Stakeholders, Relationships, and Coordination: 2015 Baseline Study of Needed Enablers for Bridging Agriculture-Nutrition Gaps in Nigeria

Adeyemi, Olutayo; Ajieroh, Victor; Umunna, Larry; Aminu, Francis; Onabolu, Adeyinka

doi:10.1177/03795721221119249

Cited by 6 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…In the 2015 situation analysis, the IANWG was reported as a key structure for effective NSA actions and coordination. 23 Yet, the IANWG experienced multiple long periods of inactiveness despite efforts to keep it operational. Hence, a study, which is reported in this special issue, 39 was conducted in 2018 to identify approaches for sustaining the activities of the IANWG.…”

Section: Implementation Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The already mentioned IANWG was established as the primary coordination mechanism for NSA within FMARD and between FMARD and other ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) for the purposes of policy coherence, consistency, and synergy. In the Special Issue, Adeyemi et al 23 highlight the various coordination mechanisms that exist for different purposes, while Ezekannagha et al 39 describe the IANWG and its challenges and prospects. Overall, the FMARD needs to continue to actively participate in national coordination structures such as the National Committee on Food and Nutrition and the National Council on Nutrition.…”

Section: Multisectoral Coordinationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Federal level policies and strategies, including the AFSNS are not binding on States. 21,23,41 There is, therefore, a need to actively ensure state-level buy-in and ownership in addition to federal-level processes. One key mechanism for ensuring vertical coordination within the agriculture sector in Nigeria is through the National Council on Agriculture and Rural Development (NCARD).…”

Section: Vertical Coherencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Agricultural policies prior to 2010 did not explicitly address nutrition and included limited considerations for food security. 18,20,21 Beginning from the National Agricultural Investment Plan (NAIP) 2011-2014 developed in 2010, influenced by the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), 22 and drawing on experiences from a nutrition-sensitive National Programme on Food Security that commenced in 2008, agricultural policies and strategies in Nigeria began to include nutrition objectives, activities, and/ or indicators, 23 leading to intentional implementation of NSA.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fostering an Enabling Environment for Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture and Food Systems in Nigeria

Ajieroh¹,

Onabolu

Ezekannagha³

et al. 2023

Food Nutr Bull

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Background: Although recommendations exist for making agriculture and food systems nutrition sensitive, guidance about how to successfully operationalize these recommendations within national institutions is limited. Over the 13 years from 2010 to 2023, there were several undertakings to strengthen the enabling environment for sustainable nutrition-sensitive agriculture (NSA) and food systems in Nigeria. Some studies were also conducted over the period to foster better understanding of the national enabling environment and facilitate effective actions. Objective: This article documents successes and failures from Nigeria’s experiences by reflecting on critical developments, events, policies, and programmes on Nigeria’s journey toward advancing nutrition through agriculture and food systems; as well as findings from conducted studies. Discussion: Successes include the existence of a Nutrition and Food Safety Division in the Ministry of Agriculture and an approval for a Nutrition Department, existence of an agriculture sector nutrition strategy, increased private sector engagement and commitment to nutrition-sensitive food systems, and increased funding for nutrition in the agriculture sector. Challenges especially remain for scaling up strategic, operational, and delivery capacity of both organizations and individuals involved in advancing NSA and food systems. Lessons learned include—institutionalizing NSA and food systems takes time; knowledge brokering is indispensable and requires several collaborating entities and stakeholders; and approaches used should be suited to available government capacity. Conclusion: More than a decade of efforts targeting different enabling environment factors has resulted in greater political commitment for nutrition within the agriculture sector and an improved enabling environment for NSA and food systems.

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Section: Implementation Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Multisectoral Coordinationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Vertical Coherencementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Fostering an Enabling Environment for Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture and Food Systems in Nigeria

Ajieroh¹,

Onabolu

Ezekannagha³

et al. 2023

Food Nutr Bull

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Rather, both food security and nutrition were assumed to be natural dividends of agricultural development. 8,9 Yet, due to decades of underinvestment, Nigeria became a net food and raw material importing country. The increasing global calls for nutrition-sensitive agriculture (NSA) coincided with reforms in the agriculture sector, and the Federal Government of Nigeria, from about 2010, began to take strategic steps to maximize the potential for agriculture to improve nutrition.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Training to Build Nutrition Capacity in the Nigerian Agricultural Sector: Initial Assessment and Future Directions

et al. 2022

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Background: In response to calls to increase nutrition-sensitive agriculture (NSA), the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development developed the Nigeria Agricultural Sector Food Security and Nutrition Strategy 2016-2025 (AFSNS). Capacity development activities to facilitate the AFSNS implementation subsequently commenced. Objective: This study analyzed the processes and outputs of initial capacity development efforts, examined findings from the analysis using existing literature, and identified critical next steps for nutrition capacity development in the Nigerian agriculture sector. Methods: The study reviewed documents including a proposal for nutrition training of agriculture sector actors, reports of meetings held among 6 resource persons who designed and/or delivered training, training reports, participants’ pre- and posttraining assessments, and participants’ training evaluation. Interviews were conducted with 2 resource persons involved in training design and delivery. Documents and interviews were coded and analyzed to identify emergent themes. Participants’ pre- and posttests results were compared using paired t test in Stata 12.0. Results: Knowledge and practice gaps were more extensive than had been anticipated. Training had some but limited effects on knowledge scores at the federal level. Modules addressing implementation practices had to be scaled down for participants to keep up with the learning pace. Existing literature indicates that such training would have been better planned as part of a broader sectoral nutrition workforce strategy, to facilitate greater tailoring of training to participants’ job roles. Conclusion: Effective AFSNS implementation requires developing and operationalizing a comprehensive short-, medium- and long-term Agriculture Sector Nutrition Capacity Development Strategy for Nigeria.

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Nutrition Capacity Assessment of Agriculture Extension Services in Nigeria

Adeyemi

Adejoh²,

Anjorin

et al. 2023

Food Nutr Bull

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Background: Achieving meaningful malnutrition reductions in Nigeria and other high-burden countries requires sustained improvements in diets, mediated through nutrition-sensitive agriculture and food systems. Yet, the capacity to design, plan, implement, and monitor such nutrition-sensitive systems is very limited, including within agricultural extension services delivery. Understanding existing capacity of actors required to implement nutrition change is crucial for effective capacity development. Objective: This study assessed the nutrition capacity of agriculture extension agents (AEAs) in Nigeria and the capacity of their organizations and the institutions within which they operate. Methods: The study assessed 31 extension training materials for inclusion of recommendations for nutrition-sensitive agriculture. Structured interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with 23 extension agents and were coded and analyzed for major themes. Results: Training materials hardly included nutrition objectives and or nutrition-related services to be delivered. Some nutrition-related services were being delivered, including promotion of biofortified crops and nutrient-dense crops and animals, home gardening, food safety, and dietary diversification. However, these services were limited, and service delivery was unstructured, nonuniform, and inconsistent. Numbers of AEAs are quite inadequate while available AEAs had high workloads, are poorly motivated, and had limited funding, supervision, and logistics capacity to perform roles. Physical security was also a challenge for service delivery. Further, complementary activities in other sectors that were necessary for adequate delivery of nutrition-sensitive agriculture did not always exist. Conclusion: Extensive development of nutrition capacities of extension agents appears unlikely to achieve nutrition-related changes if limiting institutional and organizational capacity deficits are not addressed. Plain Language Title: Capacity of Agriculture Extension Agents in Nigeria to Deliver Nutrition Services. Plain Language Summary: Reducing the significant burden of malnutrition in Nigeria requires increased availability and consumption of foods that are nutritious and free from harmful substances. To produce such foods, farmers need adequate nutrition and food safety knowledge and skills. The production of such food will also need to support nutrition in other ways, including increased women’s empowerment. Extension agents traditionally support farmers to adopt new methods of food production and/or processing that support increased food yields. These agents can also be used to deliver services that will address nutrition if they have the necessary knowledge and skills. This study assessed the capacity of agriculture extension agents in Nigeria to deliver nutrition services, in order to determine how to increase their capacity to deliver these services. The results from the study are that the extension agents do not have sufficient knowledge and skills to deliver nutrition services, and that their organizations and the wider context in which they work do not have the capacity to enable them to deliver nutrition services effectively. For instance, the organizations do not have sufficient numbers of staff and do not provide current staff with adequate means of transportation to visit farmers. Insecurity is high and so extension agents are unable to visit farmers frequently because of the potential threats to their lives. The study concludes that effectively using extension agents to deliver nutrition services will require not just training of the extension agents but also improvements in organizational capacity and contextual factors.

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Stakeholders, Relationships, and Coordination: 2015 Baseline Study of Needed Enablers for Bridging Agriculture-Nutrition Gaps in Nigeria

Cited by 6 publications

References 25 publications

Fostering an Enabling Environment for Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture and Food Systems in Nigeria

Fostering an Enabling Environment for Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture and Food Systems in Nigeria

Training to Build Nutrition Capacity in the Nigerian Agricultural Sector: Initial Assessment and Future Directions

Nutrition Capacity Assessment of Agriculture Extension Services in Nigeria

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