Reaching Lower-Income Consumers with Nutritious Foods: Bespoke Last-mile Distribution Networks

Final distribution to the consumer is a key challenge in addressing affordability for lower-income consumers, particularly in rural and remote areas or crowded lower-income urban neighbourhoods. One way to address this, particularly in places where there are few existing retail outlets, is through creation of a bespoke last-mile distribution (LMD) network. Creating such a network involves recruiting and training distribution/sales agents; equipping them for the job; and providing them with appropriate pay, incentives, and supervision. The agents can be employees, contactors, or micro-franchisees and can sell on foot, bike, using a pushcart or adapted motorcycle, from their homes, or through stalls.

Fortifying Nations: Forging New Alliances for Food Fortification

16 July 2024Global

In this webinar, we will learn from the experience of advocacy coalitions in Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Ethiopia. Representatives from these efforts will discuss how they have pursued joint action on fortification in their countries, what they have learned from this work, and plans for the future, including plans to utilise the World Health Assembly resolution on food fortification and the global N4G Summit to strengthen national efforts through contributing to significant global moments. The workshop will be a great opportunity to discuss the theory and practice of advocacy for food fortification and strategies to accelerate progress in the coming years.

GAIN Convening Paper 9: Multi-Sectoral Governance - Learning from the Dutch National and International Experience

- 20/06/2024

A symposium on local Dutch and international experiences of multisectoral food security and nutrition initiatives was held at the Micronutrient Forum 6th Global Conference, on 16 October 2023 in The Hague (The Netherlands). Three case studies - one each from Ghana, Ethiopia, and The Netherlands - were presented.

World MSME Day 2024

27 June 2024- 27 June 2024Global

World Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Day is celebrated on June 27th every year. ​Founded by the United Nations General Assembly to raise awareness of the tremendous contributions of enterprises to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

GAIN Working Paper n°41: A Review of the Aggregation Models Used in the Commercialisation of Biofortified Crops Programme

- 20/06/2024

Biofortification (also known as nutrient enrichment) of staple crops, is a cost-effective and sustainable agricultural technology that enhances the quantity, bioavailability and bioaccessibility of micronutrients, with the aim of reducing micronutrient deficiencies. From 2019-2022, GAIN and HarvestPlus coordinated the Commercialisation of Biofortified Crops (CBC) Programme, which sought to scale up the production and consumption of biofortified foods (i.e., wheat, maize, cassava, rice, pearl millet, and beans) through commercial pathways in six countries in Africa and Asia. The programme used a variety of strategic scaling pathways to ensure commercialisation (e.g., increased production and availability of surplus for sale in markets), where aggregation was a key step. The objectives of this paper are to: (1) document the types of aggregation models employed by the CBC programme and their challenges, and (2) make recommendations for improving biofortified crop value chains to better achieve commercialisation. The insights in this paper are based on a desk review of CBC programme documents and semi-structured interviews with programme implementers. 

Committee on World Food Security - CFS 52

21 October 2024- 25 October 2024Rome, Italy, Global

The 52nd Plenary Session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS 52) will be held from 21 to 25 October 2024 in Rome, Italy.

World Food Day

16 October 2024Global, Global

The world's farmers produce enough food to feed more than the global population yet, hunger persists. Up to 783 million people face hunger due to conflict, repeated weather shocks and economic downturns. This impacts the poor and vulnerable most severely, many of whom are agricultural households, reflecting widening inequalities across and within countries. 

Summit of the Future

22 September 2024- 23 September 2024New York , Global

The high-level event will bring together UN Member States, UN agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society organizations (CSOs), academic institutions, the private sector, and youth under the theme, ‘Summit of the Future: Multilateral Solutions for a Better Tomorrow’. The Summit aims to forge a new global consensus on what our future should look like, and what we can do today to secure it. 

Turning resolution into action: Implementing the World Health Assembly Resolution on Food Fortification

- 06/06/2024

To ensure the success of LSFF, governments can establish and strengthen national mandatory fortification standards as well as regulatory frameworks that ensure access to high-quality fortified foods across the entire population. Strong regulations also help ensure a level playing field for fortified food producers where all are held to the same standard.

Commercialising Biofortified Crops

- 18/04/2024

To scale up the production and consumption of biofortified foods through commercialisation, GAIN and HarvestPlus partnered in 2019 to implement the Commercialisation of Biofortified Crops (CBC) Programme