Comparing delivery channels to promote nutrition-sensitive agriculture: A cluster-randomized controlled trial in Bangladesh

We use a randomized controlled trial in rural Bangladesh to compare two models of delivering nutrition content jointly to husbands and wives: deploying female nutrition workers versus mostly male agriculture extension workers. Both approaches increased nutrition knowledge of men and women, household...

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Autores principales: Ahmed, Akhter, Coleman, Fiona M., Hoddinott, John F., Menon, Purnima, Parvin, Aklima, Pereira, Audrey, Quisumbing, Agnes R., Roy, Shalini
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Elsevier 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/131469
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author Ahmed, Akhter
Coleman, Fiona M.
Hoddinott, John F.
Menon, Purnima
Parvin, Aklima
Pereira, Audrey
Quisumbing, Agnes R.
Roy, Shalini
author_browse Ahmed, Akhter
Coleman, Fiona M.
Hoddinott, John F.
Menon, Purnima
Parvin, Aklima
Pereira, Audrey
Quisumbing, Agnes R.
Roy, Shalini
author_facet Ahmed, Akhter
Coleman, Fiona M.
Hoddinott, John F.
Menon, Purnima
Parvin, Aklima
Pereira, Audrey
Quisumbing, Agnes R.
Roy, Shalini
author_sort Ahmed, Akhter
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description We use a randomized controlled trial in rural Bangladesh to compare two models of delivering nutrition content jointly to husbands and wives: deploying female nutrition workers versus mostly male agriculture extension workers. Both approaches increased nutrition knowledge of men and women, household and individual diet quality, and women’s empowerment. Intervention effects on agriculture and nutrition knowledge, agricultural production diversity, dietary diversity, women’s empowerment, and gender parity do not significantly differ between models where nutrition workers versus agriculture extension workers provide the training. The exception is in an attitudes score, where results indicate same-sex agents may affect scores differently than opposite-sex agents. Our results suggest opposite-sex agents may not necessarily be less effective in providing training. In South Asia, where agricultural extension systems and the pipeline to those systems are male dominated, training men to deliver nutrition messages may offer a temporary solution to the shortage of fe male extension workers and offer opportunities to scale and promote nutrition-sensitive agriculture. However, in both models, we find evidence that the presence of mothers-in-law within households modifies the programs’ effectiveness on some nutrition, empowerment, and attitude measures, suggesting that accounting for other influential household members is a potential area for future programming.
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spelling CGSpace1314692025-10-26T13:02:01Z Comparing delivery channels to promote nutrition-sensitive agriculture: A cluster-randomized controlled trial in Bangladesh Ahmed, Akhter Coleman, Fiona M. Hoddinott, John F. Menon, Purnima Parvin, Aklima Pereira, Audrey Quisumbing, Agnes R. Roy, Shalini rural areas nutrition gender advisory officers diet quality knowledge sharing intervention agricultural production We use a randomized controlled trial in rural Bangladesh to compare two models of delivering nutrition content jointly to husbands and wives: deploying female nutrition workers versus mostly male agriculture extension workers. Both approaches increased nutrition knowledge of men and women, household and individual diet quality, and women’s empowerment. Intervention effects on agriculture and nutrition knowledge, agricultural production diversity, dietary diversity, women’s empowerment, and gender parity do not significantly differ between models where nutrition workers versus agriculture extension workers provide the training. The exception is in an attitudes score, where results indicate same-sex agents may affect scores differently than opposite-sex agents. Our results suggest opposite-sex agents may not necessarily be less effective in providing training. In South Asia, where agricultural extension systems and the pipeline to those systems are male dominated, training men to deliver nutrition messages may offer a temporary solution to the shortage of fe male extension workers and offer opportunities to scale and promote nutrition-sensitive agriculture. However, in both models, we find evidence that the presence of mothers-in-law within households modifies the programs’ effectiveness on some nutrition, empowerment, and attitude measures, suggesting that accounting for other influential household members is a potential area for future programming. 2023-07 2023-08-08T09:33:08Z 2023-08-08T09:33:08Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/131469 en https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.136473 Open Access image/jpeg Elsevier Ahmed, Akhter; Coleman, Fiona; Hoddinott, John F.; Menon, Purnima; Parvin, Aklima; Pereira, Audrey; Quisumbing, Agnes R.; and Roy, Shalini. 2023. Comparing delivery channels to promote nutrition-sensitive agriculture: A cluster-randomized controlled trial in Bangladesh. Food Policy 118(July 2023): 102484. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2023.102484
spellingShingle rural areas
nutrition
gender
advisory officers
diet quality
knowledge sharing
intervention
agricultural production
Ahmed, Akhter
Coleman, Fiona M.
Hoddinott, John F.
Menon, Purnima
Parvin, Aklima
Pereira, Audrey
Quisumbing, Agnes R.
Roy, Shalini
Comparing delivery channels to promote nutrition-sensitive agriculture: A cluster-randomized controlled trial in Bangladesh
title Comparing delivery channels to promote nutrition-sensitive agriculture: A cluster-randomized controlled trial in Bangladesh
title_full Comparing delivery channels to promote nutrition-sensitive agriculture: A cluster-randomized controlled trial in Bangladesh
title_fullStr Comparing delivery channels to promote nutrition-sensitive agriculture: A cluster-randomized controlled trial in Bangladesh
title_full_unstemmed Comparing delivery channels to promote nutrition-sensitive agriculture: A cluster-randomized controlled trial in Bangladesh
title_short Comparing delivery channels to promote nutrition-sensitive agriculture: A cluster-randomized controlled trial in Bangladesh
title_sort comparing delivery channels to promote nutrition sensitive agriculture a cluster randomized controlled trial in bangladesh
topic rural areas
nutrition
gender
advisory officers
diet quality
knowledge sharing
intervention
agricultural production
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/131469
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