1. International Nutrition Policy Expert
SECTORS AND POLICY FRAMEWORKS IN SELECTED ASIAN AND LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES
James Levinson
International Nutrition Policy Expert
Training on “Comparative Review of the Nutrition Situation and Policies in Selected Countries and with particular reference to Bangladesh”
27 March to 6 April 2014

2. Political and cultural Environment Disempowerment of women
Interconnected causes of malnutrition
Lack of good
CARE for mothers and children and support for mothers on appropriate child feeding practices
Inadequate access to HEALTH sanitation and clean water services
Insufficient access to affordable, nutritious FOOD
throughout the year
ROOTED IN
Political and cultural Environment
Disempowerment of women
Poverty

3. Alignment of specific nutrition interventions
and nutrition-sensitive strategies
Nutrition-specific
Nutrition-sensitive
Agriculture: Making nutritious food available and more accessible to everyone; supporting small farms as a source of income for women and household nutrition and health
Clean water and sanitation: Improving access to reduce infection and disease
Education and employment: Making sure children have adequate nourishment they need to learn and be productive in adulthood.
Health care: Improving access and outreach to services that ensure women and children stay healthy
Support for resilience: Establishing a stronger, healthier population and sustained prosperity to better endure emergencies and conflicts
Feeding practices and behaviors: Support for exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months of age and continued breastfeeding, together with appropriate and nutritious food up to 2 years old and beyond
Dietary diversification / improved diets (cuts across nutrition specific and nutrition sensitive interventions)
Fortification of foods
Micronutrient supplementation
Treatment of acute malnutrition

4. Stunting (Height for age) Prevalence
Average annual rate of improvement is slow. On track for MDG target on underweight
Slow down in stunting reduction
Challenge with wasting – seasonal
Micro-nutrient deficiencies
Maternal nutrition / adolescent girls
Handwashing – esp. before feeding/eating
Complementary feeding – 6-8 mths
Regional disparities
Improving Child Nutrition. The Achievable Imperative for Global Progress. UNICEF, 2013

5. Global Health Initiative
Some global initiatives to link Agriculture and Nutrition : FAO/UN involvement
Feed the Future
Global Health Initiative
Agriculture Programs
Nutrition
Health Services
Improved access to diverse and quality foods
Improved nutrition-related behaviors
Improved utilization of maternal and child health and nutrition services
The FTF initiative focuses on agriculture programs while the GHI focuses on improving health services. FTF is best positioned to improve access to diverse and quality foods, while GHI can work towards improved utilization of maternal and child health and nutrition services. However, as we shall soon see, there are ways for agriculture programs to also encourage use of health and nutrition services.
(Click mouse twice)
Nutrition is the link between the FTF and the GHI and activities in both are required to meet nutrition objectives. To succeed, those working in nutrition must hold the hand of both agriculture and health. Agriculture and Health programs can both participate in the development and use of Social and Behavior Change Communication activities to improve nutrition.
(Click mouse)
SBCC can lead to improved nutrition-related behaviors. As nutrition is not a ‘sector’ per se, nutritionists work through both agriculture and health, among other sectors, to improve nutrition. In the agriculture sector, SBCC can be used to promote improved food choices, child feeding, and other related behaviors (e.g. food processing, safe handling of food).
including hygiene 5 5 5

6. PRINCIPLES
Agriculture affects nutrition outcomes indirectly It works through effects on the underlying causes of undernutrition: access to food and food production, health and care, and most directly through the effects of income and prices on household food security
Nutrition is both an input for and an outcome of agricultural productivity
The appropriate actions will be identified through an analysis of determinants of food insecurity/ undernutrition
Plan multisectorally and implement sectorally

7. The framework for food security interventions: the National Food Policy and its Plan of Action
Bangladesh has been an early adopter of the comprehensive approach to food security through the formulation of the National Food Policy (2006) and its Plan of Action (2008)
To reduce undernourishment, stunting and underweight, food should be available, accessible and complemented by nutrition interventions
Access
Nutrition
Availability
The National Food Policy Plan of Action consisting of 26 areas of intervention and 314 actions provides a comprehensive long-term ( ) framework for:
- Coordinating government interventions
- Aligning development support to national priorities in line with the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness
- Regularly monitoring progress toward FS &N in line with MDG1
-Identifying needs for investments 7

8. The framework for food security and nutrition interventions: The Country Investment Plan
Responding to L’Aquila Initiative and in line with the 5 Principles agreed in the Rome Food Summit, the CIP was approved in and revised in 2011 based on extensive consultations.
It is a coherent set of 12 strategic priority investment programmes allowing to coordinate Government and Development Partners interventions
It is aligned with MDG1, NFP PoA and the Sixth Five Year Plan
It focuses on investments included in the Annual Development Budget
The CIP and PoA provide the framework for monitoring impacts, implementation and financial commitments 8

9. Alignment within comprehensive Food security and Nutrition Policies Programmes
The IAHBI is fully embedded and aligned with the comprehensive policy and programmatic frameworks which underline concerns around food and nutritional security as exposed in the NFP and its Plan of Action, the CIP, the Master Plan for the Southern Delta and the Health, Nutrition Population Sector Development Programme. In particular, it responds to Programme 10 of the CIP – Community based nutrition programmes and Services.