NUTRITION IMPACT AT SCALE (NIS) Through the Nutrition Impact at Scale project, GAIN seeks to scale the impact of its work to increase access to safe and nutritious foods, especially for low-income consumers. By working with other organisations (Enterprise Support Organisations) that are willing and have the requisite capacity to attach a 'nutrition lens' to their work with small and medium enterprises (SMEs), Nutrition Impact at Scale (NIS) will enable a large-scale and accelerated nutrition impact for the larger African population. Funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, NIS uses a market systems development approach to improve food systems, increase inclusivity, and, ultimately, nutrition outcomes. The project leverages on the extensive experience GAIN have developed over the years of providing quality technical assistance, networking experience, knowledge sharing, building capacity of partners, and the provision of various tools and resources to MSMEs, to attach a 'nutrition lens' to the work of ESOs in Nigeria, Benin, Uganda, Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Kenya.
Key Messages
• A 2024 preliminary assessment of the National Policy on Food and Nutrition (2016-2025) found that about a third of its targets are roughly on track but that the policy needs to be updated to achieve its potential, and to take advantage of the opportunities provided through food systems transformation. • Since the Policy would be due for full review in 2025, there is ample opportunity to evolve it to the current context and thinking.
• Some key areas a new national food and nutrition policy must expand on include: legislative frameworks, more relevant conceptual frameworks, resilience, engagement with the education sector, expanded partnerships, private sector responsibilities, wins for climate and nutrition, shifting demand away from unhealthier to healthier foods, food safety, rethinking trade policy, promoting innovation and technology, and being more responsive to the needs of women.
DELIVER Nigeria is a transformative three-year project (July 2024 - June 2027) designed to enhance the livelihoods of smallholder vegetable farmers in Kaduna and Kano states. This initiative, led by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) in partnership with East-West Seed Knowledge Transfer Foundation (EWS-KT) and Wageningen University and Research (WUR), addresses key challenges such as low yields, limited market access, high postharvest losses, and inadequate finance.
Food systems have the potential to drive inclusive growth, prosperity, nutrition, and health, or, if poorly managed, they can deepen inequalities and exacerbate poverty, malnutrition, and other poor outcomes. Data plays a crucial role in building food systems that drive positive development outcomes by providing the foundation for informed decision-making, effective policy formulation, targeted interventions, and stakeholder engagement and collaboration.
On August 29, 2024, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) hosted the inaugural Enterprise Support Organisation (ESO) for Nutrition Convening in Nigeria, themed ‘Catalysing Nutritional Innovation: Empowering ESOs to Transform Food Systems.’ This first-of-its-kind convening in Africa brought together over 150 participants, including key stakeholders from academia, the private and public sectors, development agencies, and civil society. The convening focused on the critical role ESOs (entities that provide business development services to businesses) play in transforming food systems by supporting agri-food small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to overcome operational challenges, enhance capacity, and improve nutrition outcomes for underserved populations.
Approximately 11 million Nigerian children, or one-third of the population, experience severe child food poverty, significantly increasing their risk of malnutrition, including a 50% higher likelihood of wasting (UNICEF, 2024).
This mirrors a wider global issue, with 66 million children in low- and middle-income countries, including 23 million in Africa, attending school hungry every day (Bekri et al., 2023). Addressing this urgent crisis requires social protection interventions that combat child hunger and improve nutrition outcomes, such as school feeding programmes.
In response to a request from the Benin Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) focal point, following the 2022 Joint Annual Assessment (JAA), the establishment and operation of the SUN Business Network (SBN) began with the support from the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and CARE through the CASCADE programme. The goal of the programme is to improve food security and reduce malnutrition among at least 5 million women of reproductive age and children under 5 in Benin, Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Mozambique. The establishment of SBN Benin started with the development of a strategic plan for 2024-2030 and mapping of potential members and partners.
Climate change is a threat to the sustainability of global and national food systems. Unsustainable food systems cannot ensure food and nutrition security or healthy eating patterns. Climate change is already altering agricultural production, food processing, distribution, and conSumption. Its impacts disrupt food supply, limiting people’s access to the diverse, safe, and nutritious foods that make up high-quality diets.
The NFCMS 2021 provides valuable insights and highlights the need for strategic investments in agriculture, nutrition, and food systems. While progress has been made, there is a clear imperative for improved implementation and expanded coverage of nutrition interventions across diverse population groups.
Reducing foodborne disease in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is crucial for advancing nutrition, health, and other development goals. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)/Feed the Future’s Evidence and Action Towards Safe, Nutritious Food (EatSafe) program sought to harness consumer demand as a mechanism to improve food safety practices and generate evidence on how to raise consumer demand for safe, nutritious foods in traditional market settings—the main source of food for most LMIC consumers.
