Social and Behavior Change Competency Assessment: Tool for Resilience Food Security Activities
USAID Advancing Nutrition, November 2021
- Social and Behavior Change and Gender
Reports and Tools
A facilitated process helps implementing partners identify social and behavior change competencies of core staff and plan to strengthen and develop skills.
Social and Behavior Change Programme Guidance
UNICEF, April 2022
- Social and Behavior Change and Gender
Reports and Tools
This document provides practical guidance to apply social and behavioral change principles and approaches to strategize, design, diagnose, and define activities.
Social and Behaviour Change Communication to Improve Child Feeding Practices in Ethiopia
Workicho, Abdulhalik, Sibhatu Biadgilign, Meghan Kershaw, et al. Maternal & Child Nutrition, June 2021
Research Articles
Using multiple communication strategies increases the positive effect of social and behavior change on child feeding practices.
Social Circumstances and Cultural Beliefs Influence Maternal Nutrition, Breastfeeding and Child Feeding Practices in South Africa
Chakona, Gamuchirai. Nutrition Journal, May 2020
- Nutrition in Humanitarian Contexts
- Social and Behavior Change and Gender
Research Articles
There is a gap between knowledge and practices related to maternal dietary diversity, breastfeeding, and infant and young child feeding. Lack of income, dependence on food purchasing, young mothers' feelings about breastfeeding, and cultural beliefs were drivers of this gap. Authors conclude that it is crucial to identify interventions to reduce breastfeeding burden and isolation, including paternal inclusion and the use of indigenous knowledge.
Social Determinants of Health: Roles of Structure and Agency
Breakthrough ACTION for Social and Behavioral Change, March 2020
- Early Childhood Development
- Nutrition and Health Systems
- Social and Behavior Change and Gender
Events
This presentation by Dr. Carol Underwood of Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs provides a look into the social determinants of health, ranging from economic opportunity to crime rates, and what affects change in those determinants. Dr. Underwood discusses the great impact that structural change could have on health inequality and how the largest possible impact starts with interventions that alter socioeconomic factors.
Social Media for Behaviour Change (SM4BC) Toolkit
Prepare Center, May 2021
- Knowledge Management
Reports and Tools
The toolkit focuses on using social media to encourage behavior change in the context of disaster preparedness and risk reduction. It is available in English and Spanish.
The Social Norms Atlas: Understanding Global Social Norms and Related Concepts
Social Norms Learning Collaborative, May 2021
Reports and Tools
While there is interest and funding to explore how social norms concepts and theory might facilitate social norms change, the success of applying these concepts and theory has been inconsistent. The Social Norms Atlas provides guidance to increase social norms knowledge and strengthen understanding of social norms relevant to particular sectors.
The Social Norms Exploration Tool (SNET)
The Learning Collaborative to Advance Normative Change, Institute for Reproductive Health, January 2020
- Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning
- Nutrition and Health Systems
- Social and Behavior Change and Gender
Reports and Tools
The Social Norms Exploration Tool, also referred to as SNET, is a learning and action tool that helps programs understand a community’s social norms by conducting a social norms exploration. It guides users through five phases from “planning and preparing” to “applying your findings.” It includes useful activities and case studies pertaining to health that facilitate discussions between program teams and community members. Findings can help programs design norms-shifting activities and norms-focused evaluation tools. This version of the tool has been applied to more than 15 settings and is available for use.
Social Norms in the Gender Digital Divide: USAID Digital Strategy Update
ICTworks, April 2021
Reports and Tools
Information and communication technology (ICT) provides women with access to information and services that enable time savings, greater security, and freedom of expression and can catalyze economic growth. Outreach and digital literacy initiatives should engage men, family gatekeepers, and a variety of community members when discussing gender stereotypes and the potential risks and benefits of access to digital tools. This resource provides checklists, case studies, practical steps, and guides for each step of the ICT program cycle.
Spatial Typology for Targeted Food and Nutrition Security Intervention
Marivoet, Wim, John Ulimwengu, Fernando. Sedano. World Development, August 15, 2019, Vol. 120:62-75
- Nutrition in Humanitarian Contexts
Research Articles
Food security programming in developing countries is often challenged by limited access to accurate and current data. This study describes a typology to help programmers identify food security priority areas and target interventions using limited data. The typology classifies interventions based on location and magnitude of nutrition constraints using four indicators: agricultural potential, availability, access, and utilization. This paper suggests that the methodology can be easily adapted to various types of interventions and developing-country contexts to support more focused food security interventions.
Spatiotemporal Trends in Adequacy of Dietary Nutrient Production and Food Sources
Geyik, Ozge, Michalis Hadjikakou, Brett A. Bryan. Journal of Global Food Security, March 2020
- Food Systems
- Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning
Research Articles
To explore the current state of global food systems, this study examined data related to the production, distribution, processing, and marketing of nutritious foods. Results showed that 10 percent or more of the global population still live in countries at risk of hunger, and up to 60 percent live in countries with risk of hidden hunger (micronutrient deficiency), on the basis of domestic nutrient production. To meet global nutrition targets, the authors suggest adopting more robust nutrition-sensitive food policies with targeted production and trade interventions informed by highly disaggregated production data.
The Sphere Standards and the Coronavirus Response
Sphere, February 2020
- Nutrition in Humanitarian Contexts
Reports and Tools
Sphere defines standards in the humanitarian space and recently published this report on how the standards are evolving in light of COVID-19. The first section focuses on the fundamentals for a holistic approach to the pandemic, which can be achieved by prioritizing peoples’ actual needs over stopping the spread of the virus. The second section covers health essentials, such as promoting hygiene education and strengthening health care systems.
ST4N Impact Report: Fighting for Global Nutrition in an Era of Crises: Impact Report | 2020–2022
Standing Together for Nutrition, July 2023
- Nutrition in Humanitarian Contexts
Reports and Tools
This report summarizes accomplishments of the Standing Together for Nutrition Consortium, included modeling the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on child and maternal nutrition, developing evidence-based recommendations for nutrition policy and funding, advocating for gender-transformative policies, analyzing and reporting on the impact of the war in Ukraine, and measuring the impact of the global food price crisis on malnutrition.
Stakeholder Community Meeting: Mitigating the Impacts of COVID-19 on Food, Nutrition, and Water Security
U.S. Agency for International Development, August 2020
- Food Systems
Events
COVID-19 will drive 70–100 million people into poverty and 80–130 million into chronic hunger. These impacts will persist beyond 2021, the number of malnourished children will increase, and access to water and sanitation services will decrease. Priorities for mitigating impacts include averting the need for additional humanitarian assistance and preventing food crises that may contribute to political unrest. Country-specific case studies focus on operational and programmatic pivots.
Stakeholder Consultation: U.S. Government Global Nutrition Coordination Plan 2.0
USAID Advancing Nutrition, December 2020
Events
Priorities include women’s nutrition before and during pregnancy and lactation, breastfeeding and complementary feeding for ages 0–24 months, management of wasting in children under the age of 5, and micronutrient provision. Emerging issues include COVID-19, obesity, climate, and dietary-related noncommunicable diseases. Maximizing investment impacts of nutrition-related programs and policies and optimizing technical resources are critical. This is a webinar.
Standards for Healthy Eating, Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, and Sleep in Early Childhood Education and Care Settings: A Toolkit
World Health Organization, December 2021
- Early Childhood Development
Reports and Tools
These global standards support early child education and care providers to provide healthy foods and beverages and ensure young children are physically active, avoid excess sedentary time, and get enough sleep in childcare and education settings.
Standing Together for Nutrition Knowledge Hub
Standing Together for Nutrition, January 2022
- Knowledge Management
Reports and Tools
The hub captures emerging evidence on the impact of crises on health, food, economic, social, and education systems; the disproportionate impact on women and girls’ nutrition; and effective measures to mitigate the burden.
Staple Food Fortification: A Commitment Guide for the UN Food Systems Summit and Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit
Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, Food Fortification Initiative, Iodine Global Network, TechnoServe, World Food Programme, UNICEF, PATH, Helen Keller International, Nutritional International, 2021
Reports and Tools
Fortifying staple foods with essential vitamins and minerals is one evidence-based and highly cost-effective solution to help ensure that the food system delivers a more nutritious and affordable diet to all. Upcoming international summits are key moments to mobilize support for, and prioritization of, staple food fortification to fight disease and poverty among the communities most vulnerable to poor nutrition.
The State of Acute Malnutrition
The State of Acute Malnutrition, February 2023
- Knowledge Management
Reports and Tools
The State of Acute Malnutrition platform coordinates data sharing for severe and moderate acute malnutrition to improve program data quality, identify data gaps, and support improved use of data and evidence for programs and policies. Resources are available in English and French.
The State of Evidence and Experiences in Double Fortified Salt (Iodized Salt with Iron)
The Journal of Nutrition, February 2021
Research Articles
Articles focus on iron fortification practices and the implications of adding iron to salt, and whether double fortification salt (DFS) with iron and iodine reduce anemia, iron deficiency anemia, iron and iodine deficiencies, and functional outcomes. Other investigations evaluate large-scale DFS programs, the potential of iodine and iron DFS to increase population iron status compared with iron-fortified staple foods, and challenges and evidence for policymakers considering iodized salt as a vehicle for iron fortification.
The State of Food and Agriculture 2019: Moving Forward on Food Loss and Waste Reduction
FAO, October 2019
- Food Systems
Reports and Tools
In 2011, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated that 30 percent of food is lost or wasted globally. The FAO is now in the process of replacing that figure with two Sustainable Development Goal indices that more precisely account for how much food is lost from the farm up to retailers and how much is wasted by consumers or retailers. The 2019 State of Food and Agriculture report includes early estimates using these indices and also analyzes how to address food loss and waste taking into account geography, production vs. consumption, and supply chains.
The State of Food and Agriculture 2022
Food and Agriculture Organization, November 2022
- Food Systems
Reports and Tools
The 2022 report explores drivers of agricultural automation and analyzes the business case for adopting digital automation technologies in different agricultural production systems. It identifies barriers to preventing technology adoption and calls for policies to ensure that disadvantaged groups benefit from automation and that automation contributes to sustainable and resilient agri-food systems. The report is available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2019: Safeguarding against Economic Slowdowns and Downturns
FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO, July 2019
- Nutrition in Humanitarian Contexts
- Knowledge Management
- Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning
Reports and Tools
The 2019 edition of this annual report indicates that the number of people who suffer from hunger, overweight, and obesity continues to rise, while many people also experience moderate food insecurity. New evidence linking economic downturns to food insecurity and malnutrition is highlighted. To help monitor progress toward ending malnutrition, the report includes estimates of food insecurity prevalence based on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES). The authors conclude by recommending policies that both address the underlying causes of malnutrition—poverty, inequality, and marginalization—and also safeguard food security and nutrition against economic slowdowns.
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2022
Food and Agriculture Organization, July 2022
- Food Systems
Reports and Tools
Governments need to assess how they can reallocate existing public budgets to be more cost-effective and efficient to reduce the cost of nutritious foods and equitably increase the availability and affordability of healthy diets. The report is available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.