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Why Nutrition Starts Long Before the Plate

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Breaking Barriers in the Field: How Good Nature Agro (GNA) is Boosting Women’s Leadership in Agricultural Extension

gloireri — Sun, 08 Mar 2026 08:20:21 +0000

Breaking Barriers in the Field: How Good Nature Agro (GNA) is Boosting Women’s Leadership in Agricultural Extension gloireri Sun, 03/08/2026 - 09:20

Breaking Barriers in the Field: How Good Nature Agro (GNA) is Boosting Women’s Leadership in Agricultural Extension

8th/March/2026

Authors: Polly Mwongera, Roberta Bove, Kellan Hays, Sophia Davis Vijayan, Asya Troychansky

Setting the Context

Good Nature Agro (GNA), a Zambia-based enterprise with presence in Malawi and South Africa, produces high-quality groundnut and bean seeds and commodities, distributed across Southern and Central Africa, including Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Namibia. Founded in 2014, GNA has supported over 20,000 smallholder farmers this season with seeds, training and market access to improve incomes and livelihoods.

From its early years, GNA set a target of 40% female farmer representation and invested in key programs to improve female farmers’ experience. Initiatives included co-farmer registration for digital payments, family financial literacy training, pre-harvest payments and loans, asset financing, and gender training for all field staff. These efforts created measurable impacts on productivity and strengthened women’s engagement in high-value markets. Recent surveys confirmed that female farmers continue to experience increased production efficiency and have a positive experience with GNA, reflected in a 60 Decibels net promoter score of 57 (the likelihood of farmers recommending GNA to others, on a scale from -100 to +100).

Despite these gains, women were underrepresented in leadership roles in the field. As of August 2025, women made up only 22% of GNA’s Private Extension Agents (PEAs) and 25% of Field Supervisors (FSs), critical roles connecting farmers to training, information, and market linkages. Therefore, addressing this gap was not only a question of fairness or equality, but also a strategic priority for strengthening extension services.

How GNA Took Action

Through the Nutritious Foods Financing Facility (N3F)'s Technical Assistance, GNA collaborated with Value for Women (VfW) to assess barriers to women’s entry into FS and PEA roles, develop a focused 2025-2026 Gender Action Plan (GAP), and support early implementation of the GAP with the goal of improving the roles for everyone, while disproportionately benefiting women to help close the gender gap. VfW combined virtual diagnostics with field research in Kasama and Kabwe through focus group discussions with farmers, PEAs, and FSs. The research highlighted both enablers to women’s active participation in field roles (such as mentorship, strong performance-driven culture, flexible schedules, and community recognition of GNA’s brand) and barriers, including cultural norms, caregiving responsibilities, and physically demanding fieldwork.

Guided by these insights, GNA and VfW co-developed a targeted and practical set of priority actions. For the first time, formal gender targets were set for 30% women FSs and 25% women PEAs, and these targets were integrated into seasonal workforce planning. Recruitment processes were updated to be gender-inclusive, and contracts were revised for clarity on performance expectations and bonuses. Managers began actively shortlisting women and including them on interview panels. Flexible arrangements were piloted to support maternity coverage, with shadowing and temporary support helping to maintain continuity in the field.

Pic 1: VfW research consultant and GNA Field Supervisor leading a focus group discussion with GNA women farmers

Early Results

By the end of the initial implementation phase, these early actions had tangible results. Women’s representation among FSs increased to 35%, exceeding the set target, while PEAs remained broadly stable at 20% amid organizational restructuring. At the same time, GNA began embedding gender inclusion into its core operations. The rollout of GNA’s hub model further improved feasibility of field roles for women, reducing travel distances, strengthening coordination, and enhancing safety. Demonstration plots and improved supervision supported more consistent agronomic guidance, while one-to-one coaching and feedback created a space for learning and support during a period of organizational change. GNA's leadership also reported early shifts in mindset with gender-inclusive recruitment and proactive planning for maternity coverage becoming part of routine management discussions. Together, these changes signal the foundations of longer-term institutional change.

Pic 2: GNA FS demonstrating use of the farmer management tool to N3F team at a collection hub in Chipata, Zambia

What’s Next for GNA

Looking ahead, the GNA GAP provides a live roadmap of actions to be piloted, tested, and refined with ongoing coaching and follow-ups to track progress and adapt as needed. The aim is to develop a culture and strengthen the system that recruits, trains, and retains people with an aim to portray these field leadership roles as accessible and rewarding, especially for women. The potential ripple effects are enormous – more women in the field can mean more diverse perspectives in problem-solving, stronger relationships with women farmers, and a shift in community perceptions about women in leadership. The recorded early wins, exceeding FS gender targets, improved role clarity, operational gains from the hub model, and more inclusive recruitment practices, demonstrate that targeted, evidence-based action on gender inclusion is both socially impactful and strategically smart for business.
As Miyoba Sansala, Smallholder Production Manager at GNA, states:
“The action items we designed with Value for Women will improve the capabilities and outcomes across all our field team members, while highlighting and responding to the unique experience of female agricultural leaders.”
Thanks to GNA’s commitment to and prioritisation of gender inclusion, supported by N3F and Value for Women, the company is demonstrating that advancing women’s leadership in agriculture is not only possible but essential for sustainable growth and stronger farmer engagement.

Authors

Polly Mwongera

Manager, Nutritious Foods Financing (N3F) Technical Assistance and Innovative Finance

Roberta Bove

Senior Lead, Innovative Finance for Nutrition

Kellan Hays

Co-Founder, Chairperson of the Board of Directors for Good Nature Agro

Sophia Davis Vijayan

Engagement Manager Nigeria, Value for Women

Asya Troychansky

Associate Director of Advisory Services, Value for Women’s

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08.03.2026

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Breaking Barriers in the Field: How Good Nature Agro (GNA) is Boosting Women’s Leadership in Agricultural Extension

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Jack Bean Tempeh Enhanced Resilience of Aceh Food Systems During Disasters

gloireri — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 07:56:22 +0000

Jack Bean Tempeh Enhanced Resilience of Aceh Food Systems During Disasters gloireri Tue, 02/17/2026 - 08:56

Jack Bean Tempeh Enhanced Resilience of Aceh Food Systems During Disasters

Blog | Indonesia

Authors
Eristyana S
Rivan Rinaldi (Director of Aceh Food Bank)
Ibnu Budiman

By the end of 2025, The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) of Indonesia recorded extreme rainfall, with intensities reaching 300–500 mm per month, occurring in 3 provinces in Sumatra. Indonesia is facing a combination of relatively complex atmospheric dynamics, including the active Asian Monsoon, the Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO), atmospheric waves, the formation of tropical cyclone seeds and tropical cyclones, as well as the influence of a weak La Niña and a negative Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD). These conditions increased rainfall intensity, particularly from mid-December 2025 to early January 2026.

The extreme weather led to disasters of deadliest floods and landslides in Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra. This shocked not only Indonesia, but also the global community. One of the worst floods on record destroyed 8,500 houses and inundated approximately 12,000 hectares of land, 1,154 people were killed, and even turned 29 villages into rivers. The flood also brought tons of logs from deforestation and worsened the damage, leading to a higher number of casualties.

The disasters’ impacts were felt in almost all areas of Aceh. For example, Banda Aceh - the capital -, experienced blackouts and loss of internet connection for weeks. This disaster severely disrupted logistical access due to broken roads and bridges, leading to shortages of essential supplies, including food logistics, fuel, and cooking gas, which significantly affected the socio-economic conditions of local communities.

Vulnerability of Aceh food systems

North Sumatra is the backbone of logistics for several provinces in Sumatra, including in Aceh. North Sumatra’s logistics infrastructure serves the flow of goods to Aceh. Center for Transportation and Logistic Studies (Pustral) UGM inform that food transportation and distribution routes in Sumatra have a strong dependence on strategic nodes in North Sumatra (Salma, 2026). Distribution data shows that Aceh receives supplies from North Sumatra (Bulog, 2025). A number of food commodities rely on logistics from North Sumatra. The volume of food supplied to Aceh from inter-provincial sources, primarily North Sumatra, includes over 10.6 thousand tons of rice, 6 thousand tons of imported soybean and 1.9 thousand tons of cooking oil.

Devastating disasters in Aceh due to complex socio-environmental problems

The supply of imported soybeans in Aceh is 100% distributed through North Sumatra. Hence, when floods cut access, food shortages occur within hours. A domino effect occurs rapidly: shortages of food supply, sudden surges in prices, panic buying, and cuts to electricity and internet access worsened conditions for weeks.

The prices of soybean-based food such as tempeh, tofu and soy sauce rose sharply, forcing tempeh producers to adjust prices and limit production. As a result, in Aceh, soybean shortages occurred, and tempe production declined. The price of soybean surged from IDR 450,000 to IDR 700,000 per 50 kg. These conditions directly affected tempeh producers as well as low-income communities that rely on tempeh as a primary source of protein.

Jack bean tempeh strengthens local food systems

Amid those circumstances, mixed bean tempeh made from locally sourced jack beans demonstrated ability to increase resilience of food supply. During the disaster period, the sales of jack bean tempeh increased sharply up to 800%. Furthermore, a procurement contract for 1,000 pieces of jack bean tempeh was established with Syiah Kuala University for distribution to disaster survivors.

During the shortage of imported soybean supply, this is where jack beans became the saviour. Since early 2025, jack beans have been planted in Aceh by Rumoh Pangan Aceh (RPA/Aceh Food Bank) and their farmers’ partners through GAIN’s project to provide alternative raw material for tempeh. RPA established INOPI to produce tempeh from jack beans. They found that jack bean tempeh could save on production costs and experienced an increase in demand as their tempeh price remained stable.

Sales of jack bean tempeh in Aceh during the disasters

Tempeh was chosen as one of the main sources of protein for food relief as it is the cheapest option compared to meat and eggs. Tempeh can also be processed into foods with a longer shelf life. Many communities and volunteers distributing aid purchased tempeh. Moreover, Rumoh Pangan Aceh (RPA) also helped to distribute aid — including tempeh — in collaboration with communities and villagers as volunteers in 7 districts which are North Aceh, Lhokseumawe, Bireuen, Bener Meriah, Central Aceh and Aceh Tamiang with a total of 1,276 tempeh distributed.

Food donation by Aceh Food Bank

Lessons learned from the disaster in Aceh, in relation to the food system, showed the necessity of local food self-sufficiency at the provincial and district/city levels. Availability from raw materials to ready-to-process products should be ensured in each location. With increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather and its disastrous impacts due to climate change and other socio-environmental problems, resilience of food systems becomes an important issue. Local food systems from local crops are important adaptation measures.

Jack bean tempeh in Aceh is one example of how local food strengthens resilience of local food systems. This effort needs active collaboration engaging wider stakeholders. The jack bean tempeh development in Aceh is progressing, including replication of the business model, building more tempeh production houses, and engaging more than 80 farmers to plant jack bean in 5 districts in Aceh. GAIN and RPA continue to scale up jack bean tempeh as Aceh’s leading local tempeh and distribute it to wider consumers in hotels, restaurants, and schools.

Resources

Jack bean: A resilient legume to improve ‘tempeh security’ in Indonesia

Jack Bean Tempeh: Indonesia's Hidden Food Revolution – a Documentary Movie

Authors

Eristyana Sari

Project Officer, GAIN Indonesia

Ibnu Budiman

Environment Manager

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Indonesia

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17.02.2026

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Indonesia

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Jack Bean Tempeh Enhanced Resilience of Aceh Food Systems During Disasters

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GAIN Joins the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty

gloireri — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 07:57:32 +0000

GAIN Joins the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty gloireri Mon, 02/02/2026 - 08:57

GAIN Joins the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty

2 February, 2026

GAIN is pleased to announce its membership in the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty (GAAHP) bringing on board a nutrition and food systems lens for global efforts

GAIN joins the coalition with a focus on supporting Alliance member governments to advance evidence-based food systems and nutrition solutions. Through technical assistance and alignment of financing for sustainable food systems, GAIN will contribute to national capacities and support policy coherence across food, health and social protection systems. GAIN’s on-the-ground presence and experience enable an effective connection of global commitments with country-led action, data and delivery.

“Joining the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty reflects GAIN’s commitment to collective action. In the current global context, strong alliances and partnerships for food and nutrition security are not just nice to have, they are absolutely essential,” said Dr. Lawrence Haddad, Executive Director of GAIN.

GAIN’s engagement in the Alliance will help ensure that nutrition remains central to hunger and poverty-reduction programmes, accelerating practical solutions that improve access to affordable, safe and nutritious food for all, particularly for vulnerable populations disproportionately affected by malnutrition.

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Grace Thuo

Head of Communications

GAIN is pleased to announce its membership in the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty (GAAHP) bringing on board a nutrition and food systems lens for global efforts

“Joining the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty reflects GAIN’s commitment to collective action. In the current global context, strong alliances and partnerships for food and nutrition security are just not nice to have, they are absolutely essential,” said Dr. Lawrence Haddad, Executive Director of GAIN .

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Publication Date

02.02.2026

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Grace Thuo

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GAIN Joins the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty

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Widespread Vitamin-D Deficiency: Evidence of a Major Public Health Concern in Bangladesh

gloireri — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 04:53:02 +0000

Widespread Vitamin-D Deficiency: Evidence of a Major Public Health Concern in Bangladesh gloireri Mon, 01/26/2026 - 05:53

Authors

Dr. Rawshan Zahan Akhter Alo, Principal Investigator and Deputy Director, Institute of Public Health Nutrition, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Dr. Ashek Mahfuz, Portfolio Lead, LSFF and Value Chain, Bangladesh, GAIN
Md. Abul Bashar Chowdhury, Project Manager, Large Scale Food Fortification, Bangladesh, GAIN

Micronutrient deficiencies, particularly those of vitamin D and Folate, are global public health concerns that significantly affect populations in developing regions. Vitamin D deficiency affects over one billion people globally, with 37.3% having serum levels below 50 nmol/L, particularly in sun-limited regions and high-risk populations [1–4]. In South Asia, over 70% of women and children are deficient [5, 6]. In Bangladesh, data from National Micronutrient Survey 2019-20, revealed vitamin D deficiency among under-five children (22.60%) and NPNL mothers (70.60%), which indicates major population-level evidence gaps.
The clinical consequences of Vitamin-D deficiency extend beyond bone diseases such as rickets, osteomalacia, and osteoporosis. Vitamin D has been implicated in several non- skeletal conditions, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, and certain cancers [7]. Deficiency has also been associated with poor immune response, increasing susceptibility to infections, including respiratory tract infections and COVID- 19.

Assessment on Prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency

To get a more comprehensive understanding of the wide range of Vitamin D and Folate deficiency in Bangladesh, GAIN and the Institute of Public Health Nutrition (IPHN) conducted an assessment on “Prevalence of Vitamin D and Folate Deficiency among People of Different Age Groups in Bangladesh”. The study was conducted from January to July 2025, with a total of 2481 individuals from five age groups (children, adolescents, pregnant women, adults, and geriatric individuals) people blood samples analysed for Serum Vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D) and Serum Folate levels collected from eight divisions of Bangladesh, covering urban and rural areas.
Figure 1: Overall Vitamin D Status (n=2480) Figure 2: Vitamin D Status in Urban and Rural

The results of the study revealed a significant 67.0% of participants to be deficient in vitamin D. The deficiency rates were highest among adolescents (83.3%) and pregnant women (77.8%). Urban residents (71.1%) exhibited higher deficiency rates compared to rural residents (63.1%).
This national survey highlights vitamin D deficiency as a major public health concern affecting all age groups in Bangladesh, with adolescents, pregnant women, and females most at risk. Clear geographic disparities exist, particularly in the southeastern and southern regions. These findings show that micronutrient gaps, especially vitamin D remain inadequately addressed due to the lack of national fortification policies and uneven access to supplements. Without timely and targeted interventions, long-term consequences may include poor bone and immune health, pregnancy complications and cognitive decline across the population.In Bangladesh, GAIN is implementing the Digitizing Fortification Quality and Strengthening Enabling Environment project in partnership with the regulatory agencies, refineries, academia, and development partners, under the leadership of the Ministry of Industries.
As part of this initiative, GAIN supports the amendment of fortified edible oil standards to include both vitamin A and vitamin D. Currently, edible oil in Bangladesh is fortified only with vitamin A. The inclusion of vitamin D aims to address the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in the country and improve overall public health outcomes.
Conclusion:
Vitamin D deficiency remains a critical public health issue across all age groups, especially among adolescents, pregnant women, and females. The findings underscore the need for comprehensive public health interventions, including food fortification programs. In Bangladesh, fortification of edible oil with Vitamin A is mandatory. Now the edible oil fortification standard and laws can be amended and fortified with vitamin A and D to alleviate the deficiencies of these two vital micronutrients to all segments of the population in Bangladesh.

References:
1. Palacios C, Gonzalez L. Is vitamin D deficiency a major global public health problem? J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2014;144 Pt A:138-45.
2. Cashman KD, Dowling KG, Škrabáková Z, et al. Vitamin D deficiency in Europe: pandemic? Am J Clin Nutr. 2016;103(4):1033-44.
3.Forrest KYZ, Stuhldreher WL. Prevalence and correlates of vitamin D deficiency in US adults. Nutr Res. 2011;31(1):48-54.
4.Hilger J, Friedel A, Herr R, et al. A systematic review of vitamin D status in populations worldwide. Br J Nutr. 2014;111(1):23-45.
5.Islam MZ, Lamberg-Allardt C, Kärkkäinen M, et al. Vitamin D deficiency in Bangladesh: a study in pregnant women. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2002;56(1):51-6.
6. Harinarayan CV, Joshi SR. Vitamin D status in India—its implications and remedial measures. J Assoc Physicians India. 2009;57:40-8.
7. Holick MF. Vitamin D status: measurement, interpretation, and clinical application. Ann Epidemiol. 2009;19(2):73-8.
8. Martineau AR, Jolliffe DA, Hooper RL, et al. Vitamin D supplementation to prevent acute respiratory tract infections: systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data. BMJ. 2017;356:i6583.
9. Panfili FM, Roversi M, D'Argenio P, et al. Possible role of vitamin D in Covid-19 infection in pediatric population. J Endocrinol Invest. 2021;44(1):27-35.

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Bangladesh

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Asia

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Business and nutrition

Dietary improvement

Md. Abul Bashar Chowdhury

Publication Date

26.01.2026

Location

Bangladesh

Authors

Dr. Rawshan Zahan

Dr. Ashek Mahfuz

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Widespread Vitamin-D Deficiency: Evidence of a Major Public Health Concern in Bangladesh

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Social Protection School Feeding Case Study-Ethiopia

gloireri — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 07:38:57 +0000

Social Protection School Feeding Case Study-Ethiopia gloireri Tue, 01/20/2026 - 08:38

Social Protection School Feeding Case Study-Ethiopia

A child’s diet is central to their long-term development, health, and well-being. For children, access to healthy diets can be instrumental for doing well in school, and ultimately shapes a child’s ability to attain a dignified, productive livelihood and decent quality of life in the future.

In Ethiopia, however, too many children are missing out on the nutritious food they need to grow and thrive. Only 14% of school-aged children receive a diverse diet (Ethiopian Food System Dashboard, 2019)., leading to significant health issues such as stunting and micronutrient deficiencies.
Reduced immunity, low concentration, and school dropout correlate with the limited frequency, diversity and quality of children’s diets.

Tigist Gelaw, a social sciences teacher at Mulugeta Gedle School in Sebeta, Sheger City explains. “I love teaching, it makes me happy to spend my day with young minds.” Even so, Tigist says there are days where she can’t bring herself to teach seeing her students struggle due to their poor diets.

Sometimes they faint. So we go out and buy what we can for them, some biscuits and water to get them through.

Why is this the case?

It’s an economic issue,” stresses Tigist. “Many of these families can’t afford to give their kids breakfast before school, let alone a nutritious one”.

Tigist’s experience is one all too familiar for educators across the continent and illustrates a perilous relationship between malnutrition and educational attainment. Research has shown that malnutrition is a direct determinant to a child’s performance in school, often leading to poorer academic performance. According to the Cost of Hunger Study in Africa, stunted children complete an average of 1.1 fewer years of schooling, and in 2009, stunting was linked to 16% of all primary school grade repetitions in Ethiopia (World Food Programme, 2020).

In fact, more than half of Ethiopians cannot afford the least expensive healthy diet. Per person, it costs $4.78 per day ($1744.7 per year) to meet the most basic requirements set out in national dietary guidelines. With a per capita income of $1,133 as of 2024 – a basic healthy diet is far beyond the reach of a large share of the population, highlighting the severe gap between income levels and the cost of adequate nutrition. School feeding as a critical safety net

School feeding has long been identified by the government of Ethiopia as a critical tool to curb this challenge, initially as an emergency initiative, followed by pilot programmes. The government has committed to Home Grown School Feeding programmes including developing a policy framework, resource mobilisation strategy and setting standards via menu booklets.

GAIN spoke to a parent at Mulugeta Gedle School, Shilimu Gidelew, who has 3 sons and 3 daughters and for whom, school feeding became a critical safety net for her family. “Their (children’s) father is no longer with us,” says Shimilu.

I would provide whatever I could with what I have, but I know it was never enough.

As a day labourer at the time, school feeding was a life-line to her family.
Established in Sebeta, Sheger City in 1948, Mulugeta Gedle has long served as an anchor for many vulnerable groups in the community,

As Tigist Gelaw explains, several social, political and economic paths lead to their status today. “I have students that are refugees staying with family members in Sebeta, and even some that work as maids for families when they’re not at school”.

Tigist Kebede, has served as the School’s Director since 2019. She says 2,969 students now attend the school.
In 2015, the school received 10 cows from the Ethiopian School Meal Initiative (ESMI) to provide milk to students. ESMI also established dairy farm infrastructures and assigned a focal person to manage the feeding of the cows for one year,
and handed this over to school with some amount of seed money to sustain the program.
“But we could not go on.The price of feed got out of hand,” explains the Director, “and at the same time we received many more students”. The dairy output dwindled until they could only provide milk to less than a hundred students per week in 2019.
“Despite our effort to care for the cows, the school stopped feeding milk since 2019 due to a high number students and unaffordable cost of cow feed. . The school started to sell milk to the community to cover only the forage cost.”

In fact, that was a really challenging moment for me,” added Tigist Kebede, feeling guilty for this disruption, despite the support and effort of ESMI for the initiative’s sustainability.

“I began to give up,” admitted Tigist. “GAIN’s project sparked the idea of solving this issue sustainably.”

Recognising that the best solutions come from the communities that understand their lived experiences, GAIN led the revival of the dairy feeding, aiming to reach 480 students weekly. Using the Human-Centred Design (HCD) approach, the Social Protection/School Feeding Project brought governmental and non-governmental organizations, the school, community, and the parent committee together to identify solutions through a rigorous HCD process that assessed critical challenges and supported identification of feasible models for dairy inclusion in existing school feeding programs.

To address the high cost of cow feed, GAIN is supporting the school to improve internal resource utilization, working in close collaboration with the school community, parent committee, and other government stakeholders. The partnership was critical in supporting problem solving, improving capacity in resolving resource gaps and designing a replicable model to sustainable home grown school dairy provision.
Today, 550 students receive dairy, reaching 70 more students than initially targeted. The school and its stakeholders are currently working on opportunities to make the current dairy scheme self-sustaining, while exploring other ways to better serve their students.

The findings, ideas, and conclusions presented on this website are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect positions or policies of any of the agencies mentioned above.

Partners

This case story was produced under GAIN’s Nourishing Food Pathways programme which is jointly funded by:

The findings, ideas, and conclusions presented on this website are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect positions or policies of any of the agencies mentioned above.

Wubet Girma

Ethiopia Country Director, GAIN

Seid Kassaw

Project Officer, GAIN

Magdalawit Ghirma

Communication Manager, Demand Generation

Christina Nyhus Dhillon

Research Lead-Healthy Diets, Knowledge Leadership, GAIN

Grace Thuo

Head of Communications

Arsema Beyene

Intern, Communications and Social Media ( Children and Young People )

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Blogs

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Infant and child feeding

Publication Date

20.01.2026

Location

Ethiopia

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Supporting Evidence-Based Food Decisions in Programmes: GAIN’s New Screening Tool for Nutrition, Food Safety, and Sustainability

gloireri — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 07:30:28 +0000

Supporting Evidence-Based Food Decisions in Programmes: GAIN’s New Screening Tool for Nutrition, Food Safety, and Sustainability gloireri Mon, 01/19/2026 - 08:30

Supporting Evidence-Based Food Decisions in Programmes: GAIN’s New Screening Tool for Nutrition, Food Safety, and Sustainability

Blogpost 2026

Authors

Christina Nyhus Dhillon (Research Lead-Healthy Diets, Knowledge Leadership, GAIN), Flaminia Ortenzi (Senior Research Associate, Knowledge Leadership, GAIN), Sunaina Chander (Consultant, GAIN)

Food choices play a dual role in shaping both human health and environmental sustainability. At the individual level, diets that lack diversity, fall short of essential nutrients, contain excessive amounts of foods high in sugar, unhealthy fats, and salt, or fail to meet food safety standards, and can have serious negative consequences for health (Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, 2025; World Health Organization, n.d.). At the same time, the ways food is produced and consumed affect the environment, —contributing to land degradation, freshwater depletion, climate change, and biodiversity loss (Crippa et al., 2021; Tilman et al., 2017). These environmental impacts, in turn, influence which foods are available, accessible, and affordable, and can alter the nutrient density of crops (Beach et al., 2019; Smith & Myers, 2018), reinforcing this close connection between our food choices and the environment.

Yet most methods used to evaluate which foods to support in nutrition programmes focus on only one dimension at a time. By assessing nutritional value, food safety, or sustainability in isolation, such approaches are unable to capture how these factors interact and shape real-world outcomes. How can we ensure that diets are nutritious, safe, and sustainable to support both people and the planet?

At GAIN, programme teams often navigate this complexity when deciding which foods or value chains to promote and prioritize, especially in resource-constrained settings. While guidance exists on what constitutes nutritious, safe, and environmentally- friendly foods, it significantly varies by context, making it difficult to apply consistently across programmes. How can organizations maximize nutritional outcomes for target beneficiaries, while being mindful of environmental and food safety trade-offs? And on what grounds should decisions be made when it comes to supporting specific foods? Which compromises between different dimensions are acceptable and which aren’t?

Operationalizing Food Screening: The Five-Step Approach

GAIN’s newly launched screening process offers a one-stop solution for selecting food-based options across projects by operationalizing theoretical guidelines around what constitutes a nutritious, safe, and sustainable food. It provides a standardized framework for assessing the multi-dimensional implications of a wide range of interventions, including macro- and micronutrient supplements, food groups and single foods (comprising fortified products), meals and recipes, and whole diets. The screening process enables programmes to take a more consistent, transparent, and evidence-based approach, supporting choices that promote positive nutrition outcomes while minimizing food safety risks and impacts on the environment.

Take fish, for example. While fish is highly nutritious, careful consideration is needed to avoid overfishing and destructive practices like bottom trawling, as well as to reduce the risk of chemical and biological hazards.

Rather than reinventing the wheel for each project, the screening process sets up a pre-established protocol for evaluating food-based solutions across these three key dimensions: nutritional quality, food safety risks, and environmental concerns. This integrated approach also takes into account availability, acceptability, and affordability, helping ensure that food-based options are feasible, culturally appropriate, and relevant for the target population within the local geographic context. The five key steps of the screening include:

Identifying the health or dietary challenge.
Mapping potential food-based solutions.
Screening solutions for core risks and benefits for nutrition, food safety, and the environment.
Assessing feasibility and relevance in context, considering availability, affordability, and acceptability.
Refining the identified solution to optimize food safety, social desirability, and environmental co-benefits.

The process leverages a wide range of fit-for-purpose, practical tools to provide tailored guidance, including a workbook for analyzing the nutritional quality of (ultra-)processed foods, an affordability calculator, and a traffic-light heat map that classifies food groups into ‘go,’ ‘caution,’ or ‘no-go’ categories for promotion in programmes. Whether designing a project proposal, implementing or monitoring a programme, or supporting a small- or medium-sized enterprise, the screening process offers a structured way to inform better food-related decisions.

Ultimately, healthy and sustainable food choices start by asking the right questions and looking beyond nutrition alone, toward benefiting individuals, communities, and the environment alike.

References:

Beach, R. H., Sulser, T. B., Crimmins, A., Cenacchi, N., Cole, J., Fukagawa, N. K., Mason-D’Croz, D., Myers, S., Sarofim, M. C., Smith, M., & Ziska, L. H. (2019). Combining the effects of increased atmospheric carbon dioxide on protein, iron, and zinc availability and projected climate change on global diets: A modelling study. The Lancet Planetary Health, 3(7). https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(19)30094-4
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Authors

Christina Nyhus Dhillon

Research Lead-Healthy Diets, Knowledge Leadership, GAIN

Flaminia Ortenzi

Senior Research Associate

Sunaina Chander

Consultant

Contact

Christina Nyhus Dhillon

Research Lead-Healthy Diets, Knowledge Leadership, GAIN

News type

Blogs

Countries

Regions

Topics

Business and nutrition

Dietary improvement

Publication Date

17.01.2026

Image Thumb (540x337px)

Short title

Supporting Evidence-Based Food Decisions in Programmes: GAIN’s New Screening Tool for Nutrition, Food Safety, and Sustainability

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