Leveraging Agriculture for Nutrition in South Asia
Nutrition
How to design agriculture and food-related policies, programmes and interventions to improve nutrition.
Nutrition
In much of South Asia, women make up a majority of the agricultural workforce, but what effect does working in agriculture have on the nutrition of these women and their children?
Nutrition
Harnessing the farm-to-market value chain to deliver nutritious foods to those who need it most
The Leveraging Agriculture for Nutrition in South Asia (LANSA) research programme consortium aims to enhance the impact of agriculture on maternal and child nutrition in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.
Nearly half the children in South Asian are chronically undernourished (stunted) and despite agriculture being the main livelihood for nearly half the population in the region, its potential for reducing undernutrition has not yet been realised.
The LANSA international research partnership focused on policies, interventions and strategies that can enhance agriculture to improve the nutritional status of children in South Asia.
This collection of LANSA publications describes our innovative research to discover how agriculture and food-related policies, programmes and interventions can be better designed to improve nutrition.
Image credit: Harvested Bell Peppers | IFPRI-IMAGES | Flickr | CC BY NC ND 2.0
In this collection
Showing 21-30 of 100 results
‘Milk for milk, water for water’: analysing Pakistan’s dairy innovation
Institute of Development Studies UK, 2018Interventions in agri-food value chains are thought to potentially make important contributions towards enhancing agriculture’s role in nutrition. Some frameworks have begun to identify sets of requirements for pro-nutrition value chains. Pakistan’s dairy sector has been the focus of a business-driven innovation which introduced ultra-high temperature (UHT)-treated milk in aseptic packaging.This was expected to relieve existing constraints in production and distribution, raise incomes for producers, and increase the supply of an affordable nutrient-dense food to consumers....A study on milk value chains for poor people in Bangladesh
Institute of Development Studies UK, 2018Child and maternal undernutrition is still prevalent in Bangladesh and poor dietary diversity is one of the major causes. While milk can contribute to nutritional requirements, currently availability in Bangladesh is 126ml/person/day, whereas recommended consumption is 250ml/person/ day. This case study was conducted to identify existing milk value chains and the milk consumption behaviour of poor people.Priority was given to women and children as they are the most vulnerable in both rural and urban areas....Building dairy value chains in Badakhshan, Afghanistan
Institute of Development Studies UK, 2018Considerable recent research has tried to link agricultural production and the distribution of nutrient-rich foods to consumption, and hence improved health, of nutritionally vulnerable population groups. However, we are still unsure how agri-food value chains can assure positive linkages between agriculture and nutrition. Badakhshan is a remote region of Afghanistan, where high rates of malnutrition prevail among vulnerable population groups....Food distribution value chains under the Integrated Child Development Services
Institute of Development Studies UK, 2018Globally, social provisioning of food is recognised as an important means to reduce the prevalence of malnutrition. Government food distribution programmes have potential for impact at scale in this context....Going against the grain of optimism: flour fortification in Pakistan
Institute of Development Studies UK, 2018Food fortification is a popular strategy for addressing ‘hidden hunger’, and staple foods are seen as promising, if unproven, vehicles for the delivery of essential micronutrients to poor people in developing countries. This article examines wheat flour fortification with iron in Pakistan as a case of technocratic optimism in the face of institutional constraints.An evaluative framework based on the analysis of entire value chains can provide a reality check on technocratic optimism....Business-based strategies for improved nutrition: the case of Grameen Danone Foods
Institute of Development Studies UK, 2018There is increasing interest in the role that businesses can play in promoting the consumption of nutrient-dense foods as part of strategies to reduce the prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies in developing countries. To date, however, there has been little in-depth analysis of the extent to which viable business opportunities exist for nutrient-dense foods in the context of markets catering to communities....Private business-driven value chains and nutrition: insights from India
Institute of Development Studies UK, 2018Despite rapid economic growth, undernutrition rates in South Asia remain among the highest in the world. It is also seen that both rural and urban populations in developing countries are increasingly dependent on markets for food. This makes examining the potential of different agri‑food models to deliver nutritious foods relevant.This article examines the value chains of two fortified foods manufactured by private sector business in India using the conceptual framework in Maestre, Poole and Henson (2017), to understand their potential to reach economically poor households....Introduction: value chains for nutrition in South Asia: who delivers, how, and to whom?
Institute of Development Studies UK, 2018There is currently much talk of the private sector role in nutrition, and whether the state can better ‘shape’ the market to deliver nutritional outcomes. This article introduces an issue of the IDS Bulletin which presents research findings in this area developed by the consortium of research partners under the Leveraging Agriculture for Nutrition in South Asia (LANSA) programme.It is the first attempt at nutrition-oriented whole value chain research in South Asia, studying the supply and demand side of the agri-food chain....Value chains for nutrition in South Asia: who delivers, how, and to whom?
Institute of Development Studies UK, 2018There is currently much talk of the private sector role in nutrition, and whether the state can ‘shape’ the market to deliver better nutritional outcomes. This issue of the IDS Bulletin presents research findings in this area, developed by the consortium of research partners under the Leveraging Agriculture for Nutrition in South Asia (LANSA) programme.The IDS Bulletin aims to analyse existing (or potential) agri-food value chain pathways for delivering nutritious foods from agriculture to vulnerable populations in South Asia....Would the people of Chhattisgarh prefer cash transfers instead of foodgrain?
Sameeksha Trust, 2017The overwhelming and consistent preference for grain over cash is striking, especially since this preference was expressed by both men and women, irrespective of class, age, or community. It is useful to examine reasons for this sharp preference for grain over cash against the background of national debates about cash transfers....