Food systems interventions for nutrition: Lessons from 6 program evaluations in Africa and South Asia

Although there is growing global momentum behind food systems strategies to improve planetary and human health—including nutrition—there is limited evidence of what types of food systems interventions work. Evaluating these types of interventions is challenging due to their complex and dynamic natur...

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Main Authors: Neufeld, Lynnette M., Nordhagen, Stella, Leroy, Jef L., Aberman, Noora-Lisa, Barnett, Inka, Wouabe, Eric Djimeu, Girard, Amy Webb, Gonzalez, Wendy, Levin, Carol E., Mbuya, Mduduzi NN, Nakasone, Eduardo, Dhillon, Christina Nyhus, Prescott, Dave, Smith, Matt, Tschirley, David
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Elsevier 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/155202
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author Neufeld, Lynnette M.
Nordhagen, Stella
Leroy, Jef L.
Aberman, Noora-Lisa
Barnett, Inka
Wouabe, Eric Djimeu
Girard, Amy Webb
Gonzalez, Wendy
Levin, Carol E.
Mbuya, Mduduzi NN
Nakasone, Eduardo
Dhillon, Christina Nyhus
Prescott, Dave
Smith, Matt
Tschirley, David
author_browse Aberman, Noora-Lisa
Barnett, Inka
Dhillon, Christina Nyhus
Girard, Amy Webb
Gonzalez, Wendy
Leroy, Jef L.
Levin, Carol E.
Mbuya, Mduduzi NN
Nakasone, Eduardo
Neufeld, Lynnette M.
Nordhagen, Stella
Prescott, Dave
Smith, Matt
Tschirley, David
Wouabe, Eric Djimeu
author_facet Neufeld, Lynnette M.
Nordhagen, Stella
Leroy, Jef L.
Aberman, Noora-Lisa
Barnett, Inka
Wouabe, Eric Djimeu
Girard, Amy Webb
Gonzalez, Wendy
Levin, Carol E.
Mbuya, Mduduzi NN
Nakasone, Eduardo
Dhillon, Christina Nyhus
Prescott, Dave
Smith, Matt
Tschirley, David
author_sort Neufeld, Lynnette M.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Although there is growing global momentum behind food systems strategies to improve planetary and human health—including nutrition—there is limited evidence of what types of food systems interventions work. Evaluating these types of interventions is challenging due to their complex and dynamic nature and lack of fit with standard evaluation methods. In this article, we draw on a portfolio of 6 evaluations of food systems interventions in Africa and South Asia that were intended to improve nutrition. We identify key methodological challenges and formulate recommendations to improve the quality of such studies. We highlight 5 challenges: a lack of evidence base to justify the intervention, the dynamic and multifaceted nature of the interventions, addressing attribution, collecting or accessing accurate and timely data, and defining and measuring appropriate outcomes. In addition to more specific guidance, we identify 6 cross-cutting recommendations, including a need to use multiple and diverse methods and flexible designs. We also note that these evaluation challenges present opportunities to develop new methods and highlight several specific needs in this space.
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spelling CGSpace1552022024-10-11T20:20:39Z Food systems interventions for nutrition: Lessons from 6 program evaluations in Africa and South Asia Neufeld, Lynnette M. Nordhagen, Stella Leroy, Jef L. Aberman, Noora-Lisa Barnett, Inka Wouabe, Eric Djimeu Girard, Amy Webb Gonzalez, Wendy Levin, Carol E. Mbuya, Mduduzi NN Nakasone, Eduardo Dhillon, Christina Nyhus Prescott, Dave Smith, Matt Tschirley, David food systems health nutrition methodology Although there is growing global momentum behind food systems strategies to improve planetary and human health—including nutrition—there is limited evidence of what types of food systems interventions work. Evaluating these types of interventions is challenging due to their complex and dynamic nature and lack of fit with standard evaluation methods. In this article, we draw on a portfolio of 6 evaluations of food systems interventions in Africa and South Asia that were intended to improve nutrition. We identify key methodological challenges and formulate recommendations to improve the quality of such studies. We highlight 5 challenges: a lack of evidence base to justify the intervention, the dynamic and multifaceted nature of the interventions, addressing attribution, collecting or accessing accurate and timely data, and defining and measuring appropriate outcomes. In addition to more specific guidance, we identify 6 cross-cutting recommendations, including a need to use multiple and diverse methods and flexible designs. We also note that these evaluation challenges present opportunities to develop new methods and highlight several specific needs in this space. 2024-06-05 2024-10-04T21:02:15Z 2024-10-04T21:02:15Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/155202 en Open Access Elsevier Neufeld, Lynnette M.; Nordhagen, Stella; Leroy, Jef L.; Aberman, Noora-Lisa; Barnett, Inka; Wouabe, Eric Djimeu; et al. 2024. Food systems interventions for nutrition: Lessons from 6 program evaluations in Africa and South Asia. Journal of Nutrition 154(6): 1727-1738. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2024.04.005
spellingShingle food systems
health
nutrition
methodology
Neufeld, Lynnette M.
Nordhagen, Stella
Leroy, Jef L.
Aberman, Noora-Lisa
Barnett, Inka
Wouabe, Eric Djimeu
Girard, Amy Webb
Gonzalez, Wendy
Levin, Carol E.
Mbuya, Mduduzi NN
Nakasone, Eduardo
Dhillon, Christina Nyhus
Prescott, Dave
Smith, Matt
Tschirley, David
Food systems interventions for nutrition: Lessons from 6 program evaluations in Africa and South Asia
title Food systems interventions for nutrition: Lessons from 6 program evaluations in Africa and South Asia
title_full Food systems interventions for nutrition: Lessons from 6 program evaluations in Africa and South Asia
title_fullStr Food systems interventions for nutrition: Lessons from 6 program evaluations in Africa and South Asia
title_full_unstemmed Food systems interventions for nutrition: Lessons from 6 program evaluations in Africa and South Asia
title_short Food systems interventions for nutrition: Lessons from 6 program evaluations in Africa and South Asia
title_sort food systems interventions for nutrition lessons from 6 program evaluations in africa and south asia
topic food systems
health
nutrition
methodology
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/155202
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