt).
A maize processor in Guatemala that produces tortilla flour purchased 59% of the total tonnage. The second biggest buyer was Wal-Mart, which purchased 918 mt of beans. Sales to other national supermarkets, large traders and exporters represent 11% of the total (750 mt). Some 739 mt of maize and beans were sold on local markets (local grocery stores, municipal markets and traders). Small amounts were also purchased by NGOs, FAO and other P4P supported FOs.
With support from FAO, some FOs have developed the capacity to produce seed as well as grain. This represents 1.3% of the tonnage sold, but 4.2% of the income generated through collective sales beyond WFP. Such a successful focus on higherincome options has motivated the FOs to explore other markets such as retail packaging of beans, production of red beans specific to the El Salvador market, and fresh corn on the cob.
The P4P team works with the FOs to encourage sales beyond WFP. Commercialization committees are formed in the FOs and a roster of identified potential buyers in the market is shared with all. Training on effective negotiation t e c h n i q u e s a n d t h e development of business plans also begins this year.
Potential buyers are invited to the field to see the production of the grains, post-harvest management and quality control. This also allows them to become familiar with the maturity of the organization, increasing the confidence of buyers in the capacity of the FOs to establish commercial relations. This is complemented by demonstrating tools such as the “Blue Box”1, which is both a training tool and a field laboratory, which separates produce that does not meet specifications. Through partnering with P4P, FOs gained the trust of the commercial sector and confidence in their own abilities to reach a broad range of markets.
Farmers organizations’ experience steady progression in Mozambique
In Mozambique, farmers’ organizations (FOs) were created by both national government and nongovernmental organizations to facilitate technical assistance in agricultural production and marketing. This was especially important in the recovery period that followed the 1992 General Peace Agreement.
Most FOs gradually evolved from the village level to linking with other FOs at a district level. The district level is often represented by an ‘umbrella’ association of FOs, the tier with which P4P in Mozambique works directly. There are currently 10 such “umbrella” FOs in Mozambique participating in P4P. As of 2012, WFP has bought almost 10,000 metric tons (mt) of maize, beans and pulses from these FOs, valued at $5.8 million.
Apart from selling to WFP, P4P is helping FOs to identify sustainable and fair markets for sales beyond WFP. Prior to participating in the P4P initiative, many farmers had limited or no experience in selling collectively to markets. In 2009, sales beyond WFP were only 644 mt, tripling by 2012 to 1,800 mt. The table below summarizes crops sold by all 10 FOs under P4P in Mozambique and the income generated from sales per year.
P4P’s support to smallholder farmers in accessing markets for crops such as maize, beans and pulses has had a positive impact. When P4P began in 2009, soybean was the mostsold commodity by P4P supported FOs (2,480 mt). Maize was second at 926 mt, sesame third with 699 mt, followed by pigeon peas at 538 mt of sales. The possible profit margin for growing and selling maize is beginning to compete with the profits available in the soy and sesame trade, although commercial maize value remains low compared to other commodities. Buyers that are purchasing commodities from these FOs are:
The volume of products marketed in relation to the number of buyers demonstrates that the market in Mozambique is neither structured nor stable. There are often a high number of buyers intervening at the same time in more than one crop. Quality issues are often secondary for many buyers, as product availability is often considered more important.
While marketing platforms still have a long way to go in Mozambique, participating in P4P has helped with sales to markets beyond WFP. The relative consistency of having WFP as a buyer and the training provided by P4P and partners has helped many FOs meet the demands needed for selling to other buyers of quality.
Malawi – How a farmers’ organization is progressing
Kafulu Smallholder Farmers Organization (FO) was established in 2003. At the time of its establishment, Kafulu had two clear objectives: to achieve food security in the area and to find markets for their surplus. Currently the FO has 1,400 members (of which 500 are women) and with assistance from the National Agricultural Smallholder Farmers Association of Malawi (NASFAM), they have been able to build a warehouse. Kafulu had experience of selling maize collectively before P4P started in Malawi, however, since joining P4P they have been given the opportunity to learn the skills needed to achieve better deals with buyers.
A Challenging Beginning
Though Kafulu has progressed in their ability to connect to markets, the process has not been without difficulty. When the FO decided to participate in P4P it obtained credit in the 2008/2009 season, allowing them to expand their inputs loan scheme. In the 2009/2010 season, the organization again had access to credit, but faced severe problems in repayment. Loans were given to individuals and not directly to the FO and as a result, some individuals were unable to meet repayment obligations causing tensions among members. In addition, Kafulu signed a contract with WFP for the sale of 526 metric tons (mt) of maize, but was not able to deliver anything at all due to quality problems. The FO then had to sell the maize to other buyers who were not looking for high quality and they received a lower price.
In spite of these difficulties, Kafulu persevered. They managed to retain most of the membership despite the credit repayment issue, and tried to sell to WFP once again. In the 2010/2011 season, Kafulu delivered 100 mt of maize to WFP, this time with no quality issues.
Towards Graduation
By then, Kafulu farmers saw a clear way ahead: “We want to sell to people like WFP, because they are able to get a lot of money at one time and they offer fair prices for quality produce”,
stated one of the members of the Executive Committee. Although Kafulu farmers did not know then, they were completing the first step towards graduation - they had learnt how to condition their crop for higher quality standards and they had managed to aggregate at least twice. This placed them in a better position to compete with other FOs.
In the 2011/2012 season, Kafulu managed to aggregate 460 mt of maize, which they deposited into the warehouse receipt system (WRS) at the beginning of the season. From this deposit, they managed to get 70 percent of the receipt value as credit, which allowed them to wait until later in the season to sell when better prices were available.
Market Experience Today
In February 2013, Kafulu was awarded a contract for almost 230 mt of maize from WFP. They competed directly with medium and big traders in the Malawi market. By that time, they had already sold half of their maize to other buyers, at prevailing prices of around 90 MWK/kg (USD 0.27), making a good profit and enabling them to repay the credit and fees for the warehouse.
Kafulu FO still has problems with its membership stemming from past individual loan defaults and it is now dealing with the challenges of managing a WRS on its own. However, the FO has more knowledge of markets and is now prepared to engage competitively in them.
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