Nutrition Improvements (total cost US$4.60 million).
This component will improve productivity, food security and nutrition levels of beneficiaries, especially women, female adolescents and children, in the selected 60 AA. The adjacent AAwill be selected based on poverty, health and nutrition indicators that are currently being monitored by the MoH at AA level. It will also improve the coordination of food and nutrition security at the national level. Three sub-components will be implemented in parallel.
Sub-component 3.1. Improved household nutrition through nutrition education. Beneficiaries of this sub-project will be the target women (18-49 years), children (0-5 years) and adolescent girls (12-17 years). A nutrition campaign will include: (i) nutrition education on breastfeeding and adequate complementary feeding; (ii) food preparation and preservation to increase the nutritional value of food consumed and ensure food safety in households; and (iii) enhanced learning opportunities for children..
Subcomponent 3.2: Provision of Micronutrient Supplements will provide folic acid and iron for pregnant women, women in reproductive age and adolescent girls and sprinkles for children 6-24 months as supplemental feeding to improve vitamin and micronutrient uptake.
Sub-component 3.3. Improved household nutrition through domestic gardening will primarily target the most vulnerable to improve year-round household nutrition and dietary consumption from household gardens. The project will finance: (i) identification of the most vulnerable and interested households; (ii) participatory rapid assessment (PRA) of problems, needs and interests of households and options for household plot improvement; (iii) a detailed technical assessment of current agronomic and production practices on household plots, including soil testing; (iv) technical advisory services for individual households, including development of household plot production guidelines and demonstration materials, establishment of: women’s SHG’s, SCFs where they do not exist, and household demonstration plots; and (v) a fund for basic equipment.
Sub-component 3.4. Improved national coordination for food and nutrition security will facilitate the broadening of the mandate of the FSC to include nutrition issues in addition to food security and social protection, and the establishment of a secretariat to support the FSC in overseeing and monitoring the Food Security and Nutrition Program. The secretariat will be supported by the project in coordination with FAO, WFP and UNICEF.
The three technical components are highly inter-connected and will require effective coordination to ensure the multi-sectoral approach delivers the expected results. All three components individually and collectively will influence productivity while components 2 and 3 more directly influence nutrition improvements.