The "Big 5" Topics that LIPs Must Know to Successfully Manage USAID Awards
President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, USAID, November 2021
- Capacity Strengthening
Events
Topics include understanding the USAID Agreement, standard provisions for nongovernmental organizations based outside the United States, cost principles, the 10 percent indirect cost rate, and prime and subaward relationship management. This is a webinar.
4 Women Scientists Breaking Down Barriers to End Hunger
USAID, February 2022
- Knowledge Management
Reports and Tools
Through Feed the Future, the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative, USAID supports scientists to break down barriers to becoming leaders and role models in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This gathering features four women scientists who lead by example and harness local solutions to end hunger. This is a webinar.
40th Anniversary of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes Event
UNICEF, WHO, May 2021
Events
Speakers present historical examples of implementing the International Code and discuss breastfeeding; first food systems and corporate power; the exposure to, and impact of, baby food marketing; and protecting breastfeeding from breast-milk substitutes marketing. This webinar is available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.
42 Policies and Actions to Orient Food Systems towards Healthier Diets for All
Centre for Food Policy at City University of London, December 2020
Reports and Tools
Many policies and actions have the potential to increase the availability, affordability, and acceptability of high-quality, safe, nutritious foods as well as a shift away from nutrient-poor foods. Authors call for assessing synergies and trade-offs between these actions and environmental sustainability and livelihoods.
2019 Annual Trends and Outlook Report: Gender Equality in Rural Africa: From Commitments to Outcomes
International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), December 2019
- Nutrition in Humanitarian Contexts
- Knowledge Management
Reports and Tools
The authors use evidence reviews and case studies to demonstrate that increasing female leadership, minimizing women’s institutional barriers, and promoting women’s control of productive assets would produce significant societal gains and reduce the negative impact of gender gaps on African households. The report examines gender in relation to agricultural productivity, shocks and resilience, assets, and trade.
2019 Short Rains in East Africa Among the Wettest on Historical Record
Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), January 2020
- Nutrition in Humanitarian Contexts
Reports and Tools
FEWS NET experts released a special report to document the wettest rainfall season in 40 years in East Africa, from October-December of 2019. The impacts of this monumental rain season on food security are profound and have left 18-22 million people facing crisis outcomes in the region (Integrated Phase Classification 3 or higher). Climate shocks have led to challenges to resilience. Flooding has displaced hundreds of thousands in the region. Soil saturation, among other factors, have led to the worst outbreak of locusts in 75 years in Kenya and the worst in 25 years in Ethiopia and Somalia. Contrarily, increases in ground vegetation have provided relative improvement in herd growth and milk productivity in livestock.
2020 Global Nutrition Report
Global Nutrition Report, May 2020
- Food Systems
- Nutrition and Health Systems
Reports and Tools
With a focus on promoting equality in food and health systems, this year’s report calls on governments, businesses, and civil society to act now to mainstream nutrition into food and health systems. It examines the causes of nutrition inequalities, identifying insufficient deployment of resources; inadequate implementation of policies, programs, and interventions; and lack of coordination across sectors. The authors suggest that improving data and using multi-sectoral efforts are important actions. The report also includes a forward dedicated to the impact of COVID-19 on nutrition programming.
2020 Hunger Report: Better Nutrition, Better Tomorrow
Bread for the World, May 2020
- Food Systems
- Nutrition and Health Systems
Reports and Tools
Given a confluence of events—from COVID-19 to the Nutrition Growth Summit—2020 is an ideal time for the international community to make progress toward better nutrition. To mobilize support, the report outlines actions that policymakers and partners can take to reduce the burdens of malnutrition. This includes 10 cross-cutting actions and sector-specific recommendations related to four topic areas: food value chains; health and education; food security and agriculture policies; and inclusive, equitable, and sustainable food systems.
2020 Severe Malnutrition Non-Technical Learning Series
1,000 Days, April 2020
- Knowledge Management
- Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning
- Nutrition and Health Systems
Events
In this monthly online learning series from 1,000 Days, subject-matter experts present the latest evidence on severe acute malnutrition. The series is designed to help non-technical audiences inform severe malnutrition policies and advocacy campaigns. Session topics include wasting, breastfeeding, and vitamin A supplementation, among others.
2021 Global Food Policy Report: COVID-19’s Impact on Agriculture and Food Systems in South Asia
International Food Policy Research Institute, August 2021
Events
The second wave of COVID-19 overwhelmed health systems and disrupted livelihoods, agriculture, and food systems. The public sector has an important role to play in moderating food price volatility by investing in storage, marketing, cold chains, and processing. Multi-stakeholder partnerships, digital technologies, greater use of biofortified crops and e-commerce, and promotion of micro-food enterprises to promote better health and nutrition in food systems are all critical. This is a summary of key outcomes from the virtual event.
2021 World Food Prize Announcement
World Food Prize Foundation, May 2021
Reports and Tools
Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted received the 2021 World Food Prize for her groundbreaking work to develop holistic and nutrition-sensitive approaches to aquaculture and food systems. This is a webinar.
2021 World Health Day: Improve Global Breastfeeding Practices
La Leche League International and World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action, April 2021
- Knowledge Management
Reports and Tools
All actors should take a public health approach to strengthen the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative and breastfeeding counseling, including during emergencies; implement maternal social protection that includes paid leave and workplace support in the formal and informal sectors; advocate for greater access to skilled breastfeeding counseling; and reinforce support for breastfeeding dyads by developing appropriate and consistent communication messages.
2021: Make-or-Break Year to Keep Nutrition Promises to Mothers and Children
Shawn Baker, February 2021
Reports and Tools
Fortifying foods with essential vitamins and nutrients, supporting mothers to breastfeed, treating acute malnutrition, and providing nutrient supplements to mothers and children are proven, cost-effective solutions, but this work remains underfunded, limiting the ability to scale interventions. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted every system working to improve nutrition, but better knowledge of what works, how much it costs, how to scale and measure progress exist.
2022 Global Food Policy Report: Climate Change and Food Systems
International Food Policy Research Institute, May 2022
- Knowledge Management
Reports and Tools
The report discusses innovations and policy responses to climate change that can support food and nutrition security, livelihoods, and sustainable food systems. These include transforming food systems, trade reforms, social protection, climate finance, and clean energy, among others.
2022: The Year of Nutrition
African Union, February 2022
- Knowledge Management
Reports and Tools
Priorities include investing in data management and information systems; generating and disseminating knowledge to inform decision making; advocating for increased nutrition investment and commitment; developing partnerships and mutual accountability platforms for harmonized action and transparency; and improving institutional capacity and the enabling environment for greater action, results, and impact.
A Virtual Training of Trainers: Adaptations from COVID-19
The Society for Implementation Science in Nutrition, October 2020
Events
Rise Against Hunger staff discuss shifting to a virtual training-of-trainers model in South Sudan due to COVID-19. This is a webinar.
Accelerating Progress on Early Childhood Development for Children under 5 Years with Disabilities by 2030
The Global Research on Developmental Disabilities Collaborators. The Lancet Global Health, January 2022
Research Articles
Disability funding has declined. Only 2 percent of global investments in early childhood development (ECD) from 2007 to 2016 was spent on disabilities, and the funding pattern has not improved since. The need to prioritize ECD for children living with lifelong disabilities is urgent and entails disability-focused programming and monitoring approaches, economic analysis of interventions, and substantial funding to address the needs of this group.
Achieving Equitable Diets for All: The Long and Winding Road
One Earth, April 2021
Reports and Tools
Political commitment, science and data, incentives, and collectivism will help achieve global goals to improve food systems for healthy, equitable, and sustainable diets by 2050. This commentary by Jessica Fanzo is behind a paywall.
Achieving Health Equity: Providing Skilled Breastfeeding Support Universally
World Health Organization, August 2020
- Capacity Strengthening
Events
Global leaders discuss why investment in skilled breastfeeding support is essential to achieving equitable health outcomes. This is a webinar available in Arabic, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.
Act Now Before Ukraine War Plunges Millions into Malnutrition
Nature, April 2022
- Knowledge Management
- Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning
Reports and Tools
The war in Ukraine could affect a generation of women and children who are already vulnerable to malnutrition, with implications for the human capital of communities and nations into the future. Authors call for the redoubling of efforts to ensure that the world’s women and children get the food and nutrition they need.
Acting on the Call
USAID, November 2021
- Knowledge Management
Reports and Tools
The annual Acting on the Call report continues to highlight progress toward a shared vision and commitment to preventing child and maternal deaths. This year’s report illuminates how sustained commitment, financial investment, and technical leadership from the United States helps ensure critical, lifesaving health services continue reaching women, newborns, children, and families amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Adapting an Evidence-Based, Early Childhood Parenting Programme for Integration into Government Primary Health Care Services in Rural Bangladesh
Mehrin, Syeda Fardina, Jena Derakshani Hamadani, Nur-E Salveen, et al. Frontiers in Public Health, January 2021
Research Articles
Reach-Up and Learn, an evidence-based home-visiting program focused on early childhood development, has been adapted for routine delivery in community clinics. Iterative piloting identified challenges in incorporating the program into existing workloads and promoting mothers' engagement. This led to simplifying the content and structure, using more hands-on learning strategies, providing incentives to community members, and conducting motivational meetings. Authors conclude that incorporating participant feedback is critical as pilots scale.
Adapting NTEAM’s Technical Assistance for Nutrition Project in Bangladesh to Support the National Response to the Nutrition Challenges Posed by COVID-19
Nutrition International, November 2020
Events
Nutrition International staff describe efforts to support the Government of Bangladesh in its COVID-19 response planning and implementation and discuss revising guidelines for food basket provision and forecasting the impacts of COVID-19 on malnutrition in detail. The director general of the Bangladesh National Nutrition Council discusses nine prioritized mitigation measures. This is a webinar.
Adapting Social and Behavior Change Materials in the Time of COVID-19
Food for the Hungry, 2020
- Social and Behavior Change and Gender
Reports and Tools
According to the author of this brief, during a pandemic such as COVID-19, it is important to shift our thinking about research, material design, and behavior-change communications from a longer process to one that focuses on the most important issues and immediate next steps. This publication provides five tips for quickly and effectively adapting social and behavior change materials that are key in the fight against COVID-19. This guidance is intended to help social and behavior change practitioners understand how to frame the behaviors they want to promote immediately.