The document presents the results of a rapid country scan conducted in the Solomon Islands to review existing policies, programs, and projects related to the agriculture-nutrition nexus. It finds that the Solomon Islands' national policy on food and nutritional security appropriately focuses on reducing malnutrition, anemia, overweight and obesity, and non-communicable diseases. The scan also identifies various government ministries and NGOs working in the agriculture and health sectors on initiatives linked to the policy's goals.

1. Building
the
Evidence
Base
for
the
Agriculture-­‐Nutri#on
Nexus:
A
Rapid
Country
Scan
of
Policy
&
Prac#ce
in
the
Solomon
Islands
Dr.
Dus'
Becker,
Dorothy
Tavoa,
&
Leeroy
Joshua
School
of
Natural
Resources
&
Applied
Sciences

2. Presenta#on
Outline
• Nutri9on
challenges
in
the
Solomon
Islands
• Agriculture-­‐nutri9on
nexus
–
conceptual
framework
• Aims
of
the
SINU
Rapid
Scan
&
Sponsor
• Methods
• Results
– SIG
Na9onal
Policy
on
Food
and
Nutri9onal
Security
– SIG
Ministry
Programs
–
MAL
&
MHMS
– NGOS
&
others
• Summary
&
Conclusions

3. Bad
Nutri9on
=
Poor
Health
• 33%
of
children
under
5
years
are
malnourished
• 49%
of
children
under
5
are
iron-­‐
deficient
(anemic)
• 44%
of
mothers
in
the
Solomon
Islands
are
iron-­‐deficient
• 93.6
%
of
islanders
consumed
less
than
the
recommended
5
servings
of
fruit
and
vegetables
• 67%
of
Solomon
islanders
are
overweight,
33%
are
obese,
and
diabetes
affects
13.5%
of
the
popula9on
(SIG,
WHO,
2010,
WVIS
2015)

4. Agricultural-­‐Nutri#onal
Nexus
typical
thinking…
Chung,
K.
2012.
An
introduc'on
to
Nutri'on-­‐Agriculture
Linkages.
Research
Report
72E.
Ministry
of
Agriculture.
Mozambique

5. Agricultural-­‐Nutri#onal
Nexus
but
it
is
usually
more
complicated
than
that…
People
sell
fruits
and
vegetables
to
buy
noodles
and
rice,
for
example.
Do
men,
women,
or
both
drive
such
decisions?
Why?
Coconut
News:
there
is
a
perceived
“Wealth
Status”
associated
with
buying
imported
foods.
Chung,
K.
2012.
An
introduc'on
to
Nutri'on-­‐
Agriculture
Linkages.
Research
Report
72E.
Ministry
of
Agriculture.
Mozambique

6.
Rapid
Scan
Goals
&
Sponsor
Review
SIG
Food
Security,
Food
Safety,
and
Nutri9on
Policy
Who
is
doing
what?
Summarize
current
&
recent
projects
and
interven9ons.
Part
of
an
interna9onal
review
process:
Technical
Centre
for
Agricultural
and
Rural
Coopera9on
(CTA)
-­‐
a
joint
interna9onal
ins9tu9on
of
the
African,
Caribbean
and
Pacific
(ACP)
Group
of
States
and
the
European
Union
(EU).
CTA
Mission
-­‐
to
advance
food
and
nutri'onal
security,
increase
prosperity
and
encourage
sound
natural
resource
management
in
ACP
countries.

7.
Some
Guiding
Ques#ons
1. Who
are
the
targeted
beneficiaries
of
food
and
nutri#onal
security
projects?
2. Are
food
and
nutri#onal
security
projects
linked
to
SIG
policy?
3. Do
food
and
nutri#onal
security
projects
include
monitoring
and
impact
assessment
with
SMART
indicators.
4. Are
funding
levels
appropriate?
*
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Time-­‐bound

8. Methods
• Iden#fy
key
Ministries
and
NGOS
in
AG-­‐NUT
NEXUS
• Design
survey
instrument
(Appendix
1)
• Conduct
interviews
and
online
research
• Review
policies
• Summarize
types
of
projects
• Evaluate
findings
Food
sale
“fundraiser”
for
high
school
in
Ngela
Islands

9.
Results
SIG
Policy
(2010-­‐2015):
“Spot
on”
1.
Protect
the
health
and
nutri9onal
status
of
Solomon
Islanders
with
a;en9on
to
reducing:
a.
under-­‐nutri9on,
stun9ng,
and
was9ng
in
infants
and
young
children.
b.
anemia
(iron-­‐deficiency)
in
children
and
women.
c.
overweight
adults
and
children
(mainly
an
urban
issue).
d.
non-­‐communicable
diseases
(NCDs)
in
adults
and
children.
2.
Promote
and
use
sustainable
agriculture
and
fisheries
produc9on
for
food
security
and
economic
development
3.
Facilitate
trade
in
safe
and
healthy
food.
4.
Increase
capacity
to
respond
in
a
9mely
manner
to
emergencies
that
adversely
affect
food
security,
food
safety,
and
nutri9on.
*
MAL,
MHHS,
&
MFMR
mandated
to
work
together
to
do
these
things.
Healthy
kids
with
energy
to
play
crea'vely

10. Organiza#onal
LINKAGES
KGA
MAL
WORLDFISH
WORLDVISION
AVRDC
UNDP
WHO
MFMR
OXFAM
KOICA
LIVE
&
LEARN
MHMS
SPC
ACIAR
WWF
TNC
CEMA
UQ
UNICEF
VOIS
BLO
MERE
SOL
UN
WOMEN
SINU
Source:
Allen,
Apgar
&
Albert
(2015).
CGIAR/AAS/SFNIR
Annual
Partnership
Reflec'on
Workshop
Report.
June.

11. PROJECT
Target
Groups
&
SCOPE
TIME
FRAME
BUDGET/SPONSOR
Agriculture Livelihood
program-Women in Ag
• Extension
• Grants to farmers
• Value-adding
Women,
youth,
household
and
men’s
groups;
all
provinces
Four
(4)
years
2012
–
2016
SBD
3
Million,
SIG
(SBD
5/yr/person)
National Food Security
& Enhancement
Program
• Increase production
• Increase
consumption of
local foods
Farmers
in
rural
and
urban,
in
all
provinces
Five
year(5)
program,
2013-­‐
2017
SBD
1
Million,
SIG
Agriculture & Non-
communicable Disease
Program
• Increase nutrition
and cash flow
Seven(7) selected
Honiara (border
communities)
2014-15 SBD 240, 000
SIG & SPC
What
is
MAL
doing?

12. MAL
–
Expected
Project
Impacts
Indicators
Diet Awareness
A balanced diet is linked to good health.
X
Excess sugar in the diet links to diabetes.
X
Nutrient deficiencies linked to diseases.
X
Children need protein for growth.
X
Pregnant women need special nutrients.
X
Agriculture & Diet
Increase nutritious foods grown locally X
Increase intake of fruits and veges X
Increase nutrient rich foods for sale
X
Decrease of imported junk foods X
Increased crop diversity X
Health Indicators NONE

13. What
is
MHMS
doing?
PROJECT
SCOPE
TIME
FRAME
BUDGET/SPONSOR
Go
Healthy
Solo
Kids
Eight
HCC
schools
(Honiara)
Since
2014
&
to
expand
SBD
52,000/yr
DFAT,
SIG,
SPC,
ROC
IYCF
&
GA*
Children
under
5
years
and
under
Past
6
yrs
and
to
con#nue
SBD
200,000/yr
DFAT,
SIG,
UNICEF
Flour
&
Rice
For#fica#on
(Iron,
folic
acid
&
zinc)
Whole
popula#on,
and
anyone
buying
rice
&
wheat
flour
2015-­‐16
SBD
1.8
Million
DFAT,
SIG,
UNICEF
*
Infant
&
Young
Child
Feeding;
and
Growth
Assessment

14. MHMS
Expected
Project
Impacts
INDICATORS
INDICATORS
Diet Awareness
Health
A balanced diet is linked to good
health.
X
Healthier weights
(babies)
X
Excess sugar in the diet links to
diabetes.
Healthier weights
(children)
X
Nutrient deficiencies linked to
diseases.
X
Healthier weights
(adults)
X
Children need protein for growth.
X
Fewer diabetes cases
X
Pregnant women need special
nutrients.
Declines of stunting
X
Agriculture & Diet
Declines of anemia
X
Increase in nutritious foods grown
locally
X
Less illness cases
X
Increased intake of nutrient rich
“protective” foods (fruits & veges)
X
Increase in nutrient rich foods for
sale
Decrease in use of imported foods
X
Increased crop diversity
X

15. Interviewed
NGOs
NGO Ag-Nutrition Approach Scope in Solomon Islands
World Vision –
Solomon Islands
(WVSI)
Comprehensive & Holistic: ensure
that children & care-givers are well
nourished and have access to
health care services. Monitoring
diet and health, and advice related
to agriculture (work with MAL &
KGA).
Makira, South Malaita, Russell
Islands, Temotu, Weather Coast
(Guadalcanal)
Reached more than 95,000 children
in Guadalacanal, Choiseul, Malaita
& Western Province (2012)
Kastom Gaden
Association (KGA)
Holistic: organic farming,
emergency foods, improving
nutrition via crop diversity &
quality
All 9 Provinces
5000 + farmer members
WorldFish Protein security - aquaculture
integrated with agriculture of
family farmers
North Malaita & Western Province
Live & Learn Environmental education, “climate
resilient cropping” related to
disaster preparedness.
Guadalcanal & Temotu
Oxfam Disaster relief with advice on
improving gardens for climate
change.
Guadalcanal & Temotu
!

16. Monitoring
&
Indicators
–
Diet
Awareness
INDICATOR NGOs
Diet Awareness KGA WVSI World
Fish
Live &
Learn
Oxfam
A balanced diet is
linked to good health.
X X X X
Excess sugar in the
diet linked to diabetes.
X
Nutrient deficiencies
linked to diseases.
X X
Children need protein
for growth.
X X
Pregnant women need
special nutrients.
X X
!
Selling
megapode
eggs
on
Savo
island.

17. Monitoring
&
Indicators
–
Agricultural
Agricultural Indicators KGA WVSI World
Fish
Live &
Learn
Oxfam
Increase in nutritious
foods grown locally
X X X X
Increased intake of
“protective” foods
(fruits & veges)
X X
Increase in nutrient
rich foods for sale
X X
Decrease in use of
imported foods
X X X
Increased crop
diversity
X X X
!

18.
Monitoring
&
Indicators
–
Health
Health Indicators KGA WVSI World
Fish
Live &
Learn
Oxfam
Healthier weights
(babies)
X X
Healthier weights
(children)
X
Healthier weights
(adults)
Fewer diabetes
cases
Declines of stunting X
Declines of anemia X
Less illness cases X
!

19. NGO
Project
Summaries
Org
Partners
Sponsors
Project
Title
Inv/HH
SBD
USD/
YR
SBD/
YR
KGA
MAL,WVIS,
L
&
L
DFAT,
SPC
Strengthening
F&NS
&
Rural
Liv..
3664
~400
K
3.2
M
KGA
DFAT,
SPC
Resilent
Crops
3080
50
K
400
K
L
&
L
KGA,
Oxfam
MFAT
Risk
Resilience
5712
250
K
2
M
Oxfam
MAL,
L&L,
KGA
MFAT
Temotu
Recovery
3200
150
K
800
K
Oxfam
Unknown
Cargill
US
Guadalcanal
Recovery
12,304
100
K
800
K
World
Fish
AVRDC,
MFMR,
MECDM,
CGIAR,
ADB,
ACIAR
Aqua#c
&
Agricultural
Systems
?
?
?
WVIS
MHMS,
Oxfam,
Save
the
Children
UNDP
Disaster
Risk
Reduc#on
728
62.5
K
500K
WVIS
MAL,
KGA,
local
orgs
DFAT
Maternal
&
Child
Health
&
Nutr
1000
100
K
800
K
TOTALS
~
1
M
8.5
M

20. Conclusions:
What
is
working
well
&
what
is
not?
• SIG
Policy
guidelines
seem
excellent.
• Ministries
and
NGOs
are
working
together.
• Appropriate
groups
are
targeted
in
many
projects.
• Projects
are
diverse
and
meet
policy
themes.
SIG
Funding
seems
low
compared
with
NGOs.
Why?
Programs
and
Monitoring
need
to
be
more
holis#c
AG
à
Health
response
Standard
Indicators
perhaps?
Not
enough
people
are
reached
it
seems.
(Especially
by
MAL
programs)

21. Challenges
Iden#fied
by
Project
Managers
Guadalcanal
communi9es
have
been
over-­‐
impacted
by
projects,
are
less
engaged,
more
demanding,
and
driven
to
bargaining
-­‐
“spoiled
by
donors”
–
Live
&
Learn
“Agricultural
materials
and
funds
were
oMen
taken
by
men
in
the
community
and
were
not
necessarily
used
for/by
the
target
group”
-­‐
WVSI
“Projects
need
to
provide
more
outreach
about
agriculture
directly
to
mothers.”
“Sustaining
community
engagement,
instability
of
community
commi;ee
members,
and
island
logis9cs
also
created
challenges
for
the
program.”

22. “WORLD
CAFÉ”
–
Barbados
To
keep
in
mind…
Data
Gaps
Food
consump9on
&
waste
Use
of
social
media
Trend
analyses
Relevant
monitoring
Standardized
Indicators
Community
Engagement
Gender
equity
Awareness
–
success
stories,
food
fairs,
workshops,
school
gardens,
“go
local”
campaigns
More
involvement
–
women,
youth
&
private
sector
Target
Groups
MOTHERS
–
53%
of
households
female
headed.
Individuals
–
take
charge
of
one’s
own
health
to
correct
diet
and
fitness.

23. Tangio
tu
mas
We
thank
SIG
&
NGO
project
managers
and
program
directors
for
taking
#me
to
discuss
their
projects.
We
thank
CTA,
especially
Judith
Francis
for
her
leadership
and
support
to
complete
this
rapid
scan.
We
are
grateful
to
administra#ve
and
ins#tu#onal
support
from
Solomon
Islands
Na#onal
University.
Solo
Healthy
Plate
–
Tetepare
Island