Suchergebnisse

The COVID-19 pandemic has provoked a range of economic shocks, food systems shocks, public health crises and political upheavals across the globe, prompting a rethink of associated global systems. Prepandemic anticolonial movements that challenged hierarchies of race, space, gender and expert knowledge in global health took on new meaning in the context of the unequal impacts of the SARS-CoV-2 virus as it moved through different kinds of spaces and distinct political contexts. In light of these dynamics, and the desire of many current practitioners in global health to reimagine the future, the need for critical analyses of the recent past have become more urgent. Here we challenge linear understandings of progress in global health—with a focus on the field of nutrition—by returning to consider a previous cycle of dramatic social, political and economic change that prompted serious challenges to the dominance of Western powers and US-based philanthro-capitalists. With a 'global' health and nutrition audience in mind, we put forward considerations on why a better understanding of the continuities and divergences between this past and the present moment are necessary to challenge a status quo that was, and is, highly flawed.

Governments and development agencies require accurate information on the impacts of increased mortality rates caused by AIDS on the agricultural sector and rural livelihoods. Several previous studies have estimated the effects of prime-age mortality on afflicted households in relation to non-afflicted households. Using nationally representative household panel data from rural Zambia, we measure the effects of prime-age adult mortality rates on changes in a set of community level welfare indicators. In general, the findings of this study offer limited support for the view that prime-age mortality is decimating agrarian-based economic systems in regions that are hard-hit by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. However, this in no way implies that great hardship is not being wrought by the disease in ways that are not measured in this data, and further research from other areas and/or time periods will be necessary before strong conclusions can be generated about the effects of AIDS-related mortality in regions of the world where prevalence rates are very high. ; IFPRI3; Theme 4; ISI; GRP33; Food systems: disaster prevention, relief, and rebuilding after crises; Health, Diet and Nutrition; DCA; RENEWAL ; FCND ; PR

Governments and development agencies require accurate information on the impacts of increased mortality rates caused by AIDS on the agricultural sector and rural livelihoods. Several previous studies have estimated the effects of prime-age mortality on afflicted households in relation to non-afflicted households. Given that HIV prevalence rates exceed 15-20 percent in many parts of southern Africa, we question whether non-afflicted households are a valid control group in hard-hit communities because non-afflicted households may nevertheless be adversely affected by the mortality occurring in neighboring households. Using nationally representative household panel data from rural Zambia, we measure the effects of prime-age adult mortality rates on changes in a set of community level welfare indicators. We find that a rise in community mortality rates from zero to 24.4 percent (which is the difference in mortality rates between the 25th and 75th percentile of all 393 communities) is associated with a 5 percent decline in the land area cultivated at the community level. We find little evidence that cropped area is shifting toward labor-saving crops such as cassava in hard-hit areas as is sometimes contended. Other factors related to agricultural policy need to be considered when examining the impact of HIV/AIDS on the agricultural sector. Most notably, many countries in eastern and southern Africa had formerly implemented state-led maize promotion policies featuring pan-territorial producer prices, major investments in marketing board buying stations, and subsidies on fertilizer distributed on credit to small farmers along with hybrid maize seed. These maize marketing policies in Zambia were either eliminated or scaled back significantly starting in the early 1990s as part of economy-wide structural adjustment programs. These policy changes clearly reduced the financial profitability of growing maize in the more remote areas where maize production was formerly buoyed by pan-territorial pricing, and has shifted cropping incentives toward other food crops such as cassava (Jayne et al). ; Non-PR ; IFPRI1; DCA; GRP33; Health, Diet and Nutrition; RENEWAL ; PHND

This paper—which draws on inputs to, and discussions at, a methods development workshop—highlights the various concepts, methods, and tools that SoC researchers are considering to measure nutrition-relevant change in their respective countries. The focus is on nutrition-relevant policy and practice. These tools apply to 11 subthemes, which are to some extent sequential within policy/programming cycles: (1) assessing the nutrition problem, (2) stakeholder and institutional analysis/mapping, (3) understanding enabling environments for nutrition, (4) agenda setting and political commitment for nutrition, (5) policy formulation and policy processes, (6) multisectoral coordination, (7) implementation and vertical coherence, (8) scaling up, (9) assessing capacity, (10) assessing finance, and (11) monitoring, evaluation, and accountability. Examining these various methods and tools together allows for a holistic consideration of the processes that—while challenging to document and measure—play a key role in improving nutrition-relevant policy and practice, which, in turn, drives national achievement in reducing malnutrition. ; Non-PR ; IFPRI1; CRP4; Transform Nutrition; Capacity Strengthening; B Promoting healthy food systems; F Strengthening institutions and governance; Stories of Change in Nutrition ; PHND; A4NH ; CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH)

Undernutrition affects over 2 billion people; but most of the global policy focus has been on technical solutions rather than an understanding of nutrition politics. This paper reviews existing literature on nutrition politics and policy. We identify a number of recurring themes surrounding knowledge; politics, and capacities. While the literature on nutrition politics and policy is growing; we demonstrate how there are a number of gaps in our understanding that might be addressed from wider development scholarship on politics and related issues such as power and the state, participation, and accountability.

Malnutrition in all its forms continues to be a massive global challenge, and the past decade has seen a growing political attention to addressing malnutrition in different contexts. What has been largely missing so far, and is in growing demand from countries, is tangible, practical and rigorous insights and lessons (from other countries or contexts) on how to translate this burgeoning political momentum into effective policies and programme implementation strategies – and ultimately impact on the ground. This new climate of learning from experience and evidence led to the launch in 2015 of the Stories of Change initiative. This series presents a second wave of studies from six countries (Tanzania, Rwanda, Vietnam, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Nigeria,) and three Indian states (Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu). These provide clear evidence combined with compelling narratives on what drives success in addressing all forms of malnutrition – evidence that is necessary for turning global momentum into actual results on the ground. This introductory Opinion is published with the first set of papers. It will be followed by a thorough synthesis of papers as a conclusion of the Series. We hope that the lessons embedded in these Stories of Change will inform and inspire the deliberations and outcomes of the UN Food Systems Summit and the second Nutrition for Growth Summit to be held this year, and the actions of those in the global food and nutrition system working for positive change.

After a period of relative success in generating political momentum to address malnutrition, there is an increasing urgency to focus on implementation and impact on the ground. This requires better documentation of the experiences of policymakers, nutrition leaders, program managers and implementers in making decisions on what to do in real time, such as coordinating and implementing multisectoral nutrition plans in dynamic country contexts. The goal of the Stories of Change (SoC) initiative is to foster and support such experiential learning by systematically assessing and analyzing drivers of change in six high-burden contexts (Ethiopia, Zambia, Senegal, Bangladesh, Nepal and Odisha, India) that have had some success in accelerating improvements in nutrition. While recognizing context-specificity, we unpack the key pre-requisites (commitment, coherence, accountability, data, leadership, capacity and finance) that fuel and sustain progress.

South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa are the two regions of the world with the highest concentration of undernutrition. The majority of the nutritionally vulnerable populations in both regions is dependent in some way upon agriculture as a primary source of livelihood. The agriculture sector and wider agri-food system is considered to be central to sustained progress in reducing undernutrition – and yet not enough is known about how to unleash this potential. Recent scoping assessments have also revealed a paucity of information on wider political, institutional and policy-related challenges relating to the agriculture-nutrition nexus globally. Contextualized research into policy processes and the political economy of agriculture and nutrition is needed to better characterize "enabling environments" for agriculture to benefit nutrition, and how these environments can be shaped and sustained. This study aims to contribute to filling this gap, by drawing upon evidence from a set of case studies in South Asia (India, Bangladesh and Pakistan) and eastern Africa (Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya). In synthesizing results across countries, while recognizing important nuance and detail, we conclude by highlighting four key issues to be addressed. First, improving knowledge and perception of undernutrition and its links to agriculture, on the part of agricultural policymakers and programme managers. Second, generating system-wide incentives for decisions and actions to become more pro-nutrition. Third, developing transparent systems of accountability for nutrition-relevant action throughout the agriculture sector, through linking timely and actionable data and evidence with incentives. And fourth, cultivating and strengthening leadership and capacities at different levels, underpinned by adequate financing. ; UK Aid ; Department for International Development (DFID)

L'ampleur et la gravité des répercussions de l'épidémie de VIH/SIDA en Afrique subsaharienne sont effrayantes: la maladie a décimé les pays de la région et à sérieusement compromis la nutrition et la sécurité alimentaire de millions de ménages. Cette étude est une tentative d'analyse de la façon dont le VIH/SIDA affecte la nutrition et la sécurité alimentaire et dont les ménages et les communautés réagissent pour y faire face et des incidences de l'épidémie du point de vue des politiques et des programmes, et en particulier des leçons que l'on peut tirer des efforts qui ont été faits récemment pour en atténuer les effets. Ce document contient également une analyse du rôle spécifique de l'aide alimentaire, étant donné que l'accès insuffisant à l'alimentation est l'un des premiers signes de détresse lorsqu'un ménage est touché par le VIH/SIDA. ; Non-PR ; IFPRI2; Health, Diet and Nutrition ; FCND

Background: The Transform Nutrition (Transform) research consortium (2012-2017), led by the International Food Policy Research Institute, sought to generate evidence to inform and inspire action to address undernutrition in 4 high-burden countries (India, Bangladesh, Kenya, and Ethiopia) and globally. Objective: Within the context of the literature, this synthesis article brings together core findings of Transform, highlighting priorities for future research. Methods: This article uses a narrative approach to synthesize diverse study findings that collectively address Transform's three primary research questions: (1) How can nutrition-specific interventions be appropriately designed, implemented, scaled, and sustained in different settings?; (2) How can the nutritional impact of social protection and agriculture be improved?; and (3) How can enabling environments be promoted so as to use existing political and economic resources more effectively? Results: Highlights of Transform include (1) improved understanding of the relative effectiveness of different combinations of nutrition-specific interventions and the ways in which they can be scaled for maximal impact; (2) evidence that shows that social protection and agriculture need to be explicitly linked to nutrition in order to contribute to stunting reduction; (3) identification of key components of "enabling environments" for nutrition and how they can be cultivated/sustained; (4) research that examines ways in which leaders emerge and operate to change the political and policy landscape in different settings; and (5) "stories of change" that provide in-depth contextual knowledge of how transformative change has been driven in countries that have made inroads in reducing malnutrition. The conclusion highlights the contributions of the consortium and provides recommendations for future research.

IFPRI3; ISI; CRP4; F Strengthening institutions and governance ; PHND; A4NH ; PR ; CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH)