Global Workshop on Nutrition-sensitive Fish Agri-food Systems 5-8 December 2017, Siem Reap, Cambodia

1. Experiences with
institutional,
strategic and
capacity building
approaches to
nutrition-sensitive
agriculture
Dr Lucy Carter
5-8 December 2017, Siem Reap,
Cambodia
LAND AND WATER

2. The bigger picture
Links between agricultural development and nutrition outcomes
clearer
Development of frameworks, guidelines, methods and tools for
implementation and evaluation now available
Focus globally is now on defining clear nutrition objectives,
articulating impact pathways, selecting the right methodologies to
achieve outcomes
From here, it is largely assumed that ‘magic simply happens’

3. Two (very different) stories
3 |
Institutional and policy-level
change in the Australian aid
program –
Food Systems Innovation
(FSI) initiative - 2012-2015
Project-scale, partner-driven
effort to build capacity in NSA –
Promoting socially inclusive
and sustainable agricultural
intensification in West Bengal
and Bangladesh (SIAGI) 2015-
2019
Both have been experimental, mutual learning processes

4. Social inclusion in West Bengal and Bangladesh
(2015-2019)
4 |
Understanding risks of agricultural intensification for marginalised farmers,
including the barriers to inclusion in development opportunities
Partnership: ACIAR-funded partnering with Shushilan, Bangladesh Agricultural
University, PRADAN, Indian Institute of Technology, LNMRI, CSIRO, Edith Cowan
University, Australian National University
Task: Multiple; NSA-related – building capacity of NGO and research partners to
plan for and implement NSA programs
Process: Structured, gradual co-development of research plan incorporating
internationally-recognised NSA principles, methods and tools.
Ethical community engagement approach underpins all our activities

5. 5 | Presentation title | Presenter name

6. Ethical community engagement
Understand the food system before intervening
Understand the operating environment (other programs currently
running; policy environment, etc)
Resist doing everything
6 |
Our guiding principles

7. Where are we now?
7 |
Steep learning curve for all partners. Crossing traditional multisectoral,
multidisciplinary, transdisciplinary boundaries.
Multi-stage process beginning with understanding the food and health
landscapes
Next step is to co-design an acceptable plan for NSA consisting of options for
improving the food and nutrition environment of a selected site (Chakadoba).
Build the capacity of PRADAN staff to empower community trainers to
implement the plan.

8. Food Systems Innovation (FSI) initiative (2012-2015)
8 | Carter and Peishi, paper in review
Improving Australia’s ODA – “doing development better”
[by integrating knowledge, building trust and brokering partnerships]
Partnership: CSIRO, ACIAR and DFAT
Task: Build the institutional capacity of Australia’s aid program to re-orient
agricultural development programming towards nutrition-sensitivity.
Problem: Creating and maintaining momentum in high-burden countries is a
priority, BUT building the capacity of donor countries to position investments
to improve nutrition outcomes is also required. This includes shifting research
efforts to address development outcomes.

9. Process: Synthesising existing knowledge and creating productive networks;
using existing institutional conditions to raise awareness of the issue;
connecting the right people with the right information at the right time.
Outcomes: Influenced Strategy for Australia’s aid investments in Agriculture,
Fisheries and Water to include nutrition and nutrition-sensitive agriculture
CSIRO and DFAT co-developed NSA guidance for activity managers; held
multiple learning events and workshops; designed Australia’s first country-level
program explicitly incorporating NSA (TOMAK) – Timor-Leste
9 |
Food Systems Innovation (FSI) initiative (2012-2015)

10. Food Systems Innovation (FSI) initiative
10 |

11. Enabling environments
Deliberate action is required to
create enabling environments –
“political and policy processes
that build and sustain
momentum for the effective
implementation of actions that
reduce malnutrition”
Knowledge and
evidence
Politics and
governance
Capacity and
resources
From Gillespie et al., 2013,The Lancet Series on Maternal and Child Nutrition

12. 12 | Presentation title | Presenter name
Phase
Actions and Milestones by Quarter
Inception - Can we really do this?
Timeline
June 2013: NSA was selected as a work theme in the Food Systems Innovation (FSI) initiative.
May 2013: The Australian Government joined the Scaling-Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement and endorsed
the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Compact.
Orientation - Where do we sit in the
bigger picture? Who is doing what in
Australia and globally?
July-August 2013: A series of cross-organisational learning events including day-long workshops
designed to share information and experiences on nutrition-related work were conducted. These were
held in Brisbane and Canberra.
September 2013: A change in government and the merger of AusAID into DFAT.
Sense-making - How does NSA fit with
our own experiences and priorities?
May 2014: Discussion Brief: Enhancing the Nutritional Impact of Investments for Improved
Development Outcomes
October 2014: Dossier 1: Improving Nutrition through Agricultural Linkages was released.
Window of influence - Period of
testing, brokering, and
operationalising knowledge. Building
external partnerships.
February 2015: Australia’s agriculture strategy, The Strategy for Australia's aid investments in
agriculture, fisheries and water (February 2015), includes ‘enhancing food, nutrition and water security’
as the third of three strategic objectives
March 2015: Design mission for DFAT’s first purpose-built NSA project in Timor Leste, TOMAK – Farming
for Prosperity.
April 2015: An evaluation of the Australian aid program and child nutrition, entitled A Window of
Opportunity, found that there was scope for leveraging programs to improve nutrition outcomes.
Reflecting and learning - Responding
to specific needs and requests, linking
with international expertise
July 2015: Dossier 2: Food systems and the double burden of malnutrition was released.
August 2015: The DFAT’s Operational Guidance Note on Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture was co-
developed by DFAT and CSIRO.
September 2015: The Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (JSCFADT) was
tasked to report on the role of development partnerships in agriculture and agribusiness in promoting
prosperity, reducing poverty and enhancing stability in the Indo-Pacific region, with a strong emphasis
on nutrition.
November 2015: NSA master-class with an international expert for practitioners was held.
Moving forward: Where are we now?
Where to next?
Timeline

13. Some caveats
13 |
We had a favourable policy environment.
This was a learning process. We experimented.
It needed dedicated resourcing, for > 3 years.
A follow-up to track change hasn’t been conducted.

14. Five key lessons
14 |
Don’t underestimate the critical role of ‘intermediaries’ in
triggering change. People who can bridge disciplines, roles, have
varied skill sets.
Frame your message to your audience
Institutional change process is slow and can be uncomfortable
Once champions of NSA move on, the gap is obvious
Partnerships with different interests and range of approaches are
hard work but effective when managed well

15. Thank you
15 | Bango Orchard SHG, Bankura, India, Februa
CSIRO Land and Water
Dr Lucy Carter
Experiences with institutional, strategic and
capacity building approaches
t +61 7 3833 5685
e lucy.carter@csiro.au
w www.csiro.au