Uganda has made some progress improving nutrition but still faces challenges with high levels of stunting and anemia. The government has developed nutrition policies and plans and established units focused on food and nutrition security within the Ministries of Agriculture and Health. However, coverage of key interventions remains limited. A new multisectoral nutrition project funded by GAFSP aims to increase production and consumption of nutrient-rich foods and use of community nutrition services through school gardens, nutrition education, and small community gardens. To further accelerate progress, the document recommends mainstreaming nutrition across agriculture and health programs, strengthening institutions and community interventions, and increasing advocacy efforts.

1. Accelerating Progress in Nutrition
in Africa: Compact 2025
2016 ReSAKSS Annual Conference, Accra, Ghana, October
18 - 20, 2016
by
Alex Bambona
Assistant Commissioner, Food & Nutrition Security,
Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries,
(MAAIF), Uganda 1

2. 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
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3. 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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4. 4

5. Trends in under five nutrition in Uganda
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6. 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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7. Nutrition Status: Anaemia in women of
Reproductive age
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Anaemia in children under-five years:73% and
49% in 2006 & 2011 respectively

8. Nutrition Status: Limited coverage of key interventions
IYCF practices
Source: DHS 2011 8

9. Interventions
MOH:
- 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
Nutrition-
sensitive
interventions
DISTRICT AND NATIONAL:
Strengthening policy, institutions,
capacity, coordination, and
management
.
Intervention Framework: Nutrition is a
multisectoral problem with multisectoral solutions
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10. 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
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11. 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 actions11

12. 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 12

13. 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)
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14. 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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15. 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 results
5. Scale up evidence based advocacy. Desirable to identify, rally around
and facilitate motivated and committed advocates across sectors and
at all levels.
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16. THE END
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
LISTENING
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