Watch
Vegetable for Healthier Diets4All
A featured video showing how vegetables can support healthier diets and everyday meals.
Watch video →GAIN programme A1
Transforming food systems to improve diet quality and resilience for the most vulnerable ("A1")
Market-based solutions for better nutrition outcomes
For millions of people, nutritious foods such as vegetables and animal-source foods remain out of reach. They are either too expensive, difficult to access, unsafe, or not appealing enough to be part of daily diets.
Through the A1 programme, we aim to fix this. Working across six African countries, the programme uses market-based solutions to strengthen food systems, improve the availability and affordability of nutritious foods, and support families, school children, and workers to access the safe, healthy food they need to thrive.
Funded by Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department of Inclusive Green Growth (IGG)
Programme snapshot
At a glance
A1 works to improve access to and consumption of affordable, safe and nutritious foods for low-income consumers across six African countries..
0m / 30.8m
consumers reached out of 30.8m targeted through A1 activities
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people with improved diet quality by 2027
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African countries
2022–2027
Programme duration
0
Budget
Programme objective
Healthier diets for all.
The objective of A1 is to increase access to and consumption of affordable, healthy diets for base of pyramid consumers, while strengthening their resilience to nutritional shocks through market-based solutions by 2027.
In all 6 countries, we implement integrated food systems interventions organised around key value chains, drawing on GAIN’s expertise and partnerships to drive change.
By 2027, the programme aims to reach 31 million people through its activities, with 4.5 million low-income consumers expected to achieve sustainably improved diets.
Target year: 2027
Base of pyramid consumers
Improve access to affordable, safe and nutritious foods for people who face the greatest barriers to healthy diets, including low-income families, school children and workers.
Affordable healthy diets
Use market-based solutions to improve the availability, affordability and appeal of nutritious foods by working with businesses, vendors, producers and supply-chain actors.
Resilience to shocks
Build stronger food systems that help vulnerable consumers maintain access to nutritious foods during periods of stress, including rising food prices, supply disruptions and reduced household purchasing power.
Create consumer demand
We shift consumer behaviours towards nutritious foods through mass media campaigns, digital outreach, community activations, cooking demonstrations and practical nutrition messaging.
Improve access
We work with vendors, SMEs, producers and supply-chain actors to make safe, nutritious foods more available, affordable and practical in the places where people live, work and shop.
Strengthen enabling environments
We support policies, standards, partnerships and regulatory systems that improve food safety, fortification, responsible production and long-term access to healthier diets.
A1 across six countries
Explore how A1 works across priority value chains in six African countries, combining demand creation, improved access and enabling environments to deliver measurable nutrition impact.
Kenya
Kenya – Vegetables for All
Focus: VegetablesProject details
Project aim
The project aims to increase vegetable consumption among over 1.2 million consumers at the base of the pyramid. It operates through three pillars: generating demand for vegetables, improving access to fresh and safe produce, and strengthening the enabling environment.
Where it works
Six counties in Kenya: Nairobi, Kiambu, Machakos, Nakuru, Mombasa, and Kilifi
FoodFiti brand
At the heart of the project is the FoodFiti brand — “fiti” being Kenyan slang for good, fine, and fit. To reposition vegetables as desirable and change perceptions, the project combines TV and radio campaigns with consumer activations and targeted digital outreach via Facebook and SMS. A recipe book co-created with the Ministry of Health showcases vegetable variety and new ways of cooking them.
Last-mile vendors and safe supply
Last-mile vegetable vendors, known as mama mbogas, are central to the model: branded and trained, they bring fresh vegetables directly into low-income neighbourhoods. Safe supply is ensured by connecting vendors to wholesalers sourcing from Good Agricultural Practice-compliant farmers, while cold storage facilities help reduce post-harvest losses and maintain freshness.
Enabling Environment
At policy level, the project supports food safety legislation at both county and national level, conducts pesticide residue testing, and advocates for greater government investment in food safety.
Impact so far
- Access to vegetables improved for 2.6m people
- 3.3m reached through radio/TV
- 1.7m reached through consumer interactions
Kenya resources
Read
Consume diverse vegetables for improved nutrition
A practical resource on why diverse vegetables matter for improved diets and nutrition outcomes.
Read resource →Field story
Vegetables for Health and Prosperity
Mary Wamuyu’s journey to nourish her community and strengthen her vegetable business through FoodFiti.
Read story →Mozambique
Mozambique – Animal Source Foods
Focus: Fish & PoultryProject details
Project aim
The project aims to increase the consumption of animal source foods (fish and poultry) among 1.4 low-income consumers. It operates through three pillars: making animal source foods (ASF) more desirable, affordable and accessible, while advocating for policy changes that support the ASF sector.
Where it works
51 districts in the Beira and Nacala corridors of Mozambique.
Demand creation
To shift consumer behaviour, the project runs mass media campaigns on TV and radio, complemented by community-level activities through ProConsumers — including cooking demonstrations, market events, and outreach in schools and churches. These campaigns highlight affordable options such as dried fish and low-cost chicken cuts, and incorporate gender-sensitive messaging to promote equitable food distribution within households.
Access and last-mile delivery
On the access side, the project focuses on the most affordable ASF options and invests in developing an enhanced last-mile delivery system from aggregation points to retailers. It supports distribution networks by investing in processing, fish drying technology, and cold chain from main distribution centres through to retail. SMEs receive grants and technical assistance in management, food safety, and cold chain operations.
Enabling Environment
At policy level, the project works closely with the Government of Mozambique and business and consumer associations to strengthen the enabling environment for the ASF sector, including support for a national poultry master plan.
Impact so far
- 1,322 retail sales points improved with cold chain or dry storage
- Access to animal-source foods improved for over 1m people
- 5.5m reached through radio/TV
- 3.5m starting to shift behaviours towards buying more animal-source foods
Mozambique resources
Resources coming soon Look out for Mozambique-specific videos, blogs and impact stories.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia – Better Dairy for All, Workforce Nutrition, Fortified Edible Oil
Focus: Dairy, workforce nutrition & fortified oilProject details
Project aim
The Ethiopia project combines three complementary initiatives to improve the diets of 845,000 low-income consumers: a dairy consumption programme, a workforce nutrition intervention, and a large-scale food fortification programme.
Where it works
In Amhara (Better Dairy for All), Addis Abeba and surroundings (Workforce Nutrition), and Ethiopia-wide (Large-Scale Food Fortification)
Better Dairy for All
The Better Dairy for All initiative works to increase dairy consumption among low-income consumers in the Amhara region. Through community interactions, mass media, and support to SMEs, cooperatives and retail outlets, the project raises awareness, overcomes cultural barriers to dairy consumption, and improves access to safe and affordable milk — including through innovations such as dairy dispensaries. The project also supports regional government in the development and enforcement of a dairy strategy. This initiative runs until June 2026.
Workforce nutrition
The workforce nutrition initiative operates across large-scale farms and industrial parks in eleven cities, aiming to improve the diets of workers and their families. Working directly with company management, the project diversifies workplace menus in line with national dietary guidelines, trains canteen managers and suppliers on nutritious meal preparation, and provides nutrition education through a peer educator model.
Fortified edible oil
The food fortification initiative focuses on ensuring that edible oil — a dietary staple — is fortified to national standards. While Ethiopia has recently introduced mandatory fortification legislation, challenges remain around imported oil quality and domestic vitamin A premix supply. The project addresses these gaps by strengthening regulatory oversight, expanding domestic coverage of vitamin A premix, and training local oil producers on fortification compliance.
Impact so far
- 2.6m reached through radio/TV
- 1.1m reached through consumer interactions
- 310,323 now consume dairy at least twice a week
- Workplace menus improved for 25,742 workers
Ethiopia resources
Resources coming soon Look out for Ethiopia-specific videos, blogs and impact stories.
Nigeria
Nigeria - Enhancing Access to Safe and Nutritious Diets
Focus: Vegetables & Fortified RiceProject details
Project aim
The Nigeria Enhancing Access to Safe and Nutritious Diets (ENSAND) project works to improve access to and consumption of vegetables and fortified rice among over 202,000 base of pyramid consumers.
Where it works
Across Kano, Kaduna and Kabbi states in Nigeria.
Improving vegetable consumption and supply
The vegetable initiative works with partners to support smallholder farmers to increase vegetable production, view farming as a business, and retain enough produce for household consumption before selling surplus locally. Farmers are trained on Good Agricultural Practices and Climate-Smart Agriculture, with demonstration plots established to boost production of nutritious vegetables. Awareness creation activities at community level — delivered through Civil Society Organisations, compound meetings and cooking demonstrations — encourage farmers and neighbouring households to increase the frequency and variety of vegetables in their diets, generating a spillover effect into surrounding communities. On the enabling environment side, the project engages government, private sector actors, and farmer associations to ensure ownership and sustainability of both initiatives beyond the project’s lifetime.
Fortified rice
The fortified rice initiative develops a sustainable supply chain linking the school feeding programme to local fortified rice producers in Kebbi state, advocating for increased government funding and long-term connections between the state’s fortified rice mill and school feeding structures.
Impact so far
- 66,806 school children now consume fortified rice at least twice a week
- 20,600 farmers trained in Good Agronomic Practices
- 153,853 families reached with vegetable preparation and consumption messages
Nigeria resources
Resources coming soon Nigeria-specific videos, blogs and stories can be added here when available.
Uganda
Uganda – Vegetables for All, Workforce Nutrition
Focus: Vegetables & workforce nutritionProject details
Project aim
The Uganda project combines two complementary initiatives to improve diets among low-income consumers: a vegetables project and a workforce nutrition intervention, together impacting over 200,000 consumers at the base of the pyramid.
Where it works
Mityana, Wakiso, Kayunga, Mukono, Kampala, Mbale, Mpigi, and Jinja districts in Uganda
Vegetables for All
The Vegetables for All initiative — adapted from Kenya’s model to the Ugandan context — drives demand for vegetables through TV and radio campaigns paired with community cooking demonstrations, where consumers can taste prepared vegetables and discover the appealing flavours of different varieties. At the heart of the project is the Fit Food brand, which repositions vegetables as desirable among the target audience.
Fit Food vendor model
To ensure access to fresh and safe produce, last-mile vendors are branded under the Fit Food brand and coached on good handling practices. Vendors are linked to Market Facilitators who aggregate orders, source from farmer producer organisations, and deliver directly to vendors. This model enables traceability and direct communication with value chain actors on responsible pesticide use and food safety.
Workforce nutrition
The workforce nutrition initiative engages companies — including Dutch-owned businesses — to improve employee diets through menu improvements, nutrition education, health checks, and breastfeeding support. The initiative benefits from strong political momentum, including a forthcoming MoU with the Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Health.
Impact so far
- Access to vegetables improved for 793,760 people
- 599,878 reached through radio/TV
- 147,400 reached through consumer interactions
- Workplace menus improved for 9,084 workers
Uganda resources
Impact story
Jamada Nduga, The Supplier Behind Every Fresh Plate
A Uganda impact story showing how suppliers help connect farmers, vendors and families with safe, fresh vegetables.
Read story →Benin
Benin – PASIMA
Focus: Vegetables & fortified staplesProject details
Project aim
In Benin, we set up two complementary initiatives to improve diets among 360,000 low-income consumers: a vegetables project and a large-scale food fortification initiative.
Where it works
Abomey-Calavi, Cotonou, Seme-Kodji, Porto-Novo and Bohicon cities (vegetables) and Benin-wide (fortification)
PASIMA (Vegetables for all)
The PASIMA project — adapted from Kenya's model under the Nanavi brand ("the Amazone of Flavour") — drives demand for vegetables through TV and radio campaigns, recipe sharing, and community demonstrations. Last-mile vendors are branded with Nanavi materials at point of sale and coached on good handling practices. Market facilitators connect these vendors to farmer networks and ensure timely supply of a wider variety of quality vegetables. These farmer networks have been trained to reduce pesticide use, leading to safer foods for consumers. Business coaches support market facilitators on data collection, quality, and traceability.
Food fortification
The food fortification initiative works to increase access to adequately fortified edible oil, iodised salt, and maize flour — both in local markets and through the school feeding programme. The project strengthens the capacity of local producers and the regulatory body ABSSA to monitor fortification quality at import, production, and retail levels. Technical assistance supports maize flour and salt producers in meeting national standards, while policy coordination is advanced through the revival of the National Fortification Alliance and the development of a National Fortification Strategy.
Impact so far
- 1.2m school children reached with fortified oil
- SMEs supported to fortify maize, salt and edible oil
- Access to vegetables improved for 197,640 people
- 264,556 reached through radio/TV
- 172,550 reached through consumer interactions
Benin resources
Watch
PASIMA in Benin
A featured video on the Benin programme and its work to improve access to nutritious foods.
Watch video →Op-ed
Female market vendors could fix Benin nutrition
An opinion piece on the role female market vendors can play in improving nutrition and food access in Benin.
Read op-ed →Partners and collaborators
Working together for healthier diets
