The State of Food Systems Worldwide: Counting Down to 2030
Cornell University, March 2023
- Food Systems
Reports and Tools
This paper presents the process used to construct the first global food systems baseline to track changes and underscore the importance of food systems-specific monitoring and transformation agendas. While data are available for most domains, off-farm livelihoods, food loss and waste, and governance represent critical data gaps. Tracking indicators will contribute to data-driven food systems governance and increase accountability for achieving goals.
State of the Evidence 2021—Modifications Aiming to Optimize Acute Malnutrition Management in Children under Five
Action Against Hunger, 2021
Reports and Tools
This document provides a summary of existing evidence about six innovative community-based management of acute malnutrition protocol modifications. It focuses on effectiveness, operational considerations, costs and cost-effectiveness, successes and challenges, and areas for future research and learning.
Status of Digital Agriculture in 47 Sub-Saharan African Countries
Food and Agriculture Organization, International Telecommunication Union, 2022
- Food Systems
Reports and Tools
Agriculture digitalization is important to leverage the benefits of digital technologies to transform societies, improve livelihoods, and eradicate poverty. The report identifies countries’ current status by assessing infrastructure, digital penetration, policies and regulations, the business environment, human capital, and agro-innovation.
Stories of Change in Nutrition: Lessons from a New Generation of Studies from Africa, Asia and Europe
Nisbett, Nicholas, Jody Harris, Derek Headey, et al. Food Security, September 2022
- Food Systems
Research Articles
This research focused on multi-sectoral determinants; changes in the food environment; the role of structural factors; and changes in political commitment, cross-sectoral coherence, and capacity. To address these interrelated issues, nutrition policy must simultaneously address upstream social, economic, and equity determinants as well as health and dietary determinants.
Stories from the Forefront: Interviews with Social and Behavior Change Communications Media ProfessionalsStories from the Forefront: Interviews with Social and Behavior Change Communications Media Professionals
Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, September 2020
- Social and Behavior Change and Gender
Reports and Tools
This report presents stories from top practitioners in social and behavior change media to help guide more effective SBC media productions and implement more sustainable programs. Themes emerged about the effectiveness of human connection and storytelling. Practitioners should consider distribution at the outset through connection with local groups, associations, and leaders who help spread the word.
Storytelling for Persuasion: Insights from Community Health Workers on How They Engage Family Members to Improve Adoption of Recommended Maternal Nutrition and Breastfeeding Behaviours in Rural Bangladesh
Grandner, Gargi Wable, Kathleen M. Rasmussen, Katherine L. Dickin, et al. Maternal & Child Nutrition, July 2022
- Nutrition and Health Systems
Research Articles
Mothers, fathers, and mothers-in-law in Bangladesh each responded to different types of messaging from community health workers counseling families on maternal, infant, and young child nutrition. Key motivators were improved fetal growth and child intelligence, while improved maternal health was the least motivating outcome, even among mothers. Persuasion on maternal rest required the most intensive effort, which resulted in scientifically inaccurate messaging. Training and monitoring to address flawed counseling narratives are critical.
Strategies for Infant and Young Child Feeding in Climate-Related Emergencies
Global Breastfeeding Collective, March 2022
- Nutrition in Humanitarian Contexts
Events
Experts discuss policies that support women by protecting families from predatory marketing and providing skilled breastfeeding support. They highlight case studies of disaster preparedness that focus on infant feeding safety and discuss strategies to protect and support maternal, infant, and young child nutrition. This is a webinar.
Strategies and Interventions for Healthy Adolescent Growth, Nutrition, and Development
Hargreaves, Dougal, Emily Mates, Purnima Menon, et al. The Lancet, November 2021
- Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning
Research Articles
Effective interventions and policies for adolescent growth, nutrition, and development need to be multi-sectoral and supported by multi-faceted and multi-level policy, extending across education, health, food systems, social protection, and digital media. Data standardization and systems are essential to coordinate and monitor these responses. Resilient food systems need to ensure access to healthy and affordable foods and provide infrastructure and incentives for physical activity. Partnerships with young people are essential to ensure that food policies reflect their needs and aspirations.
Strengthening Breastfeeding Counseling Competencies: The Design of a Facility-Based Mentorship Program in Kenya
USAID Advancing Nutrition, September 2023
- Nutrition and Health Systems
Reports and Tools
The Kenya Ministry of Health Division of Family Health, Wellness, and Nutrition; implementing partners, and USAID Advancing Nutrition designed and are currently evaluating a breastfeeding counseling mentorship program’s feasibility to strengthen health worker breastfeeding counseling competencies in Kenya. The brief is available in English, French, and Spanish.
Strengthening the Capacity of Local Organizations for Nutrition Outcomes: Local Perspectives and Ways Forward
USAID Advancing Nutrition, July 2023
- Capacity Strengthening
Events
USAID Advancing Nutrition developed and implemented a learning agenda to collect lessons learned from its support to local organizations. Speakers from Burkina Faso and Kenya share their perspectives on localization and discuss the future of locally-led development. This is a webinar with simultaneous interpretation in French and an accompanying slide deck.
Strengthening the Capacity of State Committees for Food and Nutrition to Support Enhanced Multi-Sectoral Coordination and Programming
USAID Advancing Nutrition, June 2023
- Capacity Strengthening
Reports and Tools
This capacity assessment of State Committees for Food and Nutrition suggests several steps for strengthening them, including establishing and supporting functional committees at the local government level, improving resource mobilization, and establishing and improving monitoring and evaluation systems.
Strengthening Counseling Capacity Through Supportive Supervision and Mentorship
USAID Advancing Nutrition, August 2023
- Nutrition and Health Systems
Reports and Tools
This brief highlights the importance of capacity strengthening approaches to the provision of quality counseling. It shares lessons learned from efforts to use supportive supervision and mentoring to address health worker needs and provide high quality nutrition services.
Strengthening Counseling through Improved Tools for Health Workers
USAID Advancing Nutrition, August 2023
- Nutrition and Health Systems
Reports and Tools
This brief discusses the importance of quality tools to support counseling for nutrition and nurturing care and shares tools that can improve client and provider relationships, counseling behaviors, and counselor workloads.
Strengthening Implementation of Home-Based Records for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health: A Guide for Country Programme Managers
World Health Organization, February 2023
- Early Childhood Development
- Nutrition and Health Systems
Reports and Tools
This guide provides decision-making tools and activities, links to existing resources, and examples from countries to strengthen efforts planning, designing, implementing, and monitoring home-based records.
Strengthening Maternal Nutrition Counselling during Routine Health Services: A Gap Analysis to Guide Country Programmes
Kavle, Justine A. Public Health Nutrition, October 2022
- Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning
Research Articles
Delivering maternal nutrition counseling through multiple delivery platforms improved maternal diet and/or weight gain during pregnancy. Integrating maternal nutrition counseling into pre- and in-service curricula; providing routine training, mentoring, and supportive supervision for health providers; generating global and regional weight gain guidelines; and incorporating counseling indicators as part of quality-of-care standards and routine health systems are important.
Strengthening Maternal Nutrition in Health Programs: A Guide for Practitioners
USAID Advancing Nutrition, September 2021
- Nutrition and Health Systems
Reports and Tools
This guide provides recommendations to add and strengthen maternal nutrition components in programs or services delivered by the health system, including actions to strengthen the overall health system and enabling environment. It includes a program planning process and additional information on collecting and synthesizing data.
Strengthening Maternal, Infant, and Young Child Nutrition Training and Counseling in Ghana: A Community-Based Approach
Sandow, Adam, Madelynn Tice, Rafael Pérez-Escamilla, et al. Current Developments in Nutrition, September 2022
- Early Childhood Development
Research Articles
Caregivers prioritized provider counseling, family and community support, and food safety knowledge and practice as important for responsive feeding (RF) and parenting. Providers stressed the need to integrate RF into maternal, infant, and young child nutrition training and counseling, and provide facilities with RF tools and materials.
Strengthening Nutrition Activities through Gender Integration
USAID Advancing Nutrition, August 2021
- Social and Behavior Change and Gender
Reports and Tools
A brief informed by gender analyses considers how gender differences may affect nutrition services and programming. A key aspect of the social and behavior change work of USAID Advancing Nutrition includes unpacking and responding to the social and gender norms that influence nutrition. The brief includes a review of staff learning and examples of gender integration across the project.
Strengthening Nutrition Interventions in Antenatal Care Services Affects Dietary Intake, Micronutrient Intake, Gestational Weight Gain, and Breastfeeding in Uttar Pradesh, India: Results of a Cluster-Randomized Program Evaluation
Nguyen, Phuong H., Shivani Kachwaha, Lan M. Tran, et al. The Journal of Nutrition, May 2021
Research Articles
Nutrition-intensified antenatal care (ANC), which provides more home visits and counseling on core nutrition messages than traditional ANC programs, increased iron–folic acid and calcium supplement intake. It also increased exclusive breastfeeding, consumption of vitamin A–rich foods and other vegetables and fruits, and gestational weight gain. Behavior change requires strengthening the delivery and use of maternal nutrition services in ANC services.
Strengthening Nutrition Interventions in Antenatal Care Services Improved Consumption of Iron-Folic Acid Supplements and Early Breastfeeding Practices in Burkina Faso
Kim, Sunny, Rasmané Ganaba, Purnima Menon, et al. Current Developments in Nutrition, June 2022
- Social and Behavior Change and Gender
Research Articles
Strengthening maternal nutrition interventions delivered through government antenatal care services is effective for improving maternal nutrition practices. Continued efforts to strengthen services may be needed for greater behavior change and to address family support, social norms, and other factors that impact maternal diet.
Strengthening Organizational Capacity: Lessons Learned From MOMENTUM
USAID MOMENTUM, January 2023
- Capacity Strengthening
Reports and Tools
Case studies in this report share learning from Kenya, Mozambique, and Uganda on how MOMENTUM strengthens the capacity of partner organizations. Recommendations share how to increase organizational capacity to foster self-determination, produce sustainable results, align systems for agility, and attract and sustain support.
Strengthening Policy Research and Analysis Capacity: The Role of Institutional Development Programs
International Food Policy Research Institute, July 2022
- Capacity Strengthening
Events
Collaborative food systems transformation research can play a valuable role in building long-term capacity to generate policymaking. Panelists and discussants explore lessons learned for strengthening policy research and analysis capacity. This is a webinar.
Strengthening Policy and Research for Food System Transformation in Nepal
Agrilinks, April 2022
- Food Systems
Reports and Tools
Engaging policy stakeholders beyond agricultural production systems; collaborating with credible local partners; and developing national, provincial, and local capacities for various subsectors of the food system are critical. National policymaking institutions and think tanks should drive identification of policy and research priorities. Accompany research with efforts to translate outputs into actionable projects and programs.
Strengthening Promotion Activities within Growth Monitoring Programs
Global Financing Facility, March 2020
- Early Childhood Development
- Nutrition and Health Systems
- Social and Behavior Change and Gender
Reports and Tools
During growth monitoring and promotion, health care workers are meant to provide vital, individualized nutrition and growth counseling to suit each child’s needs. However, too often counseling by frontline workers is inadequate, generic, or even non-existent. This brief includes suggestions and tools that can: 1) help health care workers visualize growth, 2) guide counseling, 3) improve counseling content, and 4) improve worker performance of promotion activities.