This document summarizes the proceedings from Breakout Session 1 on Undernutrition at a conference. It discusses several key topics: - The question of how to make agriculture systems and related policies work better for health and nutrition. - The need to strengthen the link between agriculture research/programs and reducing undernutrition through more cost-effective approaches under various conditions. - Some progress that has been made in recognizing links between farm production, diets, and nutrition outcomes, as well as the importance of gender dimensions. - Recommendations around developing guidance for research designs, choice of nutrition outcomes and pathway indicators to measure, and harmonizing survey instruments.

1. Breakout Session 1
Undernutrition
Coordinator: Suneetha Kadiyala

2. 2
Derek Headey:
Alan Dangour
Lynn Brown
Anna Herforth
Matin Qaim
Jemimah Njuki
Prabhu Pingali
Speakers
Day 1
Day 2
Several enthusiastic participants

3. 3
The big question
Subsistence
farming
Nutrition
outcomes
How do we make agriculture systems (and therefore
related policies and processes) work for health and
nutrition?
Modernization,
Globalization
Structural
transformation

4. 4
The research question
What do we know about the contribution of agriculture
(multisectoral) research, policies and programs in reducing
the undernutrition burden and how?
How can we strengthen that link in the most cost-effective
way?
Under what conditions?
Development trajectories
Other enabling environmental factors
Sequencing
Winners and losers
A big evidence gap...still

5. 5
Progress
A recognition of the disconnect between agriculture, nutrition
and health
Emerging knowledge of links between farm production, diets
and some nutrition outcomes
Increasing recognition of the centrality of gender dimensions
Nascent discussions on learning from other disciplines to
conduct integrative research
Challenges well recognized

6. 6
Diagnostic approach to understand where the biggest gains
or pain points are from macro to individual level
Research designs
Quantitative: RCTs, Quasi-experimental, IV, Panel fixed effects etc
Qualitative methods : How and why of human behaviour
Nutrition outcome indicators
Stunting
? For short-term impact studies
? Large scale program evaluation
Dietary diversity /diet quality: how to measure
Pathway indicators (e.g.)
Empowerment
WASH
How do we go about it? Methods and Metrics

7. 7
Recommendations
A guidance note on a decision making tree for research design
Choice of nutrition outcomes
Pathway indicators
Using already existing guidance from diverse disciplines
Harmonizing survey instruments
Minimum set of nutrition questions in agriculture survey
Minimum set of agriculture questions for nutrition surveys
Improvement and validation of some tools/scales
E.g. Food frequency questionnaires; dietary diversity scores etc .

8. 8

9. 9