Gurung, Sabi

Global commitments to nutrition have supported calls for better evidence to support effective investments at national level. However, too little attention has so far been paid to the role of governance in achieving impacts. This article explores the ways by which the commitment and capabilities of policy implementers affect collaborative efforts for achieving nutrition goals.

This research brief presents preliminary findings from work in Nepal that explores how multi- sectoral programming explicitly linking agriculture with health and nutrition achieves impacts on the ground. Recognition that ?merely producing more food does not ensure food security or improved nutrition? (Herforth et al. 2012) begs questions about when, where and why does it, or does it not ensure food security or support improved nutrition?

This brief presents preliminary findings from work in Nepal that explores such issues, including the processes, impacts, constraints and innovations in multi-sectoral programming that explicitly links agriculture with health and nutrition. The focus in this brief is on a first round of data, collected in 2013 under USAID?s Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Nutrition, aimed at assessing policymakers? and programming professionals? understanding of nutrition problems, challenges to multi-sector programming and potential solutions.

This research brief presents preliminary findings from work in Nepal that explores how policy processes influence the implementation of nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive actions. At a time when the government?s Multi-Sector Nutrition Plan (MSNP) is being rolled out, and new multi-dimensional nutrition programmes are scaling up, this study captures insights and experiences of stakeholders from central government to ward-level service providers.