I-CAN Policy Brief: Building Systems For Climate–Nutrition Integration In Uganda

- 18/05/2026

Uganda increasingly recognises the importance of addressing the intersection of climate change and nutrition, with emerging efforts demonstrating that integrated action is both possible and already underway. However, climate shocks, including droughts, floods, and pest outbreaks, continue to disrupt food production, dietary diversity, water access, and disease patterns, ultimately undermining nutrition outcomes. A review of 39 national policies and consultations with 22 stakeholders across government, development partners, civil society, and the private sector reveal that climate and nutrition remain largely siloed within Uganda’s policy architecture, and that implementation is constrained by gaps between policy intent and operational reality. However, a subset of policies demonstrates that effective climate–nutrition integration is already possible, particularly where clear pathways, costed commitments, and system-level investments are in place. Stakeholder interviews indicate that, although policy frameworks increasingly acknowledge the climate-nutrition nexus, integrated action is most often realised at the program level, primarily through donor-funded projects and civil society initiatives, rather than systematically embedded within government systems. These findings highlight a critical opportunity to strengthen policy coherence, institutional coordination, financing alignment, and cross-sector accountability to accelerate climate-nutrition integration efforts in Uganda.

How Cleaner Salt Production in Tanga Is Improving Nutrition Outcomes

When you ask families in Tanga what salt means to them, the answer is often simple: “It’s something we cook with every day.” Yet few realise that the quality of that salt; its purity, safety, and level of iodization; directly affects the health of households, particularly children and pregnant women. For years, salt producers in Tongoni and Masiwani worked with unlined pans, contaminated crystals, and unpredictable yields. Salt was often sold locally without consistent iodization, leaving families vulnerable to iodine deficiency, which contributes to goiter, impaired development, and weakened immunity. Today, a different story is unfolding. Improvements in infrastructure, training, and coordination, supported by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), are transforming production from low-quality, non-iodized salt to safer, cleaner, and more reliable salt that strengthens household nutrition.

Adopting a Food Systems Approach to Reducing Hunger and Malnutrition: Lessons From Benin, DR Congo, and Madagascar

- 24/04/2026

Adopting food-related policies, governance approaches, and action plans that cut across sectors is key to food systems transformation – but how to do so is not always clear. This case study examines how policy stakeholders in three African countries were able to adopt food systems thinking, adapt their governance approaches to enable cross-sectoral food systems approaches, and start to move towards action.

Positioning Youth as Leaders of Food Systems Transformation: Insights from the Youth Voices Project in Arusha, Tanzania

- 24/04/2026

Young people are an influential force in food systems, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, yet their perspectives remain underrepresented in policy and decision-making. This case study explores how youth leadership programmes can strengthen young people’s understanding of food systems, develop their leadership and communication skills, and enable them to engage meaningfully with stakeholders across multiple levels. It illustrates how experiential learning, peer collaboration, and opportunities for collective action allow youth to influence decision-making, advocate for inclusive reforms, and contribute to sustainable transformation. The study highlights how positioning young people as active participants in food systems can gain traction and considers how such approaches could be scaled and institutionalised to ensure that youth perspectives are systematically integrated into food system initiatives.

Using Collective Action to Amplify Youth Voices and Influence Food Systems Policy in Tanzania

- 24/04/2026

Young people represent a critical yet underutilised force in transforming food systems. This case study examines how youth-led collective action campaigns can serve as a mechanism to amplify youth voices and influence food system transformation. It shows how young people can engage with decision-makers at both local and national levels to shape agendas, embed inclusivity, and create opportunities for meaningful participation in policy processes. This case underscores how collective action can reposition young people as active agents of change in food system policy and offers insights on how policymakers and stakeholders can support the integration of youth perspectives into formal decision-making structures.

Ebyendiisa Expo 2026 | Ebyendiisa Nutrition & Agriculture Expo – Kampala, Uganda

30 April 2026- 01 May 2026Kampala, Uganda, Uganda

The Ebyendiisa Expo 2026 is a two-day experience that brings together agriculture, nutrition, and food system actors to close the gap between food availability and real consumption. It transforms nutrition from information into experience through food, learning, and culture.

Advancing Large-Scale Food Fortification (LSFF) through Localisation, and Coordination

- 25/03/2026

Tanzania has established a strong policy and regulatory framework mandating the fortification of staple foods, including wheat flour, maize flour, edible oils, and salt. Despite this progress, implementation and compliance gaps persist, limiting the public health impact that fortification programmes can achieve Market evidence and engagement with Millers for Nutrition (M4N) highlight that inconsistent compliance and coverage stems from structural barriers within Tanzania’s fortification ecosystem.

Lishe Shuleni Fact Sheet

- 25/03/2026

Despite progress in policy development, Tanzania’s school feeding programs still face significant implementation challenges, particularly in delivering nutritionally adequate meals. Although 96% of public primary schools provide meals, these often rely onmonotonous staples like maize and beans, which lack essential micronutrients. As a result, 25% of school-aged children remain stunted, with over one-third experiencing vitamin A deficiency or anemia.