Gender Informed Nutrition and Agriculture (GINA) Alliance

AndNutrition Collaborative Research

Support Program

Cheryl Jackson LewisSenior Nutrition and Health Advisor

USAID/Bureau for Food Security

CORE, Baltimore, MDMay 10, 2011

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GINA Program Description

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To use integrated agriculture and health interventions to improve nutritional outcomes of children less than 5 years of age

GINA Goal

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– Mozambique, Uganda and Nigeria

• Implement community-based nutrition activities

• Introduce nutritious crops and animal food sources to complement basic staples

• Provide technical support to farmer groups to increase yields through better planting, harvesting, storage and processing technologies

• Provide BCC to ensure that a diversified food supply translated into adequate diets

• Empower women with knowledge and skills to improve their capacity to care for their children, increase their access to resources, incomes and decision making roles

• Promote the nutrition dimension in development, poverty and food security plans, policies and budgets at multiple levels.

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Objectives

GINA Country-Led Partnership

Mozambique Nigeria Uganda

Agriculture IIAM Fed. Min. of Agric & Rural Dev

National Agriculture Advisory Services

Health MOH MOH MOH

Nutrition SETSAN, MOH Dept. of Human Nutrition, Univ of Ibadan

MOH

NGOs World Vision Food Basket Foundational International

Africare

Agric. Research Institutions

IIAM IITA NARO

Other Ministry of Education Fed. Planning Commission

Makerere University

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Creating the Policy Environment

GINA began at the national level to influence agriculture – nutrition policy formation and institutional development

Mozambique Nigeria Uganda

Agriculture Policies / Institutions PMA, NAADS

Nutrition Policies / Institutions SETSAN National Policy on Food and Nutrition

Food and Nutrition

Investment Plan

Food Security / Multi-sectoral Policies/ Institutions

PARPA, SETSAN

SCFN, LGCFN, NCFN,

PEAP, Food & Nutrition Investment

Plan

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HumanCapital

Agriculturalprocessing

Mealpreparation

Nutritional status

Kept forhousehold

Sold at market

Non-foodcash crops

Livestock, fish, non-

timber forestproducts

Foodcrops

Income

Care

Dietary Intake

Agriculture and Nutrition Pathways

Food

Assets & ResourcesInternational Center for Research on Women

Health

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HumanCapital

International Center for Research on Women

Agriculturalprocessing

Mealpreparation

Nutritional status

Kept forhousehold

Sold at market

Non-foodcash crops

Livestock, fish, non-

timber forestproducts

Foodcrops

Income

Dietary Intake

Male & Female Domains

Food

Health

Care

Assets & Resources

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Gender Perspective

• Address male and female domains; agriculture and health domains

• Though focus was on women, participation by men was significant

• Special emphasis on women because of their role as care givers, producers, processors of food

• The implications of the project on household resources

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Expanded Program of Immunization (EPI)

Micronutrient Supplementation

Nutrition Malaria Diarrhea Control

Family Planning

Mozambique

&

Uganda

Educational messages

MOH Linkage

Household surveillance

Promotion of childhood health

Promotion of Vitamin A, iron, iodine

Promotion of maternal health

MOH Linkage

Promotional messages(breast feeding; complementary feeding)

Growth Monitoring

Food demo activities

Backyard & community garden

Educational messages (treated nets; Insecticide use)

Creation of water supplies

Development of household latrines

Sanitation & Safety

Educational messages

Preparation & use of ORT

Sanitation and safety

MOH Linkage

Educational messages - Birth Spacing

Nigeria Educational messages

MOH Linkage

Household surveillance

Promotion of childhood health

Promotion of Vitamin A, iron, iodine

Promotion of maternal healthMOH LinkageHousehold surveillance

Promotional messages(breast feeding; complementary feeding)

GMP

Food demos

Backyard & community garden

Educational messages (treated Insecticide nets) Creation of H20 supplies

Development of HH latrines

Sanitation & Safety

Educational messages

Preparation & use of ORT

Sanitation and safety

MOH Linkage

No GINA -related activities

The Health Perspective of GINA: Strengthening Efforts to Reduce Childhood Undernutrition

GINA Outcomes

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Policy Outcomes

• Policies and Strategies to address hunger, food insecurity and under-nutrition

• Nutrition positioned in the national development policy frameworks

• Multi-disciplinary Advisory Committees at National/Local levels

National Food and Nutrition Policy

National Plan of Action forFood and Nutrition Security

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Agricultural Outcomes

• Improved farm management practices

• Increased availability of nutritious foods in

participating households

• 23 Technologies Transferred

• Linkages to Markets

• GINA Farmer Groups organized into functioning entities

• GINA groups have included both men and women farmers, which yielded many benefits for participants

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Community demonstration gardens

BackyardGardens

Small Ruminants

Income Generating Activities

Smoked fish for sale

Processing cassava into Gari

Processing oil from palm kennels

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• Nutritional Status improved for 3,000 children in targeted areas in Nigeria, Mozambique and Uganda

• GINA II Average (Wt/Age)• 32.% (baseline)• 14.1% (final)

• Growth Monitoring and Promotion• Monthly GMP sessions plus health

activities based on Essential Nutrition Actions for children 0-5 years

• Trained 200 community leaders on essential nutrition actions

• 80 growth promoters trained to monitor and weigh children

• Increased knowledge of women about IYCF Practices

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Nutrition Outcomes

Gender Outcomes

Empowerment of women and men with:

• Knowledge and skills to prevent or reverse undernutrition

• Access to technical resources to improve food production and food processing

• Increased participation in decision making

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Best Practices

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Best Practice 1- Geographical Information System

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Strengthen linkages between policies, programs, & actions:

Two-pronged strategy - Top-down and bottom-up

Coordination of Multiple Ministries

Best Practice 2

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Translating Policies and Action Plans to Program Implementation

Strong Advocacy - Champions

Strong Technical Skills

Best Practice 3

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Capacity Building

Project Management Capacity – National, provincial, state and local

Financial Management Capacity Management - Performance and Accountability

Standards Field Based Implementation Capacity Current Technical Issues

Best Practice 4

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Best Practice 5

• Utilize Integrated Community-Based Activities

• Sensitize and raise awareness about nutrition and health with :

• Farmer groups• Community Based

Organizations• Local Chiefs Councils • Rural Communities

• Social marketing and behavioral change component

• Farmer exchange visits

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Best Practice 6

• Select implementing partners with strong and established local networks

• Ensure adequate timeframe for

community participatory approach to promote project ownership and participation

• Well trained health workers and social promoters were essential for the dialogue with mothers and caretakers and increased community engagement to promote GMP, IYCF practices and agricultural practices

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Nutrition Collaborative Research Support Program

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Nutrition Collaborative Research Support Program (NCRSP)

Creating the Evidence Base

• Tufts University• $15 Million USD• USAID/Uganda• USAID/Nepal

Themes:• Improve the nutritional status of

women and children through agriculture and food based programs

• Scientific Research• Developing Host Country Human

and Institutional Capacity

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Nutrition Collaborative Research Support Program (NCRSP)

Aim: To determine which investments in

agriculture based strategies, policies, and health can be used to achieve:

• Large scale and sustainable improvements in nutritional outcomes

• Improvements in dietary diversity, dietary quality and improved IYCF

• Improved community capacity to combat under-nutrition

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Let us be united, sharing each others

experiencesWalking across countries,

Walking the worldShowing what we do, Surpassing the limits

WE CAN BE THE BEST NUTRITION, HEALTH AND AGRICULTURE AMBASSADORS

WE CAN CHANGE REALITY OF HUNGER IN THE WORLD

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