FROM AGRICULTURE TO NUTRITION

(VIA GENDER!)

A4NH Gender-Nutrition Methods Workshop

Nairobi, December 2013

Jody Harris (IFPRI)

Gina Kennedy (Bioversity)

Overview

• Why nutrition?

• Why women and children?

• Why agriculture?

• What are the links between agriculture and nutrition?

• Why gender?

• What to measure?

2

Malnutrition

Institutions

Political and ideological framework

Economic structure

ResourcesEnvironment, technology, people

Health services

and WASH

Careresources

and practices

Food security

and quality

Nutrient intake

Health status

Source: Adapted from

UNICEF 1990

Immediate

causes

Underlying

causes

Basic

causes

Food security:

consistent access to

diverse, nutritious

diets

(Quantity and quality)

Healthy

environments: free

from contaminants

and disease vectors

Women’s

empowerment:

decision-making

power, income, time

use, and knowledge

3

MALNUTRITION

UNDERNUTRITION

HUNGER

STUNTING

UNDERWEIGHT

WASTING

OVERWEIGHT

OBESITY

NCDs

MICRONUTRIENT MALNUTRITION

OVERNUTRITION

4

What is stunting?

• Low height-for-age

index

• Globally 34% children

<5y are stunted (195

million)

5

Two girls, both 12 years old, stand

in front of a wall with a black tape

line indicating the normal height

for a 12-year-old girl

(Source: Badham & Sweet,

Sight & Life Magazine, issue 3/2010)

LAC

Europe &

Central Asia

North Africa

Near East

SS Africa

South Asia

-9 to 24 months

PREVENT – Focus on 1st 1000 Days

Lifecycle approach is important

As GDP rises, nutrition profiles shift

Source: WHO “World Health Statistics 2006”

8

Health environment

Natural resources

Food market environment

Nutrition and health knowledge

Food accessFood

expenditure

Non-food

expenditure

Diet Child

nutrition

outcomes

Ho

use

ho

ld a

sset

s an

d liv

elih

oo

ds

Health status

Mother’s

nutrition

outcomes

Health care

Women’s

empowerment

National

nutrition

profile

Agricultural

income

Caring capacity

& practices

Female energy

expenditure

Food

production &

gathering

National

economic

growth

IndividualHousehold

Enabling environment

Processing

& storage

Agri

cult

ura

l P

roduct

ion

Source: Herforth and Harris 2013

Health environment

Natural resources

Food market environment

Nutrition and health knowledge

Food accessFood

expenditure

Non-food

expenditure

Diet Child

nutrition

outcomes

Ho

use

ho

ld a

sset

s an

d liv

elih

oo

ds

Health status

Mother’s

nutrition

outcomes

Health care

Women’s

empowerment

National

nutrition

profile

Agricultural

income

Caring capacity

& practices

Female energy

expenditure

Food

production &

gathering

National

economic

growth

IndividualHousehold

Enabling environment

Processing

& storage

Agri

cult

ura

l P

roduct

ion

Source: Herforth and Harris 2013

Share of Energy Source & Food Budget in

Rural Bangladesh

Non-Staple

plants

Fish and

Meat

Energy Source Food Budget

Staple foods

Slide Source: Howdy Bouis; FNB Mar 2011

11

Health environment

Natural resources

Food market environment

Nutrition and health knowledge

Food accessFood

expenditure

Non-food

expenditure

Diet Child

nutrition

outcomes

Ho

use

ho

ld a

sset

s an

d liv

elih

oo

ds

Health status

Mother’s

nutrition

outcomes

Health care

Women’s

empowerment

National

nutrition

profile

Agricultural

income

Caring capacity

& practices

Female energy

expenditure

Food

production &

gathering

National

economic

growth

IndividualHousehold

Enabling environment

Processing

& storage

Agri

cult

ura

l P

roduct

ion

Source: Herforth and Harris 2013

“Potential negative impacts can occur if (1) projects increase standing water where parasitic disease-carrying vectors can breed, without also increasing access to health services and education for prevention; (2) projects increase use of a toxic water source… (3) projects to increase irrigation in the short term result in longer-term water shortages” Herforth et al 2012

Health environment

Natural resources

Food market environment

Nutrition and health knowledge

Food accessFood

expenditure

Non-food

expenditure

Diet Child

nutrition

outcomes

Ho

use

ho

ld a

sset

s an

d liv

elih

oo

ds

Health status

Mother’s

nutrition

outcomes

Health care

Women’s

empowerment

National

nutrition

profile

Agricultural

income

Caring capacity

& practices

Female energy

expenditure

Food

production &

gathering

National

economic

growth

IndividualHousehold

Enabling environment

Processing

& storage

Agri

cult

ura

l P

roduct

ion

Source: Herforth and Harris 2013

“Stunting occurs in setting of ubiquitous Environmental Enteropathy; gut microbiomes of malnourished children are abnormal, and promote weight loss and malnutrition… Farm practices to control spread of disease are well known – Keeping animals out of human water supplies” Ghosh et al 2013

Health environment

Natural resources

Food market environment

Nutrition and health knowledge

Food accessFood

expenditure

Non-food

expenditure

Diet Child

nutrition

outcomes

Ho

use

ho

ld a

sset

s an

d liv

elih

oo

ds

Health status

Mother’s

nutrition

outcomes

Health care

Women’s

empowerment

National

nutrition

profile

Agricultural

income

Caring capacity

& practices

Female energy

expenditure

Food

production &

gathering

National

economic

growth

IndividualHousehold

Enabling environment

Processing

& storage

Agri

cult

ura

l P

roduct

ion

Source: Herforth and Harris 2013

Health environment

Natural resources

Food market environment

Nutrition and health knowledge

Food accessFood

expenditure

Non-food

expenditure

Diet Child

nutrition

outcomes

Ho

use

ho

ld a

sset

s an

d liv

elih

oo

ds

Health status

Mother’s

nutrition

outcomes

Health care

Women’s

empowerment

National

nutrition

profile

Agricultural

income

Caring capacity

& practices

Female energy

expenditure

Food

production &

gathering

National

economic

growth

IndividualHousehold

Enabling environment

Processing

& storage

Agri

cult

ura

l P

roduct

ion

Source: Herforth and Harris 2013

“With very few exceptions, home garden programs increased the consumption of fruit and vegetables;

aquaculture and small fisheries interventions increased the consumption of fish; and dairy development projects

increased the consumption of milk.” Masset et al, 2012

Health environment

Natural resources

Food market environment

Nutrition and health knowledge

Food accessFood

expenditure

Non-food

expenditure

Diet Child

nutrition

outcomes

Ho

use

ho

ld a

sset

s an

d liv

elih

oo

ds

Health status

Mother’s

nutrition

outcomes

Health care

Women’s

empowerment

National

nutrition

profile

Agricultural

income

Caring capacity

& practices

Female energy

expenditure

Food

production &

gathering

National

economic

growth

IndividualHousehold

Enabling environment

Processing

& storage

Agri

cult

ura

l P

roduct

ion

Source: Herforth and Harris 2013

“Overall, cash-cropping schemes [whether staple crops or other] did not have a significant impact – negative or positive – on child nutritional status.” World bank, 2007

Health environment

Natural resources

Food market environment

Nutrition and health knowledge

Food accessFood

expenditure

Non-food

expenditure

Diet Child

nutrition

outcomes

Ho

use

ho

ld a

sset

s an

d liv

elih

oo

ds

Health status

Mother’s

nutrition

outcomes

Health care

Women’s

empowerment

National

nutrition

profile

Agricultural

income

Caring capacity

& practices

Female energy

expenditure

Food

production &

gathering

National

economic

growth

IndividualHousehold

Enabling environment

Processing

& storage

Agri

cult

ura

l P

roduct

ion

Source: Herforth and Harris 2013

“Women’s empowerment is linked to over 50% of reductions in all child stunting from 1970-1995” Smith and Haddad 2000

Shown in many studies, in many parts of the world: women’s income has greater impact on child nutrition and food security than men’s UNICEF 2011; Smith et al 2003

Health environment

Natural resources

Food market environment

Nutrition and health knowledge

Food accessFood

expenditure

Non-food

expenditure

Diet Child

nutrition

outcomes

Ho

use

ho

ld a

sset

s an

d liv

elih

oo

ds

Health status

Mother’s

nutrition

outcomes

Health care

Women’s

empowerment

National

nutrition

profile

Agricultural

income

Caring capacity

& practices

Female energy

expenditure

Food

production &

gathering

National

economic

growth

IndividualHousehold

Enabling environment

Processing

& storage

Agri

cult

ura

l P

roduct

ion

Source: Herforth and Harris 2013

agricultural

production

maternal health

and care

child care

income-earning

activities

The zero-sum game

McGuire and Popkin, Food & Nutr Bull, 1989

19

Slide courtesy Andy Jones

agricultural production

maternal health

and care

child care

income-earning

activities

McGuire and Popkin, Food & Nutr Bull, 1989

The zero-sum game

20

Slide courtesy Andy Jones

Health environment

Natural resources

Food market environment

Nutrition and health knowledge

Food accessFood

expenditure

Non-food

expenditure

Diet Child

nutrition

outcomes

Ho

use

ho

ld a

sset

s an

d liv

elih

oo

ds

Health status

Mother’s

nutrition

outcomes

Health care

Women’s

empowerment

National

nutrition

profile

Agricultural

income

Caring capacity

& practices

Female energy

expenditure

Food

production &

gathering

National

economic

growth

IndividualHousehold

Enabling environment

Processing

& storage

Agri

cult

ura

l P

roduct

ion

Source: Herforth and Harris 2013

Agricultural activities tend to make up a major share of rural women’s energy expenditure, often at high levels of effort and in addition to normal domestic duties.

Women are more likely than men to suffer from seasonal energy deficiency and seasonal weight loss.

Negative impacts on children of pregnancy during hunger season (or famine).

Occupational health hazards in agriculture can have an impact on women, and on their children in-utero.

Harris, forthcoming

Overall Messages: Pathways to Nutrition

OLD: Assumptions about

nutrition impact have been

challenged

• Increasing production of

calories

• Increasing overall household

incomes as a singular priority

• Agriculture as an engine of

overall economic growth;

trickle-down effect on nutrition

minimal

NEW: These need more attention if we are going to reach nutrition

• Increasing production of - and access to - diverse, nutrient-dense foods

• Increasing women’s control of income…

• …and avoiding harm due to additional time demands or energy expenditure of women

• Incorporating nutrition education for enhanced nutrition impact from food production and income

22

Health environment

Natural resources

Food market environment

Nutrition and health knowledge

Food accessFood

expenditure

Non-food

expenditure

Diet Child

nutrition

outcomes

Ho

use

ho

ld a

sset

s an

d liv

elih

oo

ds

Health status

Mother’s

nutrition

outcomes

Health care

Women’s

empowerment

National

nutrition

profile

Agricultural

income

Caring capacity

& practices

Female energy

expenditure

Food

production &

gathering

National

economic

growth

IndividualHousehold

Enabling environment

Processing

& storage

Agri

cult

ura

l P

roduct

ion

Production diversity

Household food security

Knowledge / attitudes

Target food consumption

Individual diet diversity

Target nutrient consumption

Anthropometry / biomarkers

Infant and young child

feeding

Environmental contaminants

or vectors

Food prices and

availability

Women’s Empowerment

in Ag Index

Consumption / Expenditure

Energy expenditureTime use

THANK YOU!

24

CRP / Indicator

Pro

du

ctio

n

div

ers

ity

HH

Fo

od

se

cu

rity

Wo

men

’s

emp

ow

erm

ent

Kn

ow

led

ge

/

att

itu

des

Ta

rge

t fo

od

co

nsu

mp

tio

n

IDD

S

Targ

et nutr

ient

co

nsu

mp

tio

n

Anth

ropom

etr

y /

bio

ma

rke

rs

‘Do n

o h

arm

’

Oth

er

1.1 Dryland Systems * * * *

1.2 Humidtropics * * * *

1.3 AAS * *

3.2 Maize *

3.3 GRiSP

3.4 RTB * *

3.5 Grain Legumes *

3.6 Dryland Cereals * *

3.7 L&F * *

4 A4NH \ * *

25

How to choose indicators…?

• Which pathway(s) is your program trying to address?

• Which of the boxes along that pathway (or any

intermediate steps not adequately captured there) can

you feasibly measure?(As many as possible!)

• What (preferably validated) tools and metrics exist to

measure each of these?

• In what way will each of these need to be adapted to your

particular context (without losing the validity of the tool)?

• How does the totality of your indicators build a picture of

how your agriculture program is affecting nutrition?

26