Download Improving dietary diversity - Northwest Vietnam Project title, time

Improving dietary diversity - Northwest Vietnam
Project title, time frame and
location
Intermediate development
outcomes of the project
CGIAR, other partner research
centers
Improving Dietary Diversity and Diet Quality through Systems Innovation: A Pilot Study in Northwest Vietnam, 2014-2017
An attempt to better understand the role of biodiversity at different scales from individuals, households (and their farms),
villages and the wider landscapes
Bioversity International, in conjunction with the Center for Agrarian System Research and Development and Health Bridge
Objectives of specific research
centers for the project
Test best-bet interventions and provide capacity-building support options to improve dietary diversity and answer the
following questions:
 How does locally available biodiversity correspond to dietary diversity and nutrition
 How does a household's production diversity; availability and access to market and wild diversity influence dietary diversity
and nutrition
 What nutrition knowledge, attitudes and practices exist and how do they affect dietary and production diversity
 What key household and landscape system elements can be leveraged to improve dietary diversity and quality
Was an improvement in nutrition a
project objective?
Yes: through an improvement in dietary diversity, improvement of consumption of particular species for diet optimization
The aim is to simultaneously improve human nutrition, landscape health and ecosystem-service functions and considers the
diverse interactions and interconnectivity within landscape. The trade-offs between food and nutrition security, sustainable
use of natural resources and conservation of biodiversity, both for human health, as well as environmental health are
optimized, applying innovative socio-ecosystems approaches to nutrition interventions
If improvement in nutrition not an
objective, was it included in the
project at all?
Not applicable
Indicators relevant to nutrition
research included
Household Consumption: crop's contribution to HH consumption, animal contribution to HH consumption, contribution of
eggs to HH food consumption, contribution of aquatic products to HH consumption, contribution of wild/semi-wild species to
HH consumption
Children: anthropometric measurements of children (stunting, wasting, underweight, BMI),consumption of animal-sources of
protein
attitude of mothers/caregivers of dietary diversity, top fruits and vegetables fed to children
Mothers and caregivers: feed their children vegetables and fruit, taking vitamins or health supplements, giving children any
vitamins or health supplements, have knowledge/understanding of: micronutrients (iron, vitamin A), breastfeeding,
complementary feeding, anemia/vitamin A deficiency, food safety and nutrition related diseases, health problems that can
occur when a person is overweight or obese and reasons why people are overweight or obese, reason that their children were
malnourished, how to prevent malnutrition, dietary diversity
Women of reproductive age and children 12-24 months: minimum dietary diversity, individual dietary diversity, food varieties
among 18 FAO food groups consumed, relative frequency of foods consumed, mean quantity of key species from key food
groups per day consumed, daily estimated energy requirements reached, proportion of energy from proteins, carbohydrates,
Nutrition/diet methodology
and lipids, mean daily intake of key macro and micronutrients, average number of meals and snacks
 ABD surveys: on overall biodiversity, of the districts as well as the species used in local agriculture and consumption
 24 hour recalls at individual level for women of reproductive age
Conducted during a pilot study in the Mai Son district: 400 households were selected
 KAP survey (Knowledge, attitudes and practices) with the focus on nutrition, measurement of the four communes' food
insecurity
 24-hour dietary data for both mother/caregiver and baby/young child
 Key informant interviews: 19 interviewees of local representatives
 Participatory Identification of Intervention Approach: 26 participants from each commune including commune health
workers who are responsible for the nutrition program in the commune
 Plenary discussions discussing the nutritional values of foods in these three food groups helped facilitate the understanding
of the importance of good nutrition and diverse diets
Possible nutrition
Impact pathways
 Increasing availability of nutritious foods that can fill dietary gaps for direct consumption to improve diet
 Nutrition education sessions to encourage production and purchasing of nutritious foods
What were the outcomes?
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Nan, Thailand
Developed training materials
Technical training or community health leaders
Provision of seeds and seedlings, technical assistance and field monitoring
The results of the baseline study were used to produce a short list of the locally available foods per food group that could be
used at different times of the year and that were produced by less than 50% of households currently
 The interventions will be evaluated for their impact on the diet after a 12-month period (late 2016).
 Invention's effects on nutrition have yet to be determined
Project title, time frame and
location
Intermediate development
outcomes of the project
CGIAR, other partner research
centers
Objectives of specific research
centers for the project
Was an improvement in nutrition a
project objective?
If improvement in nutrition not an
objective, was it included in the
project at all?
Indicators relevant to nutrition
research included
Nutrition/diet methodology
Possible nutrition
Impact pathways
What were the outcomes?
Central Highlands, Vietnam
Assessment of different opportunities for agricultural diversification in Nan. Nan, Thailand, 2014-2017
 Short and midterm improvements to farmers’ livelihoods
Mae Fah Luang University With support from: The World Vegetable Center: (AVRDC) and The World Agroforestry Center
(ICRAF)
 Workshops on improved management of home gardens, including seedling preparation and integrated pest management
 Experiments on mushroom production
 Research on fruit tree orchard established
 Comparative study on different intercrops
No, production was the main project objective
Yes; data on nutrition, collected through a literature review from the Nutrition Institution of the Country was included in the
report produced by the research center
Rate of malnutrition in children under six years of age, children ages 6 to 14 that were underweight or stunted
Literature Review of previous work
Since nutrition indicators were included in the literature review, the center must have thought it was important enough to
cover. This program could have been made nutrition sensitive through the direct measurement of nutrition indicators before
and after interventions were complete to see if their project had an impact on nutrition of the population being examined
Not applicable
Project title, time frame and
location
Intermediate development
outcomes of the project
CGIAR, other partner research
centers
Objectives of specific research
centers for the project
Was an improvement in nutrition a
project objective?
If improvement in nutrition not an
objective, was it included in the
project at all?
Indicators relevant to nutrition
research included
Nutrition/diet methodology
Enhanced livelihoods and better natural resource management through appropriate integration and diversification on
smallholder farms in the Central Highlands of Vietnam Dak Lak and Dak Nong Provinces, Central Highlands of Vietnam, 20142017
Develop transition pathways for smallholders towards improved total household income and nutrition, enhanced whole farm
productivity, and better ways of dealing with risk, gender/equity and environmental issues
International Center for Tropical
International Livestock Research
The World Vegetable Center (AVRDC)
Agriculture (CIAT) with
Institute (ILRI)
Western Highlands Agriculture,
Forestry Science Institute (WASI)
and International Water Management
Institute (IWMI)
Facilitating R4D and IPS
Value Chain Assessment
Scientific quantification and assessment
Scientific quantification and assessment
Assessment of the viability of beef
Home garden trials
Scientific backstopping and research on
cattle
soils
Household vulnerability
Extension forages
Whole-farming modelling climate
scenarios
Bilaterally Funded Projects that worked
in the areas of concern; Including
Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia
One trip to the study sites and advice
on dry-season water management
options (IWMI)
No: was not in the interest of the
No: the focus of these research
Yes
center, as nutrition was not a specialty
institutions has to do with analysis of
the value chains, did not have any
interaction with nutrition, there was no
interventions planned, just analysis
No
No
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
None available
Not applicable
Not applicable
Nutrition Education Training Courses
Possible nutrition
Impact pathways
What were the outcomes?
Cambodia Laos and Vietnam
Yes, nutritional indicators could have
been used to test how vulnerable
households are and assess the
intervention work that was conducted
A focus on nutrition fits into the value
chains could have been included to see
how each aspect of the food chain
affects the nutrition status of the
population was the focus of this
research center
Not applicable
Not applicable
Hopes of improving nutrition through
training courses, which included
nutrition education.
Increasing efficiency of crop
management leading to an increase in
production and diversity with could
increase the nutritional status of the
population
Analysis of Implementation and
Outcomes yet to be completed
Project title, time frame and
location
Intermediate development
outcomes of the project
CGIAR, other partner research
centers
Objectives of specific research
centers for the project
Was an improvement in nutrition a
project objective?
If improvement in nutrition not an
objective, was it included in the
project at all?
Indicators relevant to nutrition
research included
Nutrition/diet methodology
Possible nutrition
Impact pathways
What were the outcomes?
Xishuangbanna, China
Attraction in Action: Using pheromones and other safe and sustainable management strategies to reduce losses from insect
pests and plant diseases on vegetable legumes and leafy brassicas in Southeast Asia. Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam 2014 -2017
 Improve the livelihood of farmers and increase the availability of wholesale vegetables with reduced risk of pesticide
contamination through sustainable vegetable legume and leafy brassica production systems in the target countries
The World Vegetable Center (AVRDC)
 Quantify baseline indicators for evaluating project outcomes in 3-5 years Including:
 Pesticide use, crop yield losses from pests, and gross margin (as an indicator of the economic reward for farmers to follow
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
 Improve our understanding of farmers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices in terms of IPM.
No, the focus was on productivity, not including its effect on nutrition. This was the aim of the center
No
Not applicable
Not applicable
Yes, nutritional indicators could have been used to test how an increase/decrease on productivity (due to the changes
proposed) affected the population
Not applicable
Project title, time frame and
location
Intermediate development
outcomes of the project
CGIAR, other partner research
centers
Objectives of specific research
centers for the project
Was an improvement in nutrition a
project objective?
If improvement in nutrition not an
objective, was it included in the
project at all?
Indicators relevant to nutrition
research included
Nutrition/diet methodology
Possible nutrition
Impact pathways
What were the outcomes?
Yunnan, China
Appraisal and Innovations in Xishuangbanna, China. Xishuangbanna, China 2014-2016
 Improvement of farming practices
The World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF), International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Wageningen University (WUR),
International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)
 Scale up green rubber
 Scale up improved foraged systems
No: the issues identified as important by the platform group did not include improving nutrition
No
Not applicable
Not applicable
Yes, nutritional indicators could have been used to test how an increase/decrease on productivity of the commercial crop
(affecting income) could have affected the nutritional status of the population
Not applicable
Project title, time frame and
location
Intermediate development
outcomes of the project
CGIAR, other partner research
centers
Objectives of specific research
centers for the project
Was an improvement in nutrition a
project objective?
If improvement in nutrition not an
objective, was it included in the
project at all?
Indicators relevant to nutrition
research included
Nutrition/diet methodology
Possible nutrition
Impact pathways
What were the outcomes?
Activities for Humidtropics in Honghe Project Site. Yunnan, China, 2014-present
 To understand the situation in social, economic, and environmental development, production systems, food market
demand and prices, and natural resource management.
Bioversity International, International Potato Center (CIP)
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Situational Analysis
Activate ABD focal group
Assess the status of biodiversity
Assess the status of nutrition, dietary diversity and food systems
Assess and identify the potential innovation platform on integrated systems
Organize and participate in relevant workshops/meetings
Overall, yes, however the project is only in the beginning stages and intervention in order to improve nutrition cannot be
thought of until the data collection and the analysis work is completed
Yes, through data collection
Products consumed, utilization of species by women and men (separately)
Household surveys: 100-200 households in selected communities in each of five counties (Honghe, Yuanyang, Jinping,
Jianshui, and Hekou). What was analyzed was the consumption of plant species over the period of a year.
The 4-cell focus group methodology tool was utilized for the identification and ranking of species regarding their use by the
households
A total of 322 women (between 19-78 years of age) and men (between 18-67 years of age) participated in 30 focus group
discussions
Nothing as of yet, only have gathered data, however interventions are currently being planned
The project is only in the beginning stages and intervention in order to improve nutrition cannot be thought of until the data
collection and the analysis work is completed
Integrated Farming Systems - Northwest Vietnam
Project title, time
frame and location
Intermediate
development
outcomes of the
project
Research for development of appropriate technical innovations in integrated farming systems for scaling up in Northwest Vietnam, 20142017
 Improved productivity and income for households: improved through improving and stabilizing yields and profits from crops and animals
as a result of the adoption of suitable technical innovations
 Nutrition for households: improved through increasing access to and consumption of diversified and quality foods
 Environment and natural resources: improved/restored through reducing soil erosion, improving soil conditions, better managing waste
and increasing biodiversity of crops and animals
Gender: women have better control over and benefit from integrated production and marketing systems
CGIAR, other partner
research centers
Center for Agrarian
System Research
and Development:
(CASRAD) Soil and
Fertilizers Research
Institute: (SFRI)
Objectives of specific
research centers for
the project
Re-establish upland
farming systems
Test different
techniques for
nutrient
management and
safe vegetable
production along
with integrating
farmland systems
and evaluating soil
erosion to improve
quality
Establishing the
fodder grass for
livestock
development
International Water
Management
Institute (IWMI) only included in
Phase 1
Improving water
access for vegetable
gardening
The World
Agroforestry Center
(ICRAF)
In collaboration with
Northern
Mountainous
Agriculture and
Forestry Science
Institute (NOMAFSI)
Re-establish upland
farming systems
Monitor impacts of
intercropping and
grass strips on soil
erosion
Understand the
social processes of
agricultural
innovation for
livelihoods
improvement of
ethnic minority
groups, especially
women
International
Livestock Research
Institute (ILRI)
The World Vegetable
Center: (AVRDC)
Fruit and Vegetable
Research Institute:
(FAVRI)
with the assistance
of the National
Institute of Nutrition
(NIN)
Consultation on
Livestock,
Households and
Value Chains,
Baseline survey,
Situational Analysis
Analyzing the Value
Chain and Establish
Market Linkages for
Vegetable Products
Promote Safe
Vegetable
Production through
Integrated crop
management trials
Identify suitable
technologies for
increasing
commercial
vegetable
productivity in Son
La
Develop home
garden packages and
Wageningen
University and
Research: (WUR)
in collaboration with
Bioversity
International
(both partners
brought in during
phase 2 of the
project)
Assess how
interventions and
species promoted in
the home gardens
(part of Cluster 4
project in first
phase) can be
adapted or improved
to better increase
dietary diversity.
Provide input to
improve home
garden production
be more relevant to
identified dietary
needs
Use PIIA results to
outline some
increase nutrient
supplies to the soil
and availability from
home garden
produce
Was an improvement
in nutrition a project
objective?
If improvement in
nutrition not an
objective, was it
included in the project
at all?
They were the
leaders of the
"Research for
development of
appropriate
technical
innovations in
integrated farming
systems for scalingup in Northwest
Vietnam" program,
so it was an
objective in that
sense, however
when it comes to the
exact research the
centers did, there
was no objective in
nutrition
No, the focus of
these research
institutions has to do
with increasing
productivity and
increasing nutrient
composition of the
soil
No, was not decided
to be of importance
by the research
center to utilize
nutrition as indicator
of change nor was
an improvement in
nutrition included as
an objective
outcome
No
No, the focus of
these research
institutions has to do
with increasing
productivity
No
enabling/inhibiting
factors along Impact
Pathway from
production to
household
consumption of
selected key species
Yes, as their work
sought to address
the following issues
(related to
nutrition): increasing
food security,
improving nutrition
and health, stated in
the baseline
assessment as well
as the report on
value chain
assessment
No, production was
the main project
objective
Yes, through an
improvement in
dietary diversity,
improvement of
consumption of
particular species for
diet optimization
Not applicable
yes; through a one
day training course
and data collection
of consumption and
literature review of
the nutritional data
collected from NIN
in hopes to identify
food and nutrient
gaps of household
diets in target
communes and
Not applicable
Indicators relevant to
nutrition research
included
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Household Dietary
Diversity Score,
Individual Dietary
Diversity Score
(calculated
according to FAO
guidelines), Average
number of food
groups consumed,
trees used for food,
Food Security
Indicators: total
household calories
consumed
(calculated through
a summation of all
food types,
multiplying the
quantity consumed
by the energy in Kcal
of that food type
(FAO and WFP
conversion tables
were used)), supply
sufficiency and selfsufficiency of
calories and protein
% of the crop that is
produced and
utilized for home
consumption and
how that falls into
the food chain
stunting (height for
age), underweight
(weight for age),
explore potential
interventions
food consumption
score (utilizing WFP
indicators),
consumption of iron
supplements prior to
and during
pregnancy and
vitamin A
supplements after
giving birth, chronic
energy deficiency
measured by BMI in
women 15-49 (per
WHO classification),
prevalence of
anemia among
pregnant women,
consumption of
vegetables (in
grams) per person /
day), levels of food
insecurity of
households, rate and
duration of hunger
in drought areas,
for children under 5:
the average caloric
consumption per
day, the ratio of
animal protein to
total protein
consumption , iron
and vitamin A needs,
stunting (height for
age), underweight
(weight for age),
Information not
available
Nutrition/diet
methodology
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
wasting
(underweight per
height), iron
deficiency,
proportion of
children meeting
minimal dietary
diversity
requirements, early
initiation of breast
feeding, mothers
who continued
breastfeeding at two
years, mothers
exposed to
breastfeeding or
complementary
feeding info in last 3
months, agricultural
products used for
household
consumption,
monthly average per
capita consumption
of key commodities
Review of existing
literature on
nutritional status of
the population in the
geographical area
being studied
339 HH overall
between the Dien
Bien and Son La
provinces using
ImpactLIite survey.
This measured
utilization of main
wasting
(underweight per
height) per WHO
classification
Literature review of
data collected by the
National Institute of
Nutrition.
Data collection
conducted by
AVRDC: Assessment
of the nutritional
status of children
under 3 years of age
as well as women of
reproductive age
(15-49). 200
Information not
available
crops produced by
their farms, dietary
diversity (utilizing
the Simpson
Diversity Index), and
individual dietary
diversity (measured
by the number of
food groups
consumed by HH
over the past 24
hours (calculated by
using FAO
guidelines)
Possible nutrition
Impact pathways
Nutritional
indicators could
have been used to
test how the
population was
affected through the
interventions on
improving nutrient
composition in the
soil, if the
Water safety and
water being utilized
for food could have
been examined, and
used as an
intervention for the
population in order
to improve health
and nutritional
education and status
Yes, nutritional
indicators could
have been used to
test how an
increase/decrease
on productivity (due
to the changes
proposed) affected
the population
As livelihoods of
Baseline surveys and
analysis of value
chains were
conducted in order
to find the specific
areas where
nutrition needed to
be addressed with
the hopes that the
results would
Households through:
Anthropometric
measurements,
Knowledge Attitude
and Practice (KAP),
24 hour recall
questionnaire for
collecting food
intake of households
in previous 24 hours,
24 hour recall
questionnaire for
collecting food
intake of children
under 2 years of age
in previous 24 hours
Training sessions: 2 One day training
sessions for 10
households.
Nutrition Education:
general nutrition,
role of vegetables in
nutrition, nutrient
sources, healthy
balanced diets,
hygiene and food
safety
In terms of
production,
increasing vegetable
production could
directly and
indirectly affect the
nutritional status.
Directly through
increasing
production, which
Use crops selected
by Farm DESIGN,
together with other
locally available
crops/species that
could be used to fill
dietary gaps and run
Participatory
Identification of
Intervention
improvement of the
nutrient composition
in the soil affects the
nutritional status of
the population
What were the
outcomes?
Not applicable
minorities were to
be assessed,
nutrition indicators
could have been
included
Not applicable
Not applicable
prompt further
action/intervention
work from CGIAR
centers.
could lead to an
increase in
consumption of
vegetables, which
could in turn lead to
an increase in
nutritional status.
Indirectly through
increasing
production, which
increases income,
which could then
increase the
nutritional status of
the population.
Assessment of
Intervention work
yet to be conducted
Assessment of
Intervention work
yet to be conducted
Approach (PIIA) to
identify barriers and
opportunities for a)
improved
production and b)
improved
consumption of
these species by
households (focus
on women and
children), then
implement an
intervention
(participatory
cooking classes for
new recipes,
including
production/farm
optimization )
focused on results
from above
components which
could improve the
nutritional status of
the population
Information not
available