New Journal Article Looks at UPAVAN Gender- and Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture Intervention Research in India

A new article, “Understanding the effects of nutrition-sensitive agriculture interventions with participatory videos and women’s group meetings on maternal and child nutrition in rural Odisha, India: A mixed-methods process evaluation,” co-authored by JSI’s Heather Danton and Peggy Koniz-Booher and various collaborators has been published in the Maternal and Child Nutrition Journal.

The article outlines a study on achieving the second Sustainable Development Goal, zero hunger, through a four-arm cluster-randomized controlled trial called Upscaling Participatory Action and Videos for Agriculture and Nutrition (UPAVAN). The study tested three nutrition-sensitive agriculture interventions with participatory videos and women’s group meetings to improve maternal and child nutrition in rural villages of Odisha, India.

The past century has seen significant advances in agricultural production and nutrition research, yet approximately 1 billion people are chronically hungry, which disproportionately affects children and women, especially those who are pregnant and lactating, in low- and low/middle-income countries. UPAVAN interventions sought to improve these outcomes by supporting seasonally appropriate, locally feasible production of a diversity of nutritious foods for household consumption and/or income-generation; improving women’s decision-making power in agriculture activities; and reducing women’s workload in agriculture. This mixed-methods process evaluation explored the fidelity, reach, mechanisms, and contextual factors behind the intervention’s effects. The study found improvements in maternal and child dietary diversity, limited effects on agricultural production, and no effects on women and children’s nutritional status.

The article was published with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. OPP1136656.