CHAPTER TWO
Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture
Nutrition sensitive agriculture
➢ Nutrition-sensitive agriculture is a food-based approach to
agricultural development that puts nutritionally rich foods,
dietary diversity, and food fortification at the heart of
overcoming malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies.
➢ Food-based approaches include food production, dietary
diversification and food fortification, as sustainable
strategies for improving nutrition.
➢ The overall objective of nutrition-sensitive agriculture is to
make the global food system better equipped to produce
good nutritional outcomes.
Nutrition sensitive agriculture …..
➢ The Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture and Natural
Resource produced National Nutrition Sensitive
agriculture strategy to direct and lead the sector’s
agricultural practices to be nutrition sensitive.
➢ Nutrition sensitive agriculture works in three main
ways to contribute for improved nutrition:
✓ Making food more available and accessible
✓ Making food more diverse and production
more sustainable
✓ Making food itself more nutritious
Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture…
▪ All the three factors depicted in the pathways improve food
availability, access and utilization there by contributing to
improved food and nutrition security.
▪ It is important that you refer the National Nutrition Sensitive
Agriculture Strategy for more information but here we will be
presenting you the highlights of each of the strategic
objectives.
➢ Strategic Objective # 1: To leverage nutrition into agriculture
and livestock sector policies, strategies, programs and work
plans at all level.
➢ Strategic Objective # 2: To establish/strengthen institutional
and organizational structure and capacity responsible for
implementing nutrition sensitive agriculture.
➢ Strategic Objective # 3: Increase year-round availability,
access and consumption of diverse, safe and nutritious foods
Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture
➢ Strategic Objective # 4: Enhance resilience of vulnerable
agrarian, agro-pastoral and pastoral communities and
households prone to climate change and moisture stress
➢ Strategic Objective # 5: Ensure women and youth
empowerment and gender equality
➢ Strategic Objective # 6: To establish/strengthen strong
multi-sectorial coordination within the agriculture sectors
and with signatories of NNP and other development
partners
Nutrition sensitive agriculture …….
✓ Agriculture is the major source of food and income.
✓ Increased production of crops and livestock
increases access to food for communities and
households.
✓ Increased availability and access to food contributes
for household food security.
✓ When integrated with appropriate nutrition
interventions, food security contributes to
increased access to adequate, safe and diversified
foods and improves nutrition through consumption
of diversified diets.
Nutrition sensitive agriculture ….
✓ The main underlying determinants of adequate nutrition at
community and household level are
➢ Access to adequate and nutritious food,
➢ Healthy environments and access to health services, and
➢ Adequate care practices, especially for children and
mothers.
✓ These underlying causes, in turn are affected by different
basic causes, such as the
➢ Political environment,
➢ Gender equity and
➢ Economic resources
➢ Natural resource
[Link] Systems
A food system is a complex network of activities involving:
• Production
• Processing
• Storage
• Transportation
• Marketing
• Preparation
• Consumption
Actors in the Food System:
▪ Farmers
▪ Traders
▪ Processors
▪ Consumers
▪ Government
▪ Researchers
▪ Extension agents
▪ Bankers
▪ Suppliers
Food System
Consumer demand,
Food
food preparation
production
and preferences
Food trade Food
and handling,
marketing storage,
Adapted from FAO Improving Nutrition through Agriculture and Food Systems E-learning Course
and
processing
Actors in the Food System
Activities in a food system
are driven by the behavior
of a set of actors, such as:
• Consumers • Chefs
• Buyers • Government
• Traders • Researchers
• Processors • Suppliers
• Farmers • Bankers
• Food • Extension
Preparers agents
Photo credit: Michelle Los Banos-Jardina, USUN Rome
Value Chains– Product Specific
Inputs
Enabling Environment
Production
(incl. farmers & laborers)
Provision
Service
Storage & Processing
Transport & Distribution
Trading/Marketing
Promotion & Sales
Preparation & Consumption
3. Agriculture to Nutrition impact pathway
Agriculture to Nutrition impact
pathways ……..
1. Agricultural Production for
✓ Own consumption (subsistence-oriented )
✓ Increase household Income
➢ Income from the sale of agricultural products can be
used to buy additional and higher-quality
▪ as education,
▪ nutrition awareness and knowledge
▪ decision-making power
2. Increased Agricultural production that contributes for reduction
of food prices.
3. Agriculture program that promote empowerment of women.
4. Increase own production and
household food availability
➢ Enhancing household food production and
availability is crucial for improving food security,
particularly in developing regions. This can be
achieved through various methods that focus on
local food systems, sustainable practices, and
community engagement.
✓ Promoting Nutrient-Dense Crop Production
✓ Sustainable Agricultural Practices
✓ Community Engagement and Decision-Making
✓ Policy Support and Infrastructure Development
5. Production diversification
➢ Production
diversification in
agriculture is a strategy
that involves expanding
the variety of crops or
products grown or raised
on a farm. Diversification
can bring several
benefits, including risk
reduction, increased
income, improved soil
health, and enhanced
resilience to
environmental changes.
9
Inter-relation ship between Agriculture
and Nutrition
✓ The main role of agriculture is to increase access to
adequate, safe and nutritious foods for citizens.
✓ More than 80% of the Ethiopians are engaged in
agriculture to earn their livelihoods.
✓ Smallholder farms are responsible for about 90 % of
the food production in Ethiopia.
✓ Poor agricultural production can lead to poor harvest
and food insecurity.
Inter-relation ship between Agriculture
and Nutrition .…
✓ Agricultural production can increase household
income which improves food security which in turn
improves the nutritional status of household
members.
✓ Increased production of food, in quantity and quality
contributes for improvement of nutritional status of
households and/or consumers.
✓ Improved nutritional status is an input for increased
agricultural productivity
Inter-relation ship between Agriculture
and Nutrition .…
✓Poor nutrition in farmers can lead to reduced
agricultural productivity, a decreased in
household income and food insecurity.
✓Poor nutrition also reduces their ability to learn
and adopt new farming practices.
✓Healthier and strong farmers are more
productive and able to drive the development
of agricultural systems.
Inter-relation ship between Agriculture
and Nutrition .…
✓ In Ethiopia due to diverse agro-ecology,
suitability and land holding differences among
farmers, level of productivity and household
food security varies significantly.
✓ Due to natural and manmade causes, the
traditional modes of production are no longer
suitable to ensure food and nutrition security.
✓ Rural households in some parts of the country
are under permanent state of food insecurity,
suffering from hunger and under-nutrition.
Inter-relation ship between Agriculture
and Nutrition .…
✓ Studies in Ethiopia revealed that there is no
significant difference in the magnitude of under
nutrition and micro-nutrient deficiencies in food
insecure & food secured areas.
✓ This clearly proves the fact that increased
production for food security is not by itself a
guarantee for nutrition security.
✓ To ensure the contribution of increased production
and food security for nutrition security, agriculture
interventions should
➢ incorporate appropriate dietary diversity and
➢ nutrition behavior change communication
interventions.
Guiding Principle to Nutrition Sensitive
Agriculture
✓ During the designing and implementation of agriculture and
food security programs the following key principles needs
to be observed
1. Incorporate explicit nutrition objectives and indicators into
their design
2. Assess the context at local level, to design appropriate
activities to address the types and causes of malnutrition
3. Target the vulnerable and improve equity
4. Collaborate and coordinate with other sectors
Guiding Principle to Nutrition Sensitive
Agriculture …..
5. Maintain or
improve the natural resource base
6. Empower women by ensuring access to productive
resources, income opportunities, etc.
7. Facilitate production and consumption of diversified
nutrient-dense foods
8. Improve post-harvest handling and food preservation
9. Expand markets and market access
10. Incorporate nutrition promotion and education
Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture Intervention
approaches for improved nutrition
Intervention one:
Diversified food production
and consumption to
improve nutrition
Diversified food production and consumption to
improve nutrition….
❑ Food Diversification has
the potential to improve:-
▪ Availability,
▪ Affordability,
▪ Consumption of diverse
foods and
▪ Ensure stability of all pillars
To promote nutrition, healthy,
and sustainable diets for all.
Diversified food production and consumption
to improve nutrition….
Approaches:
▪ Integrated farming systems:
✓ Producing multiple agricultural products from
different farm enterprises that share available
resources.
✓ The system integrates different crop production,
crop and animal production, legume-based
cropping systems including crop rotation and
intercropping.
Approaches….
❑ Home gardening
With emphasis on
nutrient-dense varieties
of vegetables and fruit
trees and small-scale
integrated farming
systems.
❑ Why home
gardening??
Approaches….
▪ Livestock ownership
(e.g. cattle, chicken and other
poultry, small ruminants such as
goats and sheep) can contribute to
dietary diversity and nutritional
outcomes through home
consumption and income
generation.
Approaches….
▪ Complementary
activities
Such as beekeeping,
mushroom production and
maintaining fish ponds
Intervention two:
Biodiversity for food and
nutrition
Biodiversity for food and nutrition…
❑ Biodiversity plays key role in
ensuring dietary diversity and
assuring nutrient adequacy.
❑ Biological diversity and the
related ecosystem services are
crucial to cope with changes and
achieve food & nutrition security
for all.
❑ Globally, there is a huge loss of
biodiversity due to environmental
degradation, industrialization and
urbanization.
Biodiversity for food and nutrition…
Approaches of biodiversity for food and
nutrition
❑ Protecting biodiversity and prioritizing genetic
resources to develop new nutrient dense,
pest-resistant, climate-smart varieties is key to
combat malnutrition.
❑ Agriculture development programs need to
consider biodiversity protection and utilization
for improved nutrition.
Intervention three:
Bio-fortification to improve
nutrition
Bio-fortification to improve nutrition..
▪ Bio-fortification is a method of
breeding crops to increase
their nutritional value.
▪ Increases vitamins and mineral
content of food staples eaten
by the poor.
▪ Bio-fortification is cost-
effective and sustainable
strategy.
▪ Breeding increases nutrient
level without reducing yield.
Bio-fortification to improve nutrition…
Types of nutrients to Examples of crops fortified with
be fortified mentioned nutrients
Vitamin A Cassava, maize, orange-fleshed sweet
potatoes
Zinc Rice, wheat, beans, sweet potatoes, maize
Iron Beans, pearl millet, rice, sweet potatoes,
cassava, legumes
Protein Maize, sorghum, Cassava
Bio-fortification to improve nutrition…
Approach
❑ Bio-fortification is most commonly accomplished
using
▪ Conventional plant breeding,
▪ Agronomic bio-fortification (i.e. application of
micronutrient-rich fertilizers via soil or leaves) and
▪ Various animal source foods such as meat, milk and
eggs have been enriched through fortification of
animal feeds.
• Thank you.