Improving nutrition is a challenge that cuts across many sectors. Interventions that directly affect nutrition improvement are called nutrition-specific interventions, while those that indirectly affect nutrition improvement are called nutrition-sensitive interventions. A review paper on nutrition-sensitive agriculture (NSA), published in Global Food Security, summarizes what works, what doesn’t work, and how it can be implemented and scaled-up in low- and middle-income countries.

This paper systematically reviewed empirical evidence since 2000 based on the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). The CFIR is a framework for conducting and designing implementation studies, systematically assessing potential inhibitors and facilitators, and providing guidelines in five domains, namely, NSA intervention, inner setting, outer setting, process, and actors. For this paper, 85 studies that met the selection criteria were identified and integrated into the five domains of CFIR. The findings of three domains, namely, NSA intervention, inner setting, and outer setting were reported.

The authors concluded that the same factors may or may not work in low- and middle-income countries. However, designing NSA programs focusing on (1) learning from past successes and failures, (2) appropriateness and acceptability based on the context of the area and circumstances, (3) project flexibility to deal with design limitations and unanticipated obstacles, (4) strengthening local organizations, community empowerment, and increasing resilience, and (5) supportive policies and governance, will increase the likelihood of success.
 

References

Di Prima, S., Wright, E. P., Sharma, I. K., Syurina, E., & Broerse, J. E. (2022). Implementation and scale-up of nutrition-sensitive agriculture in low-and middle-income countries: a systematic review of what works, what doesn't work and why. Global Food Security, 32, 100595.　 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2021.100595

CFIR Research Team-Center for Clinical Management Research　(2022). Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. https://cfirguide.org/ Accessed on February 8, 2022.

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