evidence-based blog of Filippo Dibari

Posts Tagged ‘agriculture’

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Call for Competitive Research Grants to Develop Innovative Methods and Metrics for Agriculture and Nutrition Actions

In Under-nutrition on October 4, 2014 at 4:01 pm

Innovative Metrics and Methods for Agriculture and Nutrition Actions (IMMANA) is a new £7.2m research partnership funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and coordinated by LCIRAH.

The aim of IMMANA is to accelerate the development of a robust scientific evidence base needed to guide changes in global agriculture to feed the world’s population projected to hit nine billion by 2050 in a way that is both healthy and sustainable.

 

What’s new

30 September 2014: Call for Competitive Research Grants to Develop Innovative Methods and Metrics for Agriculture and Nutrition Actions (IMMANA Grants) is now open!
 

Download the call (closing: 21 November 2014)

Objectives

IMMANA aims to:

1) Develop scientific evidence to inform effective policies and investments in agriculture for improved nutrition and health

2) Engage with the research community to stimulate development of innovative methodological approaches and novel metrics

3) Train young researchers in developing and applying cutting-edge methods

4) Strengthen international interdisciplinary research collaborations for evidence-based policy making and programme design.

What we do

IMMANA consists of three main workstreams:

1) Competitive Research Grants to Develop Innovative Methods and Metrics for Agriculture and Nutrition Actions (IMMANA Grants) – the call for applications is now open (closing: 21 November 2014)

2) Post-Doctoral Fellowships for Emerging Leaders in Agriculture, Nutrition, and Health Research (IMMANA Fellowships) – launching soon!

3) Agriculture, Nutrition and Health Academy – a global research network in agriculture for improved nutrition and health to serve as a platform for learning, including an annual conference.

Who we are

Partners
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK – lead partner
Research Grants, Research Network

Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, USA
Research Fellowships

Leverhulme Centre for Integrative Research on Agriculture and Health (LCIRAH), part of the London International Development Centre (LIDC)
Coordination and delivery

SOAS, University of London, UK
Project advisors

Ibi Wallbank – IMMANA Project Coordinator
Administrator, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine/ LCIRAH
 

Contact us

Interested in IMMANA? Drop us a line!

IMMANA Partners

 

 

 

Funded by

IMMANA is funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID).

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Influencing Behaviour Change for Better Child Nutrition in Ghana

In Under-nutrition on September 28, 2014 at 8:50 am

from Schools & Health web site

A new behavioural change communication (BCC) campaign is currently underway in Ghana to encourage schoolchildren to eat nutritious meals and to take on good hygiene habits.

As part of the campaign, representatives from 13 NGOs in Ghana were recently trained by Imperial College London’s Partnership for Child Development​ (PCD) to deliver good nutrition and hygiene messages across 395 communities in Ghana – targeting community events, churches, mosques and other locations.

During the training PCD outlined how materials such as t-shirts and posters should be used by campaign volunteers in communities to encourage nutritious eating habits, diet diversification and good health and hygiene of schoolchildren and their families.

By taking a Training of Trainers (ToTs) approach the lessons learnt by the NGO representatives are to be taught to community based volunteers who will spread nutrition messages to a vast audience across the 395 communities.

The workshops also looked at furthering the campaign through media engagement and how NGOs should report back on campaign outcomes for enhanced learning on what works and what areas are in need of strengthening, so that good nutrition and hygiene messages can be promoted in the best way possible.

Next Steps

In addition to targeting the community, PCD is also carrying out the BCC campaign at the school level where selected teachers will be trained and equipped with influencing manuals and wall charts. Educational jingles are also to be aired on selected radio stations throughout the project’s districts.
The BCC campaign feeds into Ghana’s Home Grown School Feeding ​(HGSF) programme which sees that food for school meals is procured from local smallholder farmers – enabling children to be better able to learn in schools and farmers to be secured of a livelihood.

​Click here​ to read more about Ghana’s HGSF programme.

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LSHTM: free online training on “Agriculture, Nutrition and Health”

In Uncategorized on September 3, 2014 at 7:21 pm

from the the web site of the London School Hygiene and Tropical Medicine:

Welcome to Agriculture, Nutrition and Health, a free open-access educational resource, commissioned and supported by Irish Aid. This Master’s-level module has been designed to explore the multi-sectoral links between agriculture, nutrition and health, highlight current evidence and identify potential programmatic solutions.

The module has been written by a team of academics at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the Leverhulme Centre for Integrative Research in Agriculture and Health. The Institute of Development Studies also kindly contributed to the module.

Please note that these are self-study sessions and that no certification or tutorial support is provided, but there is a brief assessment at the end of each session to test your knowledge.

For further information please click here for the ‘Module Overview’ or email agriculture-health@lshtm.ac.uk.

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UN/SCN News 40: Changing Food Systems for Better Nutrition

In Over-nutrition, Under-nutrition on April 21, 2014 at 6:13 pm

marriage-equality

(from the UN/SCN web site)

With growing attention to nutrition-agriculture linkages, understanding how to create nutrition-sensitive agriculture and food systems is an essential task for the future. This edition of SCN News, entitled, ‘Changing Food Systems for Better Nutrition‘ provides an overview and insights on how to change food systems for better nutrition.

This edition feature papers looking at what is going on now in terms of programming and policies, and also papers considering how to accomplish change. The case studies provide concrete examples of how countries and cities are integrating agriculture and nutrition.
This edition also contains an interview with Alan Berg, one of the nutrition pioneers, and provides an enlightening testimony of an individual’s efforts to bring nutrition and agriculture together. It also tells the story of a nutritionist winning a Grammy Award.

Access the complete SCN News 40 now and happy reading !!

 

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The State of Food and Agriculture 2013: Food systems for better nutrition

In Over-nutrition, Under-nutrition on June 4, 2013 at 8:19 pm

From the FAO web site.

Malnutrition in all its forms – undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and overweight and obesity – imposes unacceptably high economic and social costs on countries at all income levels. Improving nutrition and reducing these costs requires a multisectoral approach that begins with food and agriculture and includes complementary interventions in public health and education. The traditional role of agriculture in producing food and generating income is fundamental, but the entire food system – from inputs and production, through processing, storage, transport and retailing, to consumption – can contribute much more to the eradication of malnutrition.

Agricultural policies and research must continue to support productivity growth for staple foods while paying greater attention to nutrient-dense foods and more sustainable production systems. Traditional and modern supply chains can enhance the availability of a variety of nutritious foods and reduce nutrient waste and losses. Governments, international organizations, the private sector and civil society can help consumers choose healthier diets, reduce waste and contribute to more sustainable use of resources by providing clear, accurate information and ensuring access to diverse and nutritious foods.

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Agriculture and malnutrition in India

In Under-nutrition on June 3, 2012 at 8:19 am

A Gulati, A Ganesh-Kumar, G Shreedhar, and T Nandakumar

Food Nutr Bull, March 1, 2012; 33(1): 74-86.

 

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Despite the high and relatively stable overall growth of the economy, India’s agriculture sector is underperforming and a vast section of the population remains undernourished.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the possible interplay between agricultural performance and malnutrition indicators to see whether states that perform better in agriculture record better nutritional outcomes.

METHODS: Correlation analysis and a simple linear regression model were used to study the relationship between agricultural performance and malnutrition among children under 5 years of age and adults from 15 to 49 years of age at 20 major states using data from the National Family Health Survey-3 for the year 2005/06 and the national accounts.

RESULTS: Indicators of the level of agricultural performance or income have a strong and significant negative relationship with indices of undernutrition among adults and children, a result suggesting that improvement of agricultural productivity can be a powerful tool to reduce undernutrition across the vast majority of the population. In addition to agriculture, access to sanitation facilities and women’s literacy were also found to be strong factors affecting malnutrition. Access to healthcare for women and child-care practices, in particular breastfeeding within 1 hour after birth, are other important determinants of malnutrition among adults and children.

CONCLUSIONS: Malnutrition is a multidimensional problem that requires multisectoral interventions. The findings show that improving agricultural performance can have a positive impact on nutritional outcomes. However, improvements in agriculture alone cannot be effective in combating malnutrition if several other mediating factors are not in place. Interventions to improve education, health, sanitation and household infrastructure, and care and feeding practices are critical. Innovative strategies that integrate agriculture and nutrition programs stand a better chance of combating the malnutrition problem.

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