Resource information
Agricultural and rural development
provides a critically important opportunity for reducing
malnutrition. The purpose of this paper is to provide a set
of guiding principles for incorporating nutrition goals into
the design and implementation of agricultural and rural
development projects, and to provide examples of current
best evidence options for operational investments. Several
principles are likely to be important in all or most cases
for nutrition-sensitive agriculture, which can be adapted to
individual contexts. These include the following: 1)
incorporate nutritional concerns into the design and
implementation of agricultural policies, projects, and
investments; 2) target nutritionally vulnerable groups; 3)
invest in women; 4) increase year-round access to diverse,
nutrient-dense foods; 5) protect health through water
management; 6) design poverty-reduction strategies
explicitly to benefit nutrition; 7) create enabling
environments for good nutrition through knowledge and
incentives; and 8) seek opportunities to work across
sectors. To help assess which actions are most relevant for
a specific situation, a set of key questions are included
after each broad principle. The paper also highlights areas
where agricultural investments may cause harm, and provides
options for improving policy coherence. The principles
underscore investments in people and systems that have the
potential to transform underlying conditions and positively
influence the multiple, proximal determinants of proper
nutrition. Further research and evaluation priorities
include tracking impact on multiple outcomes at once (such
as diet, nutritional status, productivity, and income);
designing studies that can attribute impact to specific
approaches; and collecting information on costs and
cost-effectiveness. Although there is a need to strengthen
knowledge around design and implementation strategies, there
is good evidence that well-planned investments are likely to
reach at least targeted income and dietary outcomes.
Existing knowledge around the recommended principles is
sufficient to move ahead in designing nutrition-sensitive
agricultural interventions.
