Addressing under nutrition through multi sectoral approach nutrition sensitive agriculture Presentation to the Sector Working Group on Agriculture and Rural Development March 23 rd, 2016 SWG-ARD / Vientiane / March 23, 2016 Presented by Mr. Savanh Hanephom Deputy Director, Department of Planning and Cooperation Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry - LAO PDR

 National Nutrition Strategy to 2025 and Plan of Action to 2020 (NNS-PA)  Agriculture sector contribution to the NNS-PA  Nutrition Mapping Exercise - Key Findings  Important DPs / Projects contributing to the NNS-PA  Addressing nutrition sensitive agriculture within the SWG-ARD Outline of the Presentation SWG-ARD / Vientiane / March 23, 2016

 The National Nutrition Strategy has been revised and improved based on the experiences, opportunities, obligations and important participation of many sectors and development partners.  The NNS-PA strategic direction and objective tackle the immediate and underlying causes of malnutrition.  The NNS-PA is a tool for all sectors related to nutrition and food security.  The NNS-PA uses a multi-sectoral convergent approach with common focus points, common goals, and common timeframes.  The NNS-PA supports the 8 th NSEDP and achievement of the SDGs. National Nutrition Strategy to 2025 and Plan of Action to 2020 (1) SWG-ARD / Vientiane / March 23, 2016

 The NNS-PA emphasizes common efforts, goals and timeframes with 22 common priority interventions to be implemented in areas with high malnutrition rates and numbers, food insecurity, poor localities and GoL priority focus areas.  Attaining the NNS-PA’s objectives will require management and administration systems, coordination mechanisms, communication, collaboration and partnership between many relevant sectors, along with DPs and including the private sector.  The NNS-PA has been approved by all the relevant ministries and the main DPs in Dec (it was distributed today as handouts). National Nutrition Strategy to 2025 and Plan of Action to 2020 (2) SWG-ARD / Vientiane / March 23, 2016

In terms of activity at community level, the Agriculture sector contribution to the NNS-PA is made of 4 priority interventions: 1.Increase the cultivation of crops which have high nutritional value. 2.Produce & promote meat/protein for HH consumption: poultry, fish and other aquatic life. Provide materials and equipment for production along with the necessary infrastructure: small-scale irrigation, agricultural service units and so forth. 3.Build post-harvest facilities (including food dehydrators and food storage facilities) and apply technology to food processing, preservation and storage so that it remains safe and nutritious as a means of ensuring food availability all year round. 4.Promote income generating activities, such as the cultivation, NTFPs, traditional medicines and food crops, to build household incomes. National Nutrition Strategy to 2025 and Plan of Action to 2020 (3) SWG-ARD / Vientiane / March 23, 2016

1. Stakeholder Support: A high number of stakeholders are supporting nutrition interventions in Lao PDR, but this does not often translate into high coverage geographically or of target groups at present. 2. Coverage and Multi Sectoral Convergence: Nutrition sensitive interventions are limited in scope and coverage. 3. Delivery channels: The number of delivery channels used is high, resulting in fragmentation (no efficiencies of scale), duplication of capacity building, wasted resources, difficulties managing implementation. 4. Funding: Significant funds (almost 42 million USD) are being reported as spent in 2015 but limited beneficiaries reached overall. Summary of Key Findings Nutrition Mapping Exercise (Source EU, Co-convener of the DP group on Nutrition) SWG-ARD / Vientiane / March 23, 2016

The most important DPs contributing to the NNSPA in the ARD sector include:  EU, IFAD, FAO, WB, SDC, USAID, LuxDev, AFD through direct support to the GoL at national level, to local authorities, to the Civil Society and the private sector. Some important projects implemented by the MAF aligning well with the NNS-PA in the agriculture sector and/or piloting the multi stakeholders’ convergence approach include:  SSSJ (IFAD) in Oudomxay;  FAO (/VFI) in Luang Namtha;  SSFNS (GAFSP-IFAD) in Phongsaly, Oudomxai, Houaphan, Xiengkhouang (starting in 2016).  Partnership for Improved Nutrition in Lao PDR (EU) (starting end 2016) Some important DPs / Projects contributing to the NNS-PA SWG-ARD / Vientiane / March 23, 2016

The following matters need to be better addressed:  All aspects of nutrition related to the agriculture sector paying particular attention to planning, implementation, monitoring / evaluation of the four agriculture related priority interventions embedded in the NNS-PA - and with particular attention on developing capacities at PAFO & DAFO level.  Analysis and improvement of Lao PDR’s agricultural policy alignment with its commitments to reducing under nutrition, under the SWG umbrella, supported by DPs where appropriate and also possibly supported by a 'National Information Platform for Nutrition' (to be discussed):  Identify constraints in agriculture policies in addressing under nutrition  Identify how these constraints could be alleviated  Integrate nutrition-sensitive approaches in national agricultural policies and provincial-level programme Addressing nutrition sensitive agriculture within the SWG-ARD (1) SWG-ARD / Vientiane / March 23, 2016

 The National Nutrition Committee (NNC) was created in 2013 with a secretariat established and fully staffed.  The MAF created a advisory committee on Nutrition in Feb  The topic relevant to the SWG-ARD is Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture (NSA).  Creation of a SSWG on Nutrition discussed many times with conclusion that positioning nutrition this “under” a SWG may undermine the GoL and DP efforts to work multi-sectorally.  ToR for a SSWG on NSA were drafted, however may not be the best mechanism to enhance coordination. As for « Uplands » or other topics in the previous presentation, SWG-ARD may need more innovative arrangement(s) to address NSA. Addressing nutrition sensitive agriculture within the SWG-ARD (2) SWG-ARD / Vientiane / March 23, 2016

Ideas / to be considered:  Update the SWG-ARD ToR to explicitly cover NSA, and place NSA on the agenda of the SWG-ARD based on request and propositions;  Organize regular or ad-hoc thematic events / consultations on NSA under the umbrella of the SWG-ARD;  Create a task force on NSA;  Create a SSWG-NSA;  Others? Addressing nutrition sensitive agriculture within the SWG-ARD (3) SWG-ARD / Vientiane / March 23, 2016

Questions / Discussion THANK YOU