Introduction to Transform Nutrition Research Programme Consortium

Research Programme Consortium

Global Burden of Child Stunting(millions, under-fives, 2008)

Conceptual Framework: Determinants and Interventions

BreastfeedingComplementary feedingVitamin AZincHygiene

INSTITUTIONS

POLITICAL & IDEOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK

ECONOMIC STRUCTURE

RESOURCESENVIRONMENT, TECHNOLOGY, PEOPLE

Health

Interventions

Immediate causes

Underlying causes

Basic causes

AgriculturePoverty reductionIncome generationEducationSocial protectionHealth systems strengtheningWomen’s empowerment

Adapted from 990Source: Ruel, SCN News 2008 UNICEF 1

Water / SanitationHealth services

Maternal and childcare practices

Access to food

Food / nutrient intake

Transform Nutrition Consortium Partners

International Food Policy Research Institute

Institute for Development Studies

International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh

Public Health Foundation of India

Save the Children

University of Nairobi

Focus countries

• India• Bangladesh• Kenya• Ethiopia• Nepal, Vietnam,

Nigeria, Zimbabwe (outer ring)

Transform Nutrition’s Theory of Change

Developing and sustaininga robust enabling

environment

Improved capacity to maximise nutrition sensitivity

of indirect interventions

Actionable evidence on scaling direct

interventions

PURPOSEUnlock puzzles to

transform thinking and action on nutrition

Strong network of nutrition champions

Increased profile of nutrition in public

policy through communication

processes

Accelerated reduction in undernutrition

Nutrition moved higher up development agenda

Transformed thinking and action for

undernutrition reduction

OUTCOMES

OUTPUTS

Core Research Pillars / Questions

1. How can direct nutrition-specific interventions targeted to the “window of opportunity” be appropriately prioritized, implemented, scaled up and sustained in different settings?

2. How can indirect interventions (social protection, agriculture, and women’s empowerment) have a greater impact on improving nutrition?

3. How can an enabling environment be promoted, and existing and enhanced political and economic resources be used most effectively to improve nutrition?

4. Cross-cutting themes: governance, inclusion, fragility

Transform Nutrition’s Research FrameworkScaling up

nutrition-specific actions effectively

Making indirect interventions more nutrition-sensitive

Promoting an enabling environment for

nutrition

Governance Weak incentives, institutions and infrastructure can undermine scaling up.

Weak commitment and coordination capacity to realize win-win solutions

Low issue salience, weak leadership from state and civil society and lack of accountability mechanisms make environments unsupportive

Inclusion

Gender, economic, caste, ethnic, geographic factors exclude large population groups from direct services

Social exclusion undermines efforts to reduce disparities in, and improve status of, underlying preconditions for nutrition security.

Social exclusion not recognized or prioritized by policy actors

Crisis and Fragility

Political conflict, natural disasters, famine-proneness all affect access, scalability, impact and sustainability of direct interventions.

Political conflict, natural disasters, famine-proneness threaten underlying preconditions for nutrition security (food security, access to water and health services, caring capacity)

Stakeholders lack the ability to track nutritional status under rapidly shifting and unpredictable situations. Shocks in fragile contexts often have long tails in the absence of awareness of the consequences of undernutrition.

Transform Nutrition’s Focal Areas

Research PillarsDirect (scaling)

Indirect (leveraging)Environment (enabling)

Cross-cutting themesGovernance,

Inclusion and Fragility

GeographySub-Saharan Africa

(Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Zimbabwe)

& South Asia (Bangladesh, India, Nepal,

Vietnam)

Functional competenciesCommunications, Capacity,

Development and M & E

Governance / organogram

Governance and management

• 6 partner organizations (Consortium Steering Group)• 4 focal countries, 4 outer ring countries• CEO, two Research Directors, Communications Manager, Operations

Coordinator• Research pillar leads• Cross-cut “watchdogs”• Working groups

– Capacity strengthening– Communications– M&E, impact assessment

• Consortium Advisory Group (CAG)• DFID

Research uptake / communications

• Research uptake strategy• Engagement with stakeholders/

recruiting champions• National communications officers• Communications Working Group• Stakeholder and audience mapping• Web portal, e-newsletter

Thank you

www.transformnutrition.org