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Non-PR, IFPRI1; CRP4; B Promoting healthy food systems, PHND; A4NH, CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH), A growing number of governments, donor agencies, and development organizations are committed to supporting nutrition-sensitive agriculture (NSA) to achieve their development goals. Although consensus exists on pathways through which agriculture may influence nutrition-related outcomes, empirical evidence on agriculture’s contribution to nutrition and how it can be enhanced is still weak. This paper reviews recent empirical evidence (since 2014), including findings from impact evaluations of a variety of NSA programs using experimental designs as well as observational studies that document linkages between agriculture, women’s empowerment, and nutrition. It summarizes existing knowledge regarding not only impacts but also pathways, mechanisms, and contextual factors that affect where and how agriculture may improve nutrition outcomes. The paper concludes with reflections on implications for agricultural programs, policies, and investments, and highlights future research priorities.

PR, IFPRI1; ReSAKSS; Urban food systems for better diets, nutrition, and health, DSGD; WCAO; ESAO; PHND; A4NH, CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH), The current global evidence base regarding the nutritional impacts of nutrition-sensitive programs, including popular ones such as social safety nets and agriculture development programs, is generally limited due to poor targeting, design, and implementation of programs and, equally important, to suboptimal evaluation designs (Webb-Girard et al. 2012; Ruel and Alderman 2013; Leroy, Ruel, and Verhofstadt 2009). Although there is a consensus regarding the need to invest in nutrition-sensitive programs in order to address the underlying causes of undernutrition and to improve the effectiveness, reach, and scale of both nutrition-specific interventions and nutrition-sensitive programs, the evidence of what works, how, and at what cost is extremely limited. Thus, building a strong body of evidence from rigorous, theory-based comprehensive evaluations of different nutritionsensitive program models that bring together interventions from a variety of sectors (health, education, agriculture, social protection, women’s empowerment, water and sanitation, and so on) is essential to provide the needed guidance for future investments for improving nutrition. This chapter provides this type of guidance, focusing on how to design and carry out rigorous process, cost, and impact evaluations of complex nutrition-sensitive programs. It aims to demystify some of the perceived insurmountable challenges that have prevented investments in rigorous evaluations of such programs in the past. By doing so, we hope that the evidence gap in nutrition-sensitive programming, which has characterized the past decades of development, will quickly be filled and that future investments will benefit from a strong body of evidence on what works to improve nutrition, how it works, and at what cost.

PR, IFPRI1; ReSAKSS, DSGD; WCAO; ESAO; PHND; A4NH, CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH), This chapter summarizes the primary results from the impact evaluation and two rounds of process evaluation described above that have been previously published in journal articles (van den Bold et al. 2015; Olney et al. 2015, 2016) or program evaluation reports (Olney, Behrman, et al. 2013; Dillon et al. 2012). The chapter brings together these different findings to describe the overall impacts that HKI’s EHFP program in Burkina Faso had on maternal and child health, nutrition, and well-being outcomes during the program period, and discusses how these impacts may have been achieved along the hypothesized program impact pathways. In addition, we discuss ideas about how this type of program could be further leveraged to optimize impacts on maternal and child health, nutrition, and well-being outcomes in future programs.

Non-PR, IFPRI1; CRP4; B Promoting healthy food systems, DGO; A4NH; PHND, CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH)

Non-PR, IFPRI1; CRP4; B Promoting healthy food systems, DGO; A4NH; PHND, CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH)

Non-PR, IFPRI5; B Promoting healthy food systems, PHND

Non-PR, IFPRI5; B Promoting healthy food systems, PHND

Non-PR, IFPRI1; 2020, PHND; DGO

PR, IFPRI1; GRP4; 2020, DGO; PHND

PR, IFPRI1; GRP4; 2020, DGO; PHND

Non-PR, IFPRI1; 2020, PHND, Value-chain approaches are already used as development strategies to enhance the livelihoods of food producers, but they have, to date, rarely been used explicitly as a tool to achieve nutritional goals, and they have not been sensitive to nutritional concerns. This brief seeks to identify if, why, and how value-chain concepts could and should be applied to enhance the ability of agriculture to improve nutrition

Non-PR, IFPRI1; 2020, PHND, Value-chain approaches are already used as development strategies to enhance the livelihoods of food producers, but they have, to date, rarely been used explicitly as a tool to achieve nutritional goals, and they have not been sensitive to nutritional concerns. This brief seeks to identify if, why, and how value-chain concepts could and should be applied to enhance the ability of agriculture to improve nutrition.

Non-PR, IFPRI1; 2020, DGO; PHND, As a unified set of global poverty reduction goals, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in principle provide an opportunity for overcoming sectoral divides and forging effective links between agriculture and health. Both agriculture and health are important for most of the MDGs, and positive synergies could link agricultural and health policy, programming, and research in ways that would benefit both sectors and advance the MDGs as a whole. But these links have not materialized in satisfactory ways.

Non-PR, IFPRI1; GRP24, DGO; PHND; COM, As the world approaches the 2015 deadline for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)—which include a goal of reducing the proportion of hungry people by half—the 2010 Global Hunger Index (GHI) offers a useful multidimensional overview of global hunger. The 2010 GHI is the fifth in an annual series that records the state of global, regional, and national hunger. The 2010 GHI shows some improvement over the 1990 GHI, falling by almost one-quarter, but overall the index for hunger in the world remains at a level characterized as serious.

PR, IFPRI1; GRP4; 2020, DGO

Non-PR, IFPRI1; GRP4; GRP24; GRP28; Enhanced food and diet quality; Health, Diet and Nutrition; Theme 7; Subtheme 7.2; 2020, DGO, Por lo general, las iniciativas para elaborar políticas relativas a la agricultura y la salud pública se llevan a cabo de una forma paralela e inconexa, a pesar de que las acciones conjuntas y coherentes en ambos sectores podrían generar grandes beneficios y reducir considerablemente los riesgos para las poblaciones pobres. Existe un creciente reconocimiento entre los profesionales del desarrollo de que la agricultura incide en la salud, de que ésta afecta a la agricultura, y que, en cambio, ambas tienen profundas implicaciones en la reducción de la pobreza. Este reconocimiento sugiere que existen oportunidades para que la agricultura contribuya a lograr una mejor salud y para que ésta contribuya a la producción agrícola. Sin embargo, para aprovechar estas oportunidades, es esencial comprender los vínculos precisos entre los dos sectores. ¿De qué forma funcionan estos vínculos? ¿Dónde yacen las oportunidades para tomar acciones conjuntas y cuáles son los impedimentos para ello? ¿De qué forma pueden el sector agrícola y el de salud trabajar juntos, de forma más estrecha y, por consiguiente, contribuir a abordar la pobreza? Para ayudar a incrementar estas sinergias, el IFPRI y sus centros filiales dentro del Grupo Consultivo para la Investigación Agrícola Internacional (CGIAR, por sus siglas en inglés) han empezado a ejecutar una iniciativa sobre la agricultura y la salud. Parte de esta iniciativa está promoviendo una mejor coordinación de las investigaciones relativas a la salud entre los centros del CGIAR y varios socios de trabajo dentro del sector de salud. Los vínculos entre la agricultura y la salud son dinámicos y complejos, y las labores a lo largo de los sectores imponen considerables desafíos institucionales. Estos resúmenes de políticas se basan en un conjunto de investigaciones que se condujeron tanto dentro como fuera del CGIAR. Éstos ofrecen un contexto histórico sobre los vínculos entre la agricultura y la salud, abordan condiciones de salud y sistemas

PR, IFPRI4, PHND; FCND; DGO

Non-PR, IFPRI1; Nutrition and Health, DGO; FCND; NDO; MTID, "1. The facts: Child malnutrition in India India is home to 40 percent of the world’s malnourished children and 35 percent of the developing world’s low-birth-weight infants; every year 2.5 million children die in India, accounting for one in five deaths in the world. More than half of these deaths could be prevented if children were well nourished. India’s progress in reducing child malnutrition has been slow. The prevalence of child malnutrition in India deviates further from the expected level at the country’s per capita income than in any other large developing country.; 2. The challenge: Accelerating progress in reducing child malnutrition in India India has many nutrition and social safety net programs, some of which (such as Integrated Child Development Services [ICDS] and the Public Distribution System [PDS]) have had success in several states in addressing the needs of poor households. All of these programs have potential, but they do not form a comprehensive nutrition strategy, and they have not addressed the nutrition problem effectively so far.; 3. Strategic choices for improved child nutrition India lacks a comprehensive nutrition strategy. Various choices for nutrition strategies can be considered. A review of some of the more successful country experiences suggests that all of them implemented complex, multisectoral actions with more or less emphasis on service-oriented nutrition policies (as in Indonesia), incentive-oriented nutrition policies linked to community or household participation and performance (as in Mexico), or mobilization-oriented nutrition policies (as in Thailand). These choices are not mutually exclusive. India now has the opportunity to “leapfrog” toward innovative nutritional improvement based on the experiences of other countries and on experiences within India itself.; 4. Cooperation for policy actions To accelerate progress in reducing child malnutrition, India should focus on the following four cross-cutting strategic approach

Non-PR, IFPRI1, COM, "The complex causes of the current food and agriculture crisis require a comprehensive response. In view of the urgency of assisting people and countries in need, the first set of policy actions— an emergency package—consists of steps that can yield immediate impact: 1. expand emergency responses and humanitarian assistance to food-insecure people and people threatening government legitimacy, 2. eliminate agricultural export bans and export restrictions, 3. undertake fast-impact food production programs in key areas, and 4. change biofuel policies. A second set of actions—a resilience package—consists of the following steps: 5. calm markets with the use of market-oriented regulation of speculation, shared public grain stocks, strengthened food-import financing, and reliable food aid; 6. invest in social protection; 7. scale up investments for sustained agricultural growth; and 8. complete the Doha Round of World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations. Investment in these actions calls for additional resources. Policymakers should consider mobilizing resources from four sources: the winners from the commodity boom among countries; the community of traditional and new donor countries; direct or indirect progressive taxation and reallocation of public expenditures in the affected countries themselves; and mobilization of private sector finance, including through improved outreach of banking to agriculture. Because of countries’ diverse situations, the design of programs must be country driven and country owned. Accountability for sound implementation must also rest with countries. At the same time, a new international architecture for the governance of agriculture, food, and nutrition is needed to effectively implement the initiatives described, and especially their international public goods components. Global and national action is needed, through existing mechanisms, well-coordinated special initiatives, and possibly a special fund." -- from Text

Non-PR, IFPRI1, COM, "La complejidad de las causas de la actual crisis alimentaria y agrícola requiere de una respuesta integral. En vista de que es urgente prestar asistencia a las poblaciones y los países necesitados, la primera serie de acciones de política —un paquete de emergencia— consiste en varios pasos para generar un impacto inmediato: 1. Incrementar las acciones de emergencia y la ayuda humanitaria para incluir a las poblaciones que experimentan inseguridad alimentaria y a las que amenazan la legitimidad gubernamental; 2. Eliminar la prohibición y las restricciones a las exportaciones agrícolas; 3. Emprender programas que permitan rápidamente expandir la oferta alimentaria en áreas clave; y, 4. Modificar las políticas de los biocombustibles. Una segunda serie de acciones de política —un paquete de resiliencia socioeconómica— consiste en los siguientes pasos: 5. Proveer tranquilidad en los mercados mediante una regulación de los movimientos especulativos a través de instrumentos de mercado, reservas públicas y compartidas de granos, un mayor financiamiento para la importación de alimentos, y una ayuda alimentaria confiable; 6. Invertir en protección social; 7. Incrementar paulatinamente las inversiones para un crecimiento agrícola sostenido; y, 8. Concluir las negociaciones de la Ronda de Doha de la Organización Mundial del Comercio (OMC). La inversión en estas acciones requiere de recursos adicionales. Las instancias decisorias deberán considerar la movilización de recursos provenientes de cuatro fuentes: los países que se han beneficiado del auge de los commodities agrícolas; la comunidad de países donantes, tanto tradicionales como nuevos; impuestos proporcionales, directos o indirectos, y la reasignación del gasto público en los propios países afectados; y la movilización de los recursos financieros del sector privado, lo que incluye una ampliación en la cobertura de los servicios financieros para la agricultura. Debido a las diversas situaciones que enfrentan, los mismos

Non-PR, IFPRI1, COM, "The complex causes of the current food and agriculture crisis require a comprehensive response. In view of the urgency of assisting people and countries in need, the first set of policy actions-an emergency package-consists of steps that can yield immediate impact:; 1. expand emergency responses and humanitarian assistance to food-insecure people andpeople threatening government legitimacy,; 2. eliminate agricultural export bans and export restrictions,; 3. undertake fast-impact food production programs in key areas, and; 4. change biofuel policies. A second set of actions-a resilience package-consists of the following steps:; 5. calm markets with the use of market-oriented regulation of speculation, shared public grain stocks, strengthened food-import financing, and reliable food aid;; 6. invest in social protection;; 7. scale up investments for sustained agricultural growth; and; 8. complete the Doha Round of World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations. Investment in these actions calls for additional resources. Policymakers should consider mobilizing resources from four sources: the winners from the commodity boom among countries; the community of traditional and new donor countries; direct or indirect progressive taxation and reallocation of public expenditures in the affected countries themselves; and mobilization of private sector finance, including through improved outreach of banking to agriculture. Because of countries' diverse situations, the design of programs must be country driven and country owned. Accountability for sound implementation must also rest with countries. At the same time, a new international architecture for the governance of agriculture, food, and nutrition is needed to effectively implement the initiatives described, and especially their international public goods components. Global and national action is needed, through existing mechanisms, well-coordinated special initiatives, and possibly a special fund." -- from Tex

Non-PR, IFPRI1, COM, "Die vielschichtigen Ursachen der gegenwärtigen Krise im Bereich der Nahrungsmittelproduktion und Landwirtschaft erfordern eine umfassende globale Antwort. Angesichts der dringend benötigen Hilfe besteht der erste Maßnahmenkatalog – ein Notfallpaket – aus Programmen, die sofort wirken: 1. Ausweiten der Soforthilfe und der humanitären Unterstützung für Menschen, deren Versorgung nicht gesichert ist, sowie dort, wo die Legitimität der Regierung bedroht ist 2. Abschaffung der landwirtschaftlichen Exportverbote und Exportbeschränkungen 3. Durchführung von Programmen, die Nahrungsmittelproduktion in wichtigen Regionen steigern und schnell wirksam sind 4. Änderung der Agrar-Treibstoffpolitik Der zweite Maßnahmenkatalog – ein Nachhaltigkeitspaket – besteht aus folgenden Komponenten: 5. Beruhigung der Märkte durch marktorientierte Regulierung der Spekulation, Koordination öffentlicher Getreidevorräte, Finanzierung von Nahrungsmittelimporten und verlässliche Nahrungsmittelhilfe in armen Ländern 6. investieren in Maßnahmen zur sozialen Absicherung 7. Ausweitung des Investitionsvolumens für nachhaltiges landwirtschaftliches Wachstum und 8. erfolgreicher Abschluss der Verhandlungen im Rahmen der Doha Runde der Welthandelsorganisation (WTO) Diese Maßnahmen erfordern zusätzliche finanzielle Ressourcen. Die Politik sollte dafür vier Quellen ins Auge fassen: (1) die Länder, die als Gewinner aus dem Rohstoffboom hervorgegangen sind, (2) die Gemeinschaft der alten und neuen Geberländer, (3) direkte oder indirekte progressive Besteuerung und Umschichtung der öffentlichen Ausgaben in den betroffenen Ländern selbst, (4) Mobilisierung von Finanzmitteln des privaten Sektors, u.a. durch ein verstärktes Engagement des Bankwesens in der Landwirtschaft. Aufgrund der unterschiedlichen Lage, in der sich die Länder befinden, muss die Planung der Programme vom jeweiligen Land geführt werden. Die Länder sind auch verantwortlich für eine solide Implementierung ihrer Programme. Gleichzeitig wird ein

Non-PR, IFPRI1, COM, "La complexité des causes de la crise actuelle en matière d’alimentation et d’agriculture exige une réponse exhaustive. Compte tenu de l’urgence de l’aide à apporter aux personnes et aux pays dans le besoin, le premier ensemble d’actions stratégiques (train d’actions d’urgence) comprend des interventions qui peuvent avoir un impact immédiat: 1. étendre le champ des réponses d’urgence et de l’assistance humanitaire aux personnes ne bénéficiant pas de la sécurité alimentaire et aux groupes susceptibles de menacer la légitimité du gouvernement; 2. lever les interdictions et les restrictions appliquées aux exportations agricoles; 3. lancer des programmes de production alimentaire à impact rapide dans des zones clés ; et 4. modifier les politiques en matière de biocarburants. Un second ensemble d’actions stratégiques (train d’actions de résilience) comprend les mesures suivantes: 5. calmer les marchés en mettant en place une réglementation de la spéculation orientée vers le marché, des stocks de céréales publics partagés, un financement renforcé des importations alimentaires, et une aide alimentaire fiable; 6. investir dans la protection sociale; 7. augmenter l’échelle des investissements en faveur d’une croissance agricole soutenue; et 8. mener à bonne fin le cycle de Doha des négociations de l’Organisation mondiale du commerce (OMC). Les investissements nécessaires à la mise en oeuvre de ces actions demandent des ressources supplémentaires. Pour les mobiliser, les responsables des politiques peuvent envisager quatre sources possibles : les pays qui bénéficient de l’explosion mondiale du commerce des produits de base ; la communauté des pays bailleurs de fonds, tant traditionnels que nouveaux ; la taxation progressive, directe ou indirecte, et la réaffectation de la dépense publique dans les pays touchés ; et la mobilisation du financement provenant du secteur privé, notamment en améliorant les services bancaires desservant le secteur agricole." -- from Text

Non-PR, IFPRI5, FCND

PR, IFPRI1; MP14; Theme 12; Urban-rural linkages and non-farm rural development; Urban Issues; DCA, FCND

Non-PR, IFPRI1; MP-14; Theme 12; Urban-rural linkages and non-farm rural development; Urban Issues; DCA, FCND

Non-PR, IFPRI1; 2020, DGO, "Good health and productive agriculture are both essential in the fight against poverty. In a rapidly changing world, agriculture faces many challenges, both old (natural resource constraints, extreme weather conditions, and agricultural pests) and new (globalization, environmental degradation, problems of maintaining production in conflict situations). At the same time, new global health threats emerge, such as HIV/AIDS, SARS, and avian influenza, while old ones persist. Not only do malaria, tuberculosis, diarrheal diseases, respiratory infection, and malnutrition continue to take a heavy toll, but the health sector is faced with increasing problems of chronic disease, drug and insecticide resistance, and a diminishing arsenal of effective interventions. And as the world becomes more integrated, so do the agricultural and health problems the world faces... The briefs in this series aim to communicate what is known about the linkages between agriculture and health in science and policy, thereby stimulating interest in and dialogue on agriculture and health. With a focus on the poor in developing countries, the briefs deal with the relationship between agricultural producers, systems, and outputs and the world’s leading causes of death and disease. They examine the various trade-offs involved and set out some of the approaches needed to create improved synergies between the agricultural and health sectors." -- From text

Non-PR, IFPRI1; 2020, DGO, Agriculture is fundamental to achieving nutrition goals: it produces the food, energy, and nutrients essential for human health and well-being. Gains in food production have played a key role in feeding growing and malnourished populations. Yet they have not translated into a hunger-free world nor prevented the development of further nutritional challenges. Micronutrient deficiencies (for example, of vitamin A, iron, iodine, and zinc) are now recognized as being even more limiting for human growth, development, health, and productivity than energy deficits. Hunger among the poor also increasingly manifests itself through excessive consumption of energy-rich but nutrient-poor foods. The result is a double burden of undernutrition (deficiencies of energy, micronutrients, or both) and “overnutrition” (poor diet quality leading to obesity and other diet-related chronic illnesses).

Non-PR, IFPRI1; GRP4; GRP24; GRP28; Enhanced food and diet quality; Health, Diet and Nutrition; Theme 7; Subtheme 7.2; 2020, DGO, Policymaking initiatives in agriculture and public health are often pursued in a parallel and unconnected fashion. Yet coherent, joint action in agriculture and health could have large potential benefits and substantially reduce risks for the poor. Among development professionals there is growing recognition that agriculture influences health, and health influences agriculture, and that both in turn have profound implications for poverty reduction. This recognition suggests that opportunities exist for agriculture to contribute to better health, and for health to contribute to agricultural productivity. To take advantage of these opportunities, however, it is crucial to understand the precise linkages between the two sectors. How do the linkages work? Where do opportunities for joint action lie, and what are the impediments? How can the agricultural and health sectors work together more closely and thereby contribute to addressing poverty?

Non-PR, IFPRI1; SAI; nobio, NDO; FCND; DGO; MTID; EPTD; DSGD, In this brief, the authors suggest five areas for action to put rural India on a higher growth trajectory that would cut hunger, malnutrition, and unemployment at a much faster pace than has been the case so far. The five areas for action are interlinked and would best work if pursued in conjunction. The authors emphasize investments with a human face that include and reach out to the rural poor and a reorientation of subsidies toward such investments: 1. India should increase investments in rural infrastructure including transport and information technology that connects villages) and agricultural R&D (leading to improved technologies for farmers). 2. India should reorient its social safety nets to create more employment in rural areas; help strengthen the human resource base through education, nutrition, and empowerment of women; and build physical infrastructure. 3. Water is going to be increasingly scarce. Investing large sums in new mega-irrigation schemes may not be the best course of action, but it is important to complete those in which a lot of money has already been invested. 4. India must liberalize its marketing and trade policies to encourage vertical coordination between farms, firms, and forks (supermarkets); facilitate increased flow of rural credit, especially to smallholders, through, say, nonbanking financial intermediaries; and withdraw any special concessions in support of foodgrain policies. 5. Trade liberalization in agriculture has the potential to bring rich dividends to developing countries, including India. To realize this potential, India must work toward establishing and strengthening a rules-based multilateral trading system through WTO negotiations.

Non-PR, IFPRI1; MP-14; Theme 12, FCND, "While ample evidence documents that urban children generally have better nutritional status than their rural counterparts, recent research suggests that urban malnutrition is on the rise. The environment, choices, and opportunities of urbanites differ greatly from those of rural dwellers' from employment conditions to social and family networks to access to health care and other services. Given these differences, understanding the relative importance of the various determinants of child malnutrition in urban and rural areas -- and especially whether they differ -- is key to designing context-relevant, effective program and policy responses for stemming malnutrition. This study uses Demographic and Health Survey data from 36 developing countries to address the question of whether the socioeconomic determinants of child nutritional status differ across urban and rural areas. The purpose is to answer the broader question of why child malnutrition rates are lower in urban areas. The socioeconomic determinants examined are women's education, women's status, access to safe water and sanitation, and household economic status. The analysis finds little evidence of differences in the nature of the socioeconomic determinants or in the strength of their associations with child nutritional status across urban and rural areas. As expected, however, it documents marked differences in the levels of these determinants in favor of urban areas. Large gaps in favor of urban areas are also found in the levels of key proximate determinants of child nutritional status, especially maternal prenatal and birthing care, quality of complementary feeding, and immunization of children. The conclusion is that better nutritional status of urban children is probably due to the cumulative effect of a series of more favorable socioeconomic conditions, which, in turn, seems to lead to better caring practices for children and their mothers. Given that the nature of the determinants of child nutrition

Non-PR, IFPRI1; MP14; Theme 12, FCND, While ample evidence documents that urban children generally have better nutritional status than their rural counterparts, recent research suggests that urban malnutrition is on the rise. The environment, choices, and opportunities of urbanites differ greatly from those of rural dwellers' from employment conditions to social and family networks to access to health care and other services. Given these differences, understanding the relative importance of the various determinants of child malnutrition in urban and rural areas -- and especially whether they differ -- is key to designing context-relevant, effective program and policy responses for stemming malnutrition. This study uses Demographic and Health Survey data from 36 developing countries to address the question of whether the socioeconomic determinants of child nutritional status differ across urban and rural areas. The purpose is to answer the broader question of why child malnutrition rates are lower in urban areas. The socioeconomic determinants examined are women's education, women's status, access to safe water and sanitation, and household economic status. The analysis finds little evidence of differences in the nature of the socioeconomic determinants or in the strength of their associations with child nutritional status across urban and rural areas. As expected, however, it documents marked differences in the levels of these determinants in favor of urban areas. Large gaps in favor of urban areas are also found in the levels of key proximate determinants of child nutritional status, especially maternal prenatal and birthing care, quality of complementary feeding, and immunization of children. The conclusion is that better nutritional status of urban children is probably due to the cumulative effect of a series of more favorable socioeconomic conditions, which, in turn, seems to lead to better caring practices for children and their mothers. Given that the nature of the determinants of child nutritiona

PR, IFPRI1; Gender, FCND, With increasing urbanization, the percentage of women participating in the labor force and the percentage of households headed by single mothers have increased. Reliable and affordable child-care alternatives are thus becoming increasingly important in urban areas. The Hogares Comunitarios Program (HCP) was established in Guatemala City in 1991 as a direct response to the increasing need of poor urban dwellers for substitute childcare. This government-sponsored pilot program was designed as a strategy to alleviate poverty by providing working parents with low-cost, high-quality childcare within their community.

Non-PR, GRP28; IFPRI1; Theme 8, FCND, This paper summarizes findings from a formative research study conducted in Haiti to develop a behavior change communication (BCC) strategy to improve infant and child feeding practices and to reduce childhood malnutrition. It describes the methodology used and the tools developed to facilitate decisionmaking and effective use of formative research for program planning... The study used formative research methods that included individual and group interviews, food-rating exercises, and participatory recipe trials. The aims of the study were to (1) study current infant and young child feeding practices in the Central Plateau of Haiti, (2) identify individual, household, and community factors that may facilitate or constrain adoption of recommended behaviors, and (3) use the information from the formative research to prioritize behaviors and design an effective BCC strategy."-- from Authors' Abstract

Non-PR, IFPRI1; MP-14; Theme 12, FCND, "This study investigates the effects of childcare on work and earnings of mothers in poor neighborhoods of Guatemala City. Recognizing that mothe'rs work status may depend on the availability of childcare, decisions to participate in the labor force and to use formal day care are modeled to allow for the possibility that they may be jointly determined. We then explore the impact of childcare prices on mothers' earnings, conditional on her decision to work. Also explored is whether a mother's "status" within her household (as measured by the value of the assets she brought to her marriage) influences her entry into the labor force.....Our results indicate that participation in the labor market and use of formal day care are, in fact, joint decisions for mothers. Life cycle and household demographic factors have important effects on both decisions. Maternal education is an important determinant of utilization of formal day care, but does not have large effects on whether she works for pay or not. Higher household wealth reduces her chances of working, presumably via an income effect. However, the value of assets she brought to her marriage increases the likelihood of her working....." -- from Authors' Abstract"

Non-PR, IFPRI1; GRP24; Theme 7, FCND, For a number of reasons, progress in improving child feeding practices in the developing world has been remarkably slow. First, complementary feeding practices encompass a number of interrelated behaviors that need to be addressed simultaneously. Child feeding practices are also age-specific within narrow age ranges, which add to the complexity of developing recommendations and measuring responses. Finally, the lack of clear international recommendations for some aspects of complementary feeding has prevented the development of universal indicators to define optimal feeding. Without appropriate measurement tools, the design and evaluation of programs to improve complementary feeding practices cannot move forward. The present paper is the first systematic attempt at filling this gap. It puts forth a framework for the development of indicators of complementary feeding practices and proposes a series of possible indicators to measure some of the most critical aspects of infant and young child feeding. The emphasis is on simple indicators for use in large surveys or in program contexts. Indicators for the following aspects of complementary feeding of 6-23-month-old children are discussed: (1) breastfeeding; (2) energy from complementary foods; (3) nutrient density of complementary foods; and (4) safe preparation and storage of complementary foods. Finally, possible approaches to validate the proposed indicators are discussed and research priorities are highlighted" -- Authors' Abstract

Non-PR, IFPRI1; MP-14; Theme 12, FCND, "This study analyzes work, childcare arrangements, and earnings of mothers in the poor neighborhoods of Guatemala City and Greater Accra, Ghana, two urban areas where formal- and informal-sector work differ in importance. Unlike previous studies on childcare that take mother's work status as given, this paper treats childcare choice and labor force participation of women as joint decisions. Our empirical results indicate that participation in the labor market and use of formal day care are, in fact, jointly determined. In both Guatemala and Accra, life cycle and household demographic factors, notably child age, appear to have important effects on both decisions. In both cities, higher household wealth reduces the mothers' chances of working, presumably via an income effect. Controlling for endogeneity of labor market participation and formal day-care use, in Guatemala, day-care prices do not have significant impacts on earnings; neither does the number of day-care centers within a 10-minute walk affect earnings in Accra. In Guatemala, maternal education is an important determinant of utilization of formal day care, but does not have large effects on whether she works for pay or not. In contrast, in Accra, maternal education does not affect either the demand for formal care or the decision to work. In Guatemala, greater travel time from home to the day-care center reduces utilization of this type of care, but a larger supply of day-care centers in the community does not affect use of formal care in Accra. The lack of importance of formal day-care supply variables in Accra -- compared to the effect of some variables such as travel time to day-care centers in Guatemala -- suggests that provision of formal day care may not be as critical an intervention to increase mothers' labor force participation rates in cities where the informal sector dominates, such as in Accra. In more urbanized settings like Guatemala City, where the formal sector generates a higher proportion

Non-PR, IFPRI1; MP-14; Theme 12, FCND, This study investigates the effects of childcare on work and earnings of mothers in poor neighborhoods of Guatemala City. Recognizing that mothe'rs work status may depend on the availability of childcare, decisions to participate in the labor force and to use formal day care are modeled to allow for the possibility that they may be jointly determined. We then explore the impact of childcare prices on mothers' earnings, conditional on her decision to work. Also explored is whether a mother's "status" within her household (as measured by the value of the assets she brought to her marriage) influences her entry into the labor force.....Our results indicate that participation in the labor market and use of formal day care are, in fact, joint decisions for mothers. Life cycle and household demographic factors have important effects on both decisions. Maternal education is an important determinant of utilization of formal day care, but does not have large effects on whether she works for pay or not. Higher household wealth reduces her chances of working, presumably via an income effect. However, the value of assets she brought to her marriage increases the likelihood of her working.

Non-PR, IFPRI1; MP-14; Theme 12, FCND, This study analyzes work, childcare arrangements, and earnings of mothers in the poor neighborhoods of Guatemala City and Greater Accra, Ghana, two urban areas where formal- and informal-sector work differ in importance. Unlike previous studies on childcare that take mother's work status as given, this paper treats childcare choice and labor force participation of women as joint decisions. Our empirical results indicate that participation in the labor market and use of formal day care are, in fact, jointly determined. In both Guatemala and Accra, life cycle and household demographic factors, notably child age, appear to have important effects on both decisions. In both cities, higher household wealth reduces the mothers' chances of working, presumably via an income effect. Controlling for endogeneity of labor market participation and formal day-care use, in Guatemala, day-care prices do not have significant impacts on earnings; neither does the number of day-care centers within a 10-minute walk affect earnings in Accra. In Guatemala, maternal education is an important determinant of utilization of formal day care, but does not have large effects on whether she works for pay or not. In contrast, in Accra, maternal education does not affect either the demand for formal care or the decision to work. In Guatemala, greater travel time from home to the day-care center reduces utilization of this type of care, but a larger supply of day-care centers in the community does not affect use of formal care in Accra. The lack of importance of formal day-care supply variables in Accra -- compared to the effect of some variables such as travel time to day-care centers in Guatemala -- suggests that provision of formal day care may not be as critical an intervention to increase mothers' labor force participation rates in cities where the informal sector dominates, such as in Accra. In more urbanized settings like Guatemala City, where the formal sector generates a higher proportion o

Non-PR, GRP28; Theme 8; IFPRI1, FCND, This paper summarizes findings from a formative research study conducted in Haiti to develop a behavior change communication (BCC) strategy to improve infant and child feeding practices and to reduce childhood malnutrition. It describes the methodology used and the tools developed to facilitate decisionmaking and effective use of formative research for program planning... The study used formative research methods that included individual and group interviews, food-rating exercises, and participatory recipe trials. The aims of the study were to (1) study current infant and young child feeding practices in the Central Plateau of Haiti, (2) identify individual, household, and community factors that may facilitate or constrain adoption of recommended behaviors, and (3) use the information from the formative research to prioritize behaviors and design an effective BCC strategy.""-- from Authors' Abstract

Non-PR, IFPRI1; GRP24; Theme 7;Health, Diet and Nutrition, FCND, Although dietary diversity is universally recognized as a key component of healthy diets, there is still a lack of consensus on how to measure and operationalize it. This paper focuses on the issues of dietary diversity in developing countries. It also draws upon experience from developed countries to address the following questions: 1. How is dietary diversity conceptualized, operationalized, and measured, and how does it relate operationally to dietary quality?; 2. Is there an association between dietary diversity and nutrient adequacy in developing countries? Between dietary diversity and child growth?; 3. What is the relationship between household-level dietary diversity and socioeconomic factors and food security?; 4. What key measurement issues need to be addressed to better operationalize and understand dietary diversity?

Non-PR, IFPRI1; GRP24; Theme 7; Health, Diet and Nutrition, FCND, Although dietary diversity is universally recognized as a key component of healthy diets, there is still a lack of consensus on how to measure and operationalize it. This paper focuses on the issues of dietary diversity in developing countries. It also draws upon experience from developed countries to address the following questions: 1. How is dietary diversity conceptualized, operationalized, and measured, and how does it relate operationally to dietary quality?; 2. Is there an association between dietary diversity and nutrient adequacy in developing countries? Between dietary diversity and child growth?; 3. What is the relationship between household-level dietary diversity and socioeconomic factors and food security?; 4. What key measurement issues need to be addressed to better operationalize and understand dietary diversity?

Non-PR, IFPRI1; GRP24; Theme 7, FCND, For a number of reasons, progress in improving child feeding practices in the developing world has been remarkably slow. First, complementary feeding practices encompass a number of interrelated behaviors that need to be addressed simultaneously. Child feeding practices are also age-specific within narrow age ranges, which add to the complexity of developing recommendations and measuring responses. Finally, the lack of clear international recommendations for some aspects of complementary feeding has prevented the development of universal indicators to define optimal feeding. Without appropriate measurement tools, the design and evaluation of programs to improve complementary feeding practices cannot move forward. The present paper is the first systematic attempt at filling this gap. It puts forth a framework for the development of indicators of complementary feeding practices and proposes a series of possible indicators to measure some of the most critical aspects of infant and young child feeding. The emphasis is on simple indicators for use in large surveys or in program contexts. Indicators for the following aspects of complementary feeding of 6-23-month-old children are discussed: (1) breastfeeding; (2) energy from complementary foods; (3) nutrient density of complementary foods; and (4) safe preparation and storage of complementary foods. Finally, possible approaches to validate the proposed indicators are discussed and research priorities are highlighted.

Non-PR, IFPRI4; PROGRESA, FCND

Non-PR, IFPRI5; GRP24; Theme 7, FCND, 141 p., Nutrition interventions designed to improve complementary feeding practices are one component of many child survival and health programs. Program planners and managers need indicators of adequate or optimal complementary feeding for a variety of purposes. For example, indicators are needed to establish the baseline prevalence of key feeding practices and to assess progress towards objectives. In USAID-funded Child Survival and Health projects, Knowledge, Practices and Coverage (KPC) surveys are used as a tool for gathering quantitative information on a range of practices, including complementary feeding practices. The KPC survey tool also includes a set of tabulation guidelines for recommended indicators. The current KPC questionnaire (KPC 2000+) includes a set of questions about complementary feeding. Respondents are asked about foods and liquids given to the sample child the previous day, and about frequency of feeding....In addition to providing a set of indicators, this document includes resources for generating useful descriptive information using the KPC. Definitions and justifications for the suggested indicators are followed by recommendations for minor changes to the KPC questionnaire. The KPC questionnaire is meant to be adapted to local circumstances and priorities. To facilitate this, we provide recommendations for topics to be covered in pre-survey qualitative work, which will generate information needed both for program planning, and for appropriately adapting the complementary feeding questions on the questionnaire. The last section provides suggestions for descriptive presentations of infant and young child feeding survey results." -- from Executive Summary.

Non-PR, IFPRI1, FCND, Feeding practices are an important determinant of the nutritional status of infants and children. It is therefore useful to measure and describe infant and child feeding practices in a number of contexts. Such measurements could enable (1) international comparisons of the adequacy of infant and child feeding, (2) research linking infant and child feeding to determinants or outcomes, (3) advocacy regarding the importance of adequate infant and child feeding, and (4) monitoring and evaluation of interventions designed to change practices. This paper reports on progress in developing a summary measure of infant and child feeding practices—the infant and child feeding index (ICFI). The report also addresses two challenges in measuring child feeding practices, namely that infant and child feeding is multi-dimensional, and appropriate practices vary by age of the child. The authors refine the ICFI and confirm earlier findings that the ICFI is associated with child nutritional status. They also determine which components of the feeding index appear to be most important in driving its association with child nutritional status. Finally, they assess the potential usefulness of the index for the four purposes listed above.""---from Authors' Abstract

Non-PR, IFPRI4, FCND