Accelerating Progress in Nutrition in Africa: Compact 2025

2016 ReSAKSS Annual Conference, Accra, Ghana, October 18 - 20, 2016

byAlex Bambona

Assistant Commissioner, Food & Nutrition Security, Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries,

(MAAIF), Uganda 1

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STRUCTURE OF THE PRESENTATION

• Introduction• Nutrition Status in Uganda• Intervention Framework• Key Country Achievements in Nutrition• The Uganda Multisectoral Food Security and

Nutrition Project (UMFSNP)• Conclusion: Recommended Drivers for

improving nutrition in Uganda and Africa

INTRODUCTION

• Uganda is part of the EAC that comprises of six countries including: Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan.

• Total population (estimated): 40,656,738 • Over 70% of the population employed in

Agriculture• Income Percapita: 743 US Dollars (by 2012

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Trends in under five nutrition in Uganda

Nutrition Status: Slow progress in stunting reduction

Trends in stunting in Uganda Stunting is high in all wealth quintiles, 2011

Public health problem

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Nutrition Status: Anaemia in women of Reproductive age

Anaemia in children under-five years: 73% and 49% in 2006 & 2011 respectively

Nutrition Status: Limited coverage of key interventions

IYCF practices Source: DHS 2011 8

InterventionsMOH:- Behavior change: Care-seeking

and referral; Infant and young child feeding; Hygiene practices

- Micronutrient supplementation and deworming

MAAIF: - Knowledge transfer and

promotion of improved inputs and technologies: quality and diversity of year-round household food production and consumption

MOES - Nutrition education and

behaviour change - Knowledge transfer and

promotion of improved inputs and technologies

- School-based micronutrient supplementation and deworming for target groups

Nutrition-specific

interventions

SHORT

ROUTES

LONG

ROUTES

Nutrition-sensitive

interventions

DISTRICT AND NATIONAL: Strengthening policy, institutions, capacity, coordination, and management

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Intervention Framework: Nutrition is a multisectoral problem with multisectoral solutions

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Key Country Achievements: Policy & Institutions

Generally Uganda has in place a reasonable nutrition policy and strategy environment including:1. Nutrition profile raised by positioning of overall national

nutrition responsibility within the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM)

2. Development of the Uganda Nutrition Action Plan –UNAP (2011-2016), Uganda Food and Nutrition Policy – UFNP (2003), and Uganda Food and Nutrition Strategy – UFNS (updated in 2010).

3. Identification of key nutrition related priority actions, under UNAP, within key sectors (Health, Education, Agriculture, Gender, Labour, Social Development, and Local Government), in line with each sector’s strategic objectives. Focal Persons in Line Sectors and Committees including in District Local Governments 10

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Policy & institutions continued

• The Uganda Constitution, 1995 emphasizes the right to food

• Nutrition a cross cutting issues and human development focus in the National Development Plan 2015/16 – 2019/20

• Nutrition a development focus in Vision 2040 for the country

• Ensuring Food and Nutrition Security is an overall objective of the National Agricultural Policy, 2013 and also the 1st specific objective of the same policy with associated strategic actions

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Policy & Institutions Cont’d

• Agriculture Sector Strategic Plan (ASSP) has positioned food & nutrition security as a cross cutting issues & committed a paragraph to the subject

• Nutrition services are part of the minimum primary health care package in the Health Sector Strategic Plan & Nutrition Unit Exist at the Ministry

• Ministry of Agriculture has scaled up the Home Economics & Nutrition Unit into a full division of Food & Nutrition Security

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Program/community interventions

• Mostly led by NGOS and Development Partners• Government led intervention has been associated

with health sector and more on disease treatment (malnutrition etc) for a long time

• Limited institutional arrangements to deliver interventions through local governments

• Limited coverage of priority community interventions

• Thus the genesis of the Uganda Multisectoral Food Security and Nutrition Project (UMFSNP)

The UMFSNP Project Development Objective: To increase production and consumption of

micronutrient-rich foods and utilization of community-based nutrition services in smallholder households in project areas.

Funded under the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP)

Project will strengthen linkages between agriculture, nutrition, health and education through school-based parent-led demonstration gardens – as an entry point-, nutrition education, and small community gardens for production and consumption of nutritious foods at household level. The project is tagged as the first true multisectoral nutrition project in Africa and an indicator of the agriculture sector good will to prioritize nutrition and provide needed leadership in the country.

Implementation Framework: The project is implemented by three ministries (MAAIF as a lead ministry, MOH and MOES) targeting vulnerable smallholder households to improve nutrition knowledge and practices (especially in the “critical window” of conception through 23 months), and strengthen coordination mechanisms to address cross-cutting nutrition issues at all levels including national, district and community level.

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Conclusion: Recommended Drivers for improved nutrition in Uganda & Africa

1. Position nutrition as a key development issue within key policy frameworks

2. Identify and Mainstream multisectoral nutrition interventions into sector programs especially agriculture and Health particularly for those countries where a greater proportion of the population livelihood depend on agriculture.

3. Strengthen institutional arrangements to deliver multisectoral interventions at all levels. Desirable to raise the profile of nutrition by putting it in a sector/office with mandate and authority to monitor other sectors at national level. However, results will best be achieved if that sector/office identified puts in place a strong nutrition secretariat with motivated leadership

4. Strengthen community nutrition interventions with proven results5. Scale up evidence based advocacy. Desirable to identify, rally around and

facilitate motivated and committed advocates across sectors and at all levels. 15

THE END

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING

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