Evidence Matters: Evaluating the impact of agricultural interventions on child nutrition

Dear colleagues,

Many solutions to malnutrition are nutrition-focused agricultural interventions like bio-fortification, homegardens and livestock development. The first issue of Evidence Matters -- a new brief from 3ie and the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) -- draws from a recent systematic review of agricultural interventions which have aimed to improve the nutritional status of children. It addresses the fundamental question of whether there is sufficient evidence to show that increased household income and a better diet can improve children’s nutritional status.

There is evidence to show that:

• Nutrition-focused agricultural interventions are short term and cannot address the root causes of malnutrition like chronic poverty and maternal health.
• While such interventions may increase income from one source, they may result in reduced income from other sources which may mean no change in overall buying power.
• Agricultural interventions to tackle malnutrition are not reaching the poorest and most at risk to chronic hunger such as orphans and other vulnerable children.
• Many development agencies believe that fortifying foods with vitamins and minerals is a cost- and time-effective way to tackle malnutrition, but more studies showing positive impact are needed for justifying further investment in such programmes.

Read the first issue of the 3ie-IDS brief Evidence Matters Zero child hunger: breaking the cycle of malnutrition

If you have comments on this brief, please post them here or send them to 3ienews@3ieimpact.org.