The Federal Democratic Republic Of Ethiopia

Ministry of Agriculture and Natural resource

Nutrition Sensitive agriculture
draft Strategic Plan

MoANR, Ethiopia

OCCTOBER, 2016
MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 2
1.1 Background ....................................................................................................................................... 2
1.2 Agriculture-Nutrition Linkage Framework ................................................................................... 5
1.4. The gaps identified in the agricultural sector in the areas of nutrition ...................................... 7
1.5 Opportunities for the sector to act on the identified Gaps ............................................................ 7
2. Goals and objectives of the strategic doc .................................................................................................. 8
3. Strategic objectives and initiatives ............................................................................................................ 8
Strategic objective 1 ................................................................................................................................ 9
Result 1.1 Updated agriculture sector policy/strategies and guidelines linked with nutrition
sensitive interventions ......................................................................................................................... 9
Strategic objective 2:............................................................................................................................. 10
Result 2.2: .............................................................................................................................................. 11
Result 2.3: Higher education institutions’ ...................................................................................... 12
Strategic objective 3. Enhance resilience ........................................................................................... 12
Result 3.1............................................................................................................................................ 13
Strategic objective 4. Increase year-round ......................................................................................... 14
Result 4.1. Increased production and household consumption..................................................... 16
Result 4.2. Increased production and household consumption of animal.................................... 16
Result 4.4. Enhanced Agricultural research and adoption .......................................................... 17
Result 4.5. Improved natural resources base to improve food availability.................................. 17
Result 4.6. Increased nutrition-sensitive agriculture knowledge .................................................. 17
Strategic Objective 5. Gender .............................................................................................................. 18
Result 5.1 Empower women and enhance their role ...................................................................... 19
Strategic objective 6. Develop strong multi-sectorial coordination ................................................. 19
Result 6.1 Improved inter-sectorial nutrition coordination at all level ........................................ 20
Result 6.2 Strong linkage with NNP and other relevant national ................................................. 20
4. Monitoring and Evaluation ..................................................................................................................... 21
5. Five Years Strategic Action Plan ............................................................................................................ 22
Result 4.2. Increased production and household consumption of animal.................................... 25

1
 Introduction
1.1 Background
Ethiopia has undertaken a far reaching program of economic reforms over the last decades and
the economy has registered rapid growth rates averaging 11 percent annum over the past seven
years placing Ethiopia among the top performing economics in sub Saharan Africa and the
government has made poverty and hunger reduction its top priorities.

The Government of Ethiopia, through its national policies, plans and programs, rendered high
priority to the agricultural and rural development sector. Agricultural Development Led
Industrialization (ADLI) has been the overarching policy of the government since the early 1900s
and assigned the highest priority to the transformation of agriculture from a subsistence source of
livelihood to market-oriented economic sector, so as to enable it to become a driving force for
accelerating the country’s economic development. This policy has been elaborated through other
policy documents such as Rural Development Policy and Strategy (MoA 2003), the Food Security
Programme ( 2003), Sustainable Development and Poverty Reduction ( 2005) and , the Growth
and Transformation Plan 2010/11-2014/15 and GTP2 (2016-2020).

Ethiopia Institute Agricultural Research (EIAR) had been reorganized since 1997 with mandates
for generating new varieties of planting materials, improvement and adaptation of technologies in
crops, livestock and natural resource conservation, forestry, and socio-economic livelihoods .

Since 1995, the agricultural extension has been oriented towards the promotion of agricultural
package as a vehicle for disseminating research generated technologies along with input supply
and credit information.

The Agricultural Technical and Vocational Education and Training, known as Agri-TVET, is a
major component of the rural development strategy to improve the skills of producers by investing
in the most important and abundant resource, the agricultural labour force. Under this program,
Farmers Training Centers (FTCs) are being established at each Peasant Association level (the
smallest administrative unit) to provide training to farmers on various agricultural and non-
agricultural fields.

In Ethiopia the poverty rate decreased by over ten percentage points during the nine-year period
between 2004 and 2012 and it has continued to drop till now. Agricultural development, as
2
indicated by the proportion of budgetary allocation amounting to 12-17 percent of its annual
budget,and several reforms to improve productivity, has resulted in agricultural production growth
of about 8% to 10% annually over the last several years. This period also saw high population
growth (74 million in 2004 to 91.7 million in 20123). However, poverty, malnutrition and
vulnerability remain high,. As a result, the total number of people in poverty is still high, with
4.29% of the population are absolute poor and an estimated 43% (46% of the rural population) are
vulnerable to absolute poverty Moreover, despite an impressive economic recovery and
agricultural productivity, there has not been corresponding reduction of under nutrition in the
country. Child stunting reduced by 24% during the last ten years. Maternal and child under
nutrition remain significant health and development problem and challenge for the country, with
40.4% of children stunted, 25% of children underweight and 9% of children wasted; and 27% of
women undernourished(DHS 2014).

In Ethiopia, the underlying causes of malnutrition are multifactorial and identified as household
food insecurity poor feeding and child caring practice and poor sanitation /environmental

Chronic and transitory household food insecurity remains among the major problems facing both
rural and urban community in Ethiopia.. The main causes are household food insecurity include
recurrent drought, population pressure, small farmland size, erosion and land degradation, low
input-productivity, smallholder subsistence agriculture, livestock disease, insufficient and erratic
rainfall, post-harvest and storage loss, poor access to water or irrigation, and limited market access
to foods.

The diversity of diet is pivotal to the attainment of food and nutrition security, since diverse diets
tend to be richer in micro and macro nutrients. Most Ethiopian still subsist on diets based on staple
cereal and root crops that are lacking in nutritional diversity especially high quality protein and
micronutrient that are essential for healthy growth and development. Food security therefore
should encompass availability of adequate quantities of a diversity of food commodities such as
other cereals, fruits, vegetables and animal products at household level.

Most malnourished children and women live in families who are vulnerable and repeatedly
affected by food shortage, shocks, and emergencies. . This is often due to the fact that poor families
do not have the resources to produce or they lack sufficient income to purchase sufficient amounts

3
of the right kinds of food, a situation that may be made worse by a combination of poor feeding
practices and high levels of illness and disease. Children and women from well-off farmers are
also affected due to low production and consumption of diversified foods, poor sanitation, and
nutrition knowledge.

Under nutrition impedes Ethiopian children’s growth and mental development, makes them more
vulnerable to illness, limits their learning capacity, and decreases their life expectancy. It also
affects the productivity of Ethiopian farmers seriously affecting the country agricultural
productivity and economic growth. In 2009, Ethiopia lost 16.7% of its GDP because of under
nutrition (Cost of Hunger study 2014) Evidence suggests that good nutrition status reduces poverty
by boosting productivity throughout the life cycle and over generations. Thus, addressing nutrition
using a food based approach by agriculture sector, which is the back bone of the country’s fast
economic growth, is crucial to improve agricultural productivity and GDP for Ethiopia.

Agriculture sector is a key player in source of income and livelihood for most of the rural
communities through production and consumption of nutritious food and contribute for the
wellbeing of the population through identifying nutrition gap, designing realistic solutions to
address the problem of malnutrition and mainstreaming nutrition into relevant policies and
programs, thus contributing to long-term nutrition-sensitive development. In addition ensuring
year round availability at local level safe and affordable foods needed for a healthy and sustainable
diet and providing appropriate information to consumers and in particular to poor households so
that they can make the best use of locally available foods and cover their nutritional requirements,
particularly of small children and women.

The Government of Ethiopia puts nutrition as one of the priority agenda in the GTP 2 by including
stunting as one of the target and calling for implementation of the National Nutrition Strategy and
National Nutrition Program II using multi-sectoral approach. The fact that it advocates for a pro
poor economic growth and gives due emphasis to social protection, women empowerment and
employment contributes to improved nutrition. The government launched an ambitious initiative
named ‘Sekota Declaration’ to end hunger and under nutrition by 2030 with the goal to improve
nutrition to save lives, build resilience, increase economic productivity, and advance development.
The role of agriculture sector is clearly indicated in the NNP Strategic objective 4 and result 4.1
with appropriate initiatives.

4
Nutrition-sensitive agriculture aims to maximize the positive impact of the food system on
nutrition outcomes while minimizing any unintended, negative consequences of agricultural
policies and interventions for the population. It is placing a nutrition lens on the food and
agricultural sector as a whole without detracting from the agriculture sector’s own goals, which
focuses on increasing production, improving income, and reducing poverty. It is a food-based
approach to agricultural development that puts nutritionally rich foods, dietary diversity, and bio
fortification at the heart of overcoming malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies.

1.2 Agriculture-Nutrition Linkage Framework

Agriculture and nutrition are part of a virtuous cycle. Not only does increasing agricultural
productivity have the potential to improve household nutrition, but healthier and better-nourished
smallholder farmers are more productive, earn more income, and contribute to further economic
growth.

In order to come out with appropriate nutrition sensitive agricultural strategy it is quite important
to understand the linkage between agriculture and nutrition. Accordingly an attempt is made to
illustrate the linkages between agriculture and nutrition as indicated in Figure 1 below.

5
“Agricultural livelihoods affect nutrition of individual household members through multiple
pathways and interactions. The framework depicted above helps us to understand how various
agriculture investments or activities could improve access to food and health care; how they impact
and are affected by the enabling environment; and how they ultimately affect the nutrition of
individual women and children.

“The pathways are not always linear, and there are many interactions among them. In general, they
can be divided into three main routes at the household level: 1) food production, which can affect
the food available for household consumption as well the price of diverse foods; 2) agricultural
income for expenditure on food and non-food items; and 3) women's empowerment, which affects
income, caring capacity and practices, and female energy expenditure. Acting on all of these routes
is the enabling environment for nutrition, including other several key components: the natural
resources environment; the food market environment; the health, water, and sanitation
environment; nutrition/ health knowledge and norms; and other factors, such as policy and
governance. These components may affect nutrition of consumers or communities, not only farmer
households. Child nutrition outcomes ultimately feed back into national economic growth and
household assets and livelihoods, including those that contribute to both agricultural and
nonagricultural sources of income (Herforth & Harris 2014).”

In addition, improved nutritional status and health status are expected to increase individual
productivity in the short run (particularly in areas where manual labor is common) and in the long
run, thereby improving household production and income.

Along the loops of agriculture-nutrition linkage agricultural research, agricultural extension

service (outreach), market development, demand creation and nutrition education focused on
behavioral changes specifically dietary habit are catalysts to bring about positive changes on
nutrition status

As indicated in Figure 1 there are multiple links that connect agriculture production to nutritional status
therefore the proposed nutrition sensitive interventions in this strategic document tried to consider these
links that improve household income, food consumption, or individual nutritional status. This strategy has
been developed to add value and create synergy to existing MOA initiatives, programs, and

6
interventions and other initiatives of the government such as NNP, ‘Sekota declaration’ CADAP,
etc. to harness the full potential of agriculture to improve nutrition for Ethiopians especially
mothers and children. The strategy acts as also a guidance tool to ensure MOA policies, programs,
interventions, and implementations apply nutrition-sensitive food and agriculture-based
approaches to contribute to the NNP objectives of improving nutrition at household level.

1.4. The gaps identified in the agricultural sector in the areas of nutrition

 Most agricultural productivity programs focus only on high value crops and livestock
productivity
 Most agricultural strategies and programs lacking nutrition improvement objectives
 Low capacity of MOA for mainstreaming nutrition to the sector
 Limited high level political commitment
 Poor coordination of nutrition work among several sectors and departments of MOA
 Limited meaningful involvement of MOA in the National Nutrition Coordination Body

1.5 Opportunities for the sector to act on the identified Gaps

 Government of Ethiopia initiatives to revive the economy and the agricultural sector with
nutrition lens
o Renewed high level commitment of the government to end hunger and under nutrition by
2030 using the “Seqota declaration’ as a movement campaign
o Government and MOA high priority of food security at household level
o GTP 2 plans to improve nutrition and food security and equitable economic
growth
 Evidence based nutrition sensitive strategies are available
 International commitments and declarations to end hunger and extreme poverty and ensure
nutrition security: CADAP, NEPAD, the New Alliance for Food and Nutrition Security in
Ethiopia, and SUN initiatives.

7
 2. Goals and objectives of the strategic doc
Goal: - To contribute to the NNP II Goal of reducing child and women under nutrition by
increasing the quantity and quality of food available, accessible, and affordable and promoting
utilization of diversified foods for all Ethiopians.

 NNP II targets:
o Reduce the prevalence of stunting from 40% to 26% by 2020;
o Reduce the prevalence of chronic under nutrition in women of reproductive age
from 27% to 16% by 2020.

Objectives

 To increase the production and access to diverse, safe, and nutrient dense foods for all
urban and rural population of Ethiopia at all times.
 To improve household consumption of nutritious, diverse, and safe food by all
Ethiopians.
 To protect vulnerable populations using social transfer scheme or programs, pro poor
food security interventions, and emergency food relief.

3. Strategic objectives and initiatives

MOA has already put in place programs and initiatives that directly and indirectly contribute to
the reduction of under-nutrition. These programs include Food Security Program, Agricultural
Growth Program, disaster prevention and preparedness through Disaster Risk Management,
Livestock master plan, and Agricultural Research Systems. The MOA will continue to implement
an scale up these activities with nutrition lens. The nutrition sensitive initiatives and activities in
this strategy are new or refocusing existing ones to achieve the strategic objectives outlined below.

The following six strategic objectives are identified to ensure the GTP2 of MOA is nutrition
sensitive and also harmonized to the GTP 2 agricultural sector strategic objectives.

8
Strategic objective 1. Leverage nutrition in to agriculture policy, strategy, and
program documents at all level
The Government of Ethiopia has demonstrated its policy commitment to nutrition by developing
a stand-alone National Nutrition Strategy (NNS) and a National Nutrition Programe (NNP), along
with a set of guidelines. The government has also incorporated nutrition, in particular stunting,
into its 5-year Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP). Sectoral strategies and programs also
provide a good opportunity to mainstream nutrition into other NNP implementing sectors.

The existing MOA policy aims at increasing productivity and through which improves the
nutritional needs of the population which the MoA of Ethiopia so far has been doing. However
this approach does not consider the multiple factors that impact on nutrition. The current
agricultural policy and most of the ministry strategies and programs do not explicitly aim to
improve the nutrition of communities and households. Therefore revising the MoA agricultural
policy, strategies, programs and guideline documents is the first step in mainstreaming nutrition
into agriculture to tailor agricultural interventions with the consideration of nutritional merits.

Result 1.1 Updated agriculture sector policy/strategies and guidelines linked with nutrition
sensitive interventions

Initiatives
1.1.1Mainstream nutrition interventions into the agriculture program/projects and
investment frameworks, and action plans

1.1.1.1Core activities

 Gap analysis of the existing policy/strategy documents and update accordingly

 Advocacy and sensitization on nutrition sensitive-agriculture interventions
 Build on and insure the dissemination and implementation of NNP II documents at
all levels of administrative structures
 Prepare implementation guideline to facilitate smooth implementation of this
strategy

9
 1.1.2 Support the strengthening of agriculture education curriculums for standardized
nutrition-sensitive agriculture pre-service education in agriculture colleges and
universities

1.1.2.1 Core activities

 Organize farm lab in agriculture colleges and universiteis

 Set school nutrition clubs
 Build the capacity of implementing institutions

Strategic objective 2: Establish and strengthened structure responsible for nutrition

mainstreaming and build capacity of agricultural sector at all
MOA has established a food and nutrition case team at the Federal level, which is commendable
and first step to mainstream NNP into the sector. However, considering the responsibility in this
strategic document, there should be same structure at the regional level and capacity at all level As
evidence based approaches is the best customized way of dealing with issues in developing
countries nutrition sensitive issues planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation system
has to be well organized and for this cause well-structured nutrition system in the agricultural
sector is crucial.

Thus, there is a need to strengthen the existing nutrition case team at federal level and organize a
nutrition case team at decentralized MOA structure; to have an organized nutrition information
system integrated to the existing agriculture information system to monitor the implementation of
the activities, and evaluate the contribution of MOA to NNP ; and to build the capacity, both hard
and soft ware, in terms of human resource, financial, and logistics inputs from federal level to
kebele level should be leveraged to implement the nutrition sensitive interventions and let the
structure well function.

Result 2.1: Strengthened food and nutrition unit within the structure of MOA at all level
Initiatives'
2.1.1 Strengthened food and nutrition unit at national level and establish at regional,
zonal and woreda level.
2.1.1.1 Core Activities

10
  Create a human resource career structure for food and nutrition with in the
ministry

 Establish a food and nutrition working group from key departments, sectors,
and EIAR of MOA

2.1.2 Establish nutrition demonstration corner at Farmers Training Center (FTC).

2.1.2.1 Core Activities
 Promotion of diversified food production
 Promotion of Small animal rearing
 Training of model farmers on NSA
 Mainstream nutrition in model farmers training centers
 Agronomic and Cooking demonstration at FTC

Result 2.2: Capacity building on nutrition sensitive agriculture at all level of MOA
Initiatives

2.2.1 Strengthen the capacity of the agriculture sector to integrate nutrition sensitive
interventions through trainings and exchange visits

2.2.1.1 Core activities

 Conduct capacity need assessment at all levels to determine existing gaps
including gaps in pre and in-service training needs
 Revise the existing materials with nutrition lens and developing training
materials as per the gaps identified.
 Develop training and job aid materials for DAs
 Ensure existing agricultural training materials are nutrition sensitive and
develop standardized nutrition sensitive training manual for policy makers and
implementers in the sector
2.2.1 Create strong and sustainable community owner ship on nutrition sensitive
interventions (NSI) by promoting gender and nutrition-sensitive interventions at all
level.
2.2.1.1 Core Activities
 Conducting community mobilization along with key informants
 Promote NSI through 1000 days approach.
 Award community nutrition champions

11
Result 2.3: Higher education institutions’ college of Agriculture and ATVET College
agriculture curricula are revised and strengthened with nutrition sensitive agriculture
competencies.
Initiatives:
2.3.1 MoA work closely with MoE in ensuring higher education’s curriculum to
incorporate nutrition sensitive agriculture competencies as a course for bachelor
and mid-level agricultural graduates
2.3.1.1 Core Activities
 Define NS core competencies
 Incorporate identified core competencies to the structure
2.3.2 Capacity building for ATVETs and Universities Colleges of Agricultural to
effectively deliver competency based nutrition sensitive agriculture courses
2.3.2.1 Core Activities
 Quality of education using SBMR(standard based management and
recognition), kaizen
 Organize demonstration sites, avail relevant books etc
2.3.3 Work with higher institution to conduct gender and nutrition sensitive agriculture
operational research and disseminate those evidences to surrounding communities
2.3.3.1 Core Activities
 Encourage research works in universities to be nutrition sensitive
 Disseminate nutrition sensitive agricultural research finding
 Academic center of excellence in nutrition sensitive agriculture is
established, strengthened and used for research and technology transfer.

Strategic objective 3. Enhance resilience of vulnerable community and households

prone to climate change and moisture stress.

• The Ethiopian agriculture is mainly dependent on rain for farming and water resource,
which makes the country highly susceptible to climate change. This will positively affect
chronic and transitory food and nutrition insecurity in the moisture stress areas of the
country. Thus, concerted efforts need to be exerted to enhance building of resilience to
stand shocks by drought prone communities and vulnerable population groups. The
government has a clear Climate Resilient Green Economy policy, Climate Smart

12
 Agriculture strategy, and Disaster Risk Management Policy to mitigate the impact of
climate change on food and nutrition security at national and household level. The MOA
continues to implement the Disaster Risk Management and Climate Smart Agriculture with
good quality and at scale, which in turn improves nutrition and food security for vulnerable
rural and urban households.

• The safety net program which is one of the food security programs implemented in
moisture stress areas of the country with the objective of stabilizing household asset levels
and improve household food security could be sighted as one of the programs designed to
build the resilience of community and households vulnerable to drought. Though nutrition
was loosely embedded in the first three phases of the Productive Safety Net Programs due
emphasis was given in PSNP4. The development objective of PSNP 4 is “increased access
to safety net and disaster risk management systems, complementary livelihoods services
and nutrition support for food insecure households in rural Ethiopia (PSNP 4 PAD
September 2014).” This is an appropriate platform to deliver nutrition specific and sensitive
interventions to vulnerable population targeted by the program and expected to contribute
to the objective of the National Nutrition Program which is reduction of stunting in children
under age of five.

Result 3.1 Build resilience of food insecure communities and households by entrenching
nutrition sensitive intervention in the resource transfer programs/projects

Initiatives

3.1.1 Mainstream nutrition sensitive agricultural intervention and practices in

resource transfer programs
 Use soft conditionality’s related to health and nutrition in order to
transfer safety net support to pregnant, lactating women and
household with under 2 years of age children
 Link nutritionally vulnerable households to maternal and child health
nutrition services
 Provide extension services that will promote translation of income
obtained from complementary livelihood services such as on-farm, off

13
 farm and labour/employment opportunities to diversify food
consumption
 improve access to safe water for household, community and their
livestock

 Develop and promote diversified early maturing nutrient dense crop

varieties
3.1.2 Strengthen the existing coping mechanisms practiced by the community

Strategic objective 4. Increase year-round availability, access, and consumption of

diverse, safe, and nutritious foods
Majority of Ethiopian farmers are smallholders and depend on rain-fed farming system. Food
insecurity is experienced by households living in drought prone lowland areas and degraded
highlands. Due to uneven distribution and fluctuation of rain substantial number of households or
low income to purchase food in food secure areas also face recurrent seasonal food insecurity.
Production of cereals and root/tubers cover the larger acre of cultivated land and by far dominates
the food production system. Ethiopian people, particularly farmers depend on monotonous staple
diets which are usually low in micronutrients. There is very low production and consumption of
fruits, vegetables, and animal source foods among the farming community. The production of
diversified foods and consumption of nutritious foods among the farming community is
constrained by lack of knowledge on food groups and dietary diversity strategies; very limited
access to farm land, irrigation schemes; and income sociocultural factors.

The MOA will work to ensure year-round availability, access, and consumption of variety, safe
and nutritious foods. Promoting production and consumption nutrient dense crops, animal source
foods; leveraging the natural resources base to increase availability of food; enhancing agricultural
research and increasing improved technology adoption; and improving farmers’ dietary diversity
knowledge and practice are the key strategies proposed to achieve the strategic objective.

The GTP 2 and AGP 2 planed to increase the productivity of selected vegetables and fruits, poultry,
and livestock and their markets structure. This will improve the availability of these nutritious

14
foods at the national and regional level and to a limited extent at household level. Thus, fruits,
vegetables, pulses, and bio fortified crops production for home consumption and homestead
poultry should be promoted and supported by the agricultural extension system to complement the
large scale and market-based production of these foods Mixed consumption of cereals and pulses
and addition of animal sources has complementary effect and improves protein intake. The
commonly consumed diets of Ethiopian farmer households can be made nutritious with addition
of small amount of vegetables and fruits from homestead production.

Promotion and support of production and consumption of variety and nutritious foods needs to be
supported with improved household dietary diversity knowledge and practice which can be
achieved by a coordinated work of AEWs and HEWs and integrating behavior change
communication into frontline agricultural training materials and roles and responsibility.

MOA Food Security Strategy components (Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP), the Household
Asset Building Programs (HABP), the Complimentary Community Investment(CCI), and
improved access to land (through Resettlement) will directly improve household food and nutrition
security for vulnerable households, where most malnourished children are leaving. Thus, MOA
will continue to implement these nutrition sensitive interventions and ensure proper targeting of
the needy to increase food availability. The initiatives under this strategic objective will focus on
interventions that make the FSP more nutrition sensitive.

The agricultural productivity initiatives or components in AGP 2 will also contribute directly and
to a large extent indirectly to food and nutrition security at household level. However, there are
opportunities and new initiatives to ensure the productivity interventions benefit households to
improve all year round availability of diversified foods. MOA will continue to reach cooperatives
and small holder farmers through components of AGP-2, which will contribute in improving food
availability of selected value chain crops or livestock without a negative impact on household
availability of diversified and safe foods. The initiatives under this strategic objective are to specify
nutrition and food security initiatives to complement the FSP and agricultural productivity efforts
and ensure availability and accessibility of all year round diversified foods at household level and
promote their consumption.

15
Result 4.1. Increased production and household consumption variety nutrient dense crops
Initiative 4.1.1. Increase Production and consumption of fruit and vegetable
1.1.1 Ensure access to quality fruit and vegetable seeds and other inputs
1.1.2 Support the establishment of fruit and vegetable nursery sites and demonstration sites at
FTCs
1.1.3 Promote homestead, urban, and school gardening
1.1.4 Promote and support community level production of fruits and vegetable
1.1.5 Improve postharvest handling and processing and ensure safety of produces
1.1.6 Improve market linkage for fruit and vegetable
Initiative 4.1. 2. Increased production and household consumption of diversified staple
crops
1.2.1 Promote production and consumption of bio fortified crops (High Iron Beans, quality
protein maize (QPM), orange fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) etc.)
1.2.2 Promote production and consumption of nutrient dense pulses
1.2.3 Promote nutrient enhancing and consumption of mix of cereals and pulse
1.2.4 Promote and increase household access to fortified flours through farmers cooperatives
Result 4.2. Increased production and household consumption of animal source foods
Initiatives
2.1. Increase production and household consumption of meat, milk and egg
2.2. Promote rearing of improved breeds of dairy cattle, small ruminants, and poultry
2.3. Support the establishment of milk collection centers, and improved milk processing
technologies at house hold level
2.4. Promote confined/caged poultry production systems
2.5. Increase production and consumption of fish
2.6. Promote small scale beekeeping by women and other vulnerable groups
2.7. Ensure the safety of animal sources foods
2.8. Improve farmers’ access to fodders considering safety
2.9. Support /establish agro business centers and FTCs to promote production of poultry,
fisheries, small livestock stock and cattle.
2.10. Strengthening linkages with local markets and ensure that small-holder farmers and
pastoralists have consistent access to input and produce markets and income streams

Result 4.3: Integrated nutrition sensitive approaches to transfer programs

Initiatives
3.1. Ensure asset transfers or asset building interventions properly targets women and
vulnerable households
3.2. Ensure vulnerable households with a malnourished child are adequately targeted in
transfer and safety net initiatives
3.3. Improve the nutritional value of the food basket with the addition of pulses or the
equivalent cash value.
3.4. Enhance the implementation of nutrition-sensitive public works

16
3.5. Introduce soft conditionality related to attendance at BCC events or uptake of other
services, in order to increase health-seeking behavior

Result 4.4. Enhanced Agricultural research and adoption of technology for increased
household access to safe nutritious food
Initiatives
4.4.1 Support development of improved breeds of dairy cattle, small ruminants, and poultry,
and increase access to farmers
4.4.2 Support development of bio fortified crops and vegetables and increase access to farmers
4.4.3 Establish bio fortification center and capacity at EIAR
4.4.4 Identify and scale up selected best practices on preservation, storage and /processing of
fruit and vegetable, dairy product, fish, and animal products at farm and household level
4.4.5 Promote women’s labor and time saving technologies
4.4.6 Research and produce micronutrient enhanced fertilizers, e.g Zinc fortified fertilizer

Result 4.5. Improved natural resources base to improve food availability

Initiatives
4.5.1 Increase access to small scale irrigation/ water conservation systems for home gardening,
and fishery
4.5.2 Identify and promote production and consumption of locally available underutilized
nutrient dense foods, including proper management of wild fruits
4.5.3 Promote fodder production on soil and water conservations structures

Result 4.6. Increased nutrition-sensitive agriculture knowledge and practice of farmers

Promotion of food production alone is not adequate to produce the intended nutritional impacts
unless nutrition education component is integral part of production interventions to promote
households consumption of these diversified and safe foods. At the same time, it promotes use of
income from farm or off-farm activities to purchase of quality and diversified foods and inputs for
nutrition sensitive household initiatives mentioned above.

Initiatives
5.1. Improve household dietary diversity knowledge and practice of farmers
5.2. Establish appropriate nutrition behavior change communication strategies relevant for
NSA
5.3. Conduct regular food demonstration at FTCs and farmers exchange events
5.4. Use local media to address food taboos and cultural constrains
5.5. Integrate SBCC relevant for NSA in all farmer and DAs training manuals.

17
Strategic Objective 5. Gender
Gender and nutrition can be considered as two sides of the same coin. It has been described in the
NNP gender to be the cause and consequence of hunger and malnutrition and also gender
inequality to be associated with higher levels of acute and chronic under-nutrition. The ultimate
nutritional benefits of increased incomes are determined by who controls the income and how it is
distributed within the household. Women typically spend a higher proportion of their income on
food and health care for children than do men.
Improvements to gender equality and women’s decision-making power can significantly reduce
child malnutrition rates. World Bank identified that empowering women is the best approach to
affect nutrition through agriculture. Reports have also demonstrated that several animal production
projects that succeeded in improving diet or nutritional status depended on women being actively
involved and playing a critical role in the projects. So, women have to be at the center of nutrition
related interventions both in the rural and urban settings. Organizing women farmer groups in
dairy, poultry and vegetable production is very much important for improving the nutritional status
of the family.

Women in low-income households are typically fully occupied in a wide array of activities
including care giving to children, the sick, and the old; collecting water and fuel; preparing food;
and performing household chores. In addition to working in the house, women in rural areas
engage in a wide range of farm and off farm activities. They are also the main agricultural
producers in many countries. Evidences from different studies show that women spend longer
working compromising their ability to care for their children and their family. Introducing and
promoting labor and energy saving technologies is crucial to enhance their contribution and ease
their workload in the agriculture sector. Creating access to biofuel technologies, improving water
access, and also low energy and time demanding technologies for the production are important
imputes to reduce the work load for women and save time to care themselves and their children.
This improves the nutritional status of women and children.

In the Ethiopian context, men decides on a lot of issues that will positively or negatively affect
women decision making on resources and expenditure of income for household good nutrition, So,
men involvement intervention should be critical component of gender initiatives to improve
production and consumption of diversified food by the family.

18
Result 5.1 Empower women and enhance their role in nutrition sensitive agriculture
Initiative 5.1. Increased access to resources and inputs for women

5.1.1 Promote women involvement in income generating agricultural activities

5.1.2 Increase access to agriculture extension services and inputs for women
5.1.3 Improve the decision making power of women on resources access and utilization
5.1.4 Ensure gender equality in nutrition sensitive agricultural intervention programs
5.1.5 Increase women membership and leadership in cooperatives
5.1.6 Organizing women farmer groups in dairy, poultry and vegetable production and small
scale beekeeping.

Initiative 5.2 Promote labor and energy saving technologies to impact women’s work load

5.2.1 Make labor and time saving technologies available to women for processing and
preparation of foods s
5.2.2 Make labor and time saving technologies available for agricultural production
5.2.3 Promote active male involvement in nutrition and caring practices

Initiative 5.3 Promote gender sensitivity in nutrition sensitive agriculture at all level
5.3.1 Collect , analyze and use gender disaggregated data for gender analysis as part of the gap and
situation analysis and decision making at all level

Strategic objective 6. Develop strong multi-sectorial coordination

Building strong linkages with different sector organizations would assist achieving better
harmonized objective and goals. It improves exchange of information, qualities planning,
intervention and evaluation of outcomes. The nutrition sensitive agriculture strategic plan will be
implemented with strong commitment and involvement of relevant stake holders from different
sectors. MOA with its partners will have internal and external involvement in the implementation
process. NNP partners working in the areas of agriculture, nutrition, health, gender, women and
children will also have a big role in the implementation of the strategy. In addition the coordination
components support the linkages between nutrition in all sectors that deal with the underlying and

19
basic causes of malnutrition (nutrition sensitive interventions are also being implemented by other
sectors).

Result 6.1 Improved inter-sectorial nutrition coordination at all level

Initiatives

6.1.1 Overseeing nutrition related strategies, guidelines

6.1.2 Strengthen the food and nutrition unit of MOA that will be primarily responsible
for coordinating the mainstreaming of nutrition in the agriculture sector.
6.1.3 Strengthening nutrition mainstreaming/linkages with Livestock Sector (fishery,
dairy, poultry, etc.), horticulture, crops, food security, natural resource Sector,
gender etc.
6.1.4 Establish and strengthen nutrition linkages in various agriculture programs/projects
(PSNP4, AGP2, drought resilience sustainable livelihood program etc.).
6.1.5 MOA collaborate to ensure the capacity of the nutrition coordination body and
nutrition technical committees at all levels.

Result 6.2 Strong linkage with NNP actress and other relevant national
6.2.1 Strengthen the linkages between HEWs and DAs for improved household
nutrition practices.
6.2.2 Assist to customize nutrition related national documents. kebele , woreda
and regional level
6.2.3 Share and promote best achievements practiced at an area or/and
operational research findings.
6.2.4 Actively engaged in -strengthen the national and regional nutrition
coordination bodies (NNCB and RNCB).
6.2.5 Strengthen the national and regional nutrition technical bodies (NNTC and
RNTC).
6.2.6 Establish strong linkage with NNP actors, private sectors, NGOs, academia,
researchers, and others.
6.2.7 Establish and strengthen the linkage between ATVET and FTCs to use
FTCs for practical demonstration sites for students learning & in-service
trainings.

20
 4. Monitoring and Evaluation
This strategic document will be implemented as part of MOA framework. Monitoring of
implementation of the strategy will be integrated in to the performance evaluation accountability
and reporting framework. A reporting structure will be established within includes specific
indicators for monitoring progress against planned activities and assessments

 Develop comprehensive plan and establish better monitoring and follow-up mechanism on
multi-sector NNP implementation activities
 Ensure incorporation of appropriate indicator in Sectoral integrated supportive supervision
(ISS) tools
 Review the implementation of NNP on regular basis (quarterly, bi-annually and annually).
 Develop check list for monitoring activities
 Integrate the recording and reporting of sex disaggregated nutrition data within existing
sectoral information systems.
 Ensure appropriate integration of nutrition sensitive results in sector specific woreda based
plans.
 Build the capacity of MOA at all levels to collect and utilize nutrition data for action.
 Ensure incorporation of appropriate indicators in sectoral Integrated Supportive
Supervision (ISS) and regular sectoral review meetings.
 Conduct an annual NNP review meeting at national and regional levels involving all
relevant sectors.
 Conduct evaluation, research and surveys

21
 5. Five Years Strategic Action Plan
Target Implementation Period
Result Initiatives Indicators Means of Responsible
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Verification Unite

Strategic objective 1. Leverage nutrition in to agriculture policy and strategy documents at all level
Updated Number of agriculture
agriculture Mainstream nutrition interventions into programs/ projects
the agriculture program/projects and mainstreamed nutrition
sector investment frameworks, and action intervention
policy/strategie plans
s and guidelines
Support the strengthening of Number of agriculture
linked with colleges and universities
agriculture education curriculums
nutrition for standardized nutrition-sensitive revised their curricula with
sensitive agriculture pre-service education in respect to nutrition
interventions sensitive agriculture
agriculture colleges and universities

Strategic objective 2: Establish and strengthened structure responsible for nutrition mainstreaming and build capacity of agricultural
sector at all
Strengthened Strengthened food and nutrition unit Number of food and 
food and at national level and establish at nutrition units
nutrition unit regional, zonal and woreda level established at regional,
within the zonal and Woreda level
structure of
MOA at all
level Establish nutrition demonstration Number of nutrition 
corner at Farmers Training Center demonstration corners
(FTC). established at Farmers
Training Centers

22
 Target Implementation Period
Result Initiatives Indicators Means of Responsible
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Verification Unite
Number of consultative
Capacity Strengthen the capacity of the workshops organized and
agriculture sector to integrate delivered.
building on
nutrition nutrition sensitive interventions
through trainings and exchange
sensitive
visits
agriculture at all Number of agriculture
level of MOA Create strong and sustainable nutrition community days
community owner ship on NSA.
organized

MoA work closely with MoE in Number of higher

Result 2.3 ensuring higher education’s education institutes
curriculum to incorporate nutrition incorporated nutrition
Higher sensitive agriculture
education sensitive agriculture competencies
competencies as a course
as a course for bachelor and mid-
institutions’ for bachelor and mid-level
level agricultural graduates agricultural graduates
college of
Agriculture and
ATVET College
agriculture Number of Consultative
Capacity building for ATVETs and
curricula are Universities Colleges of workshops organized with
revised and Agricultural to effectively deliver Universities and ATVETs.
strengthened competency based nutrition
with nutrition Number of experience
sensitive agriculture courses sharing sessions organized
sensitive and conducted.
agriculture  Number of gender
competencies. Work with higher institution to And nutrition sensitive
conduct gender and nutrition agriculture operational
sensitive agriculture operational research conducted in
collaboration with
research and disseminate those higher institutions
evidences to surrounding  Number of gender
communities And nutrition sensitive
agriculture operational
research findings
disseminated to
surrounding
communities

23
 Target Implementation Period
Result Initiatives Indicators Means of Responsible
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Verification Unite
Strategic objective 3. Enhance resilience of vulnerable community and households prone to climate change and moisture stress.

Result 3.1 Build 3.1.1 Mainstream nutrition Number of resource

resilience of sensitive agricultural intervention transfer programs
food insecure and practices in resource transfer mainstreamed nutrition
communities programs sensitive agriculture
intervention and practice
and households
by entrenching
nutrition 3.1.2 Strengthen the existing coping Percentage of HHs that
sensitive mechanisms practiced by the improved their coping
intervention in community mechanism
the resource
transfer
programs/proje
cts

Strategic objective 4. Increase year-round availability, access, and consumption of diverse, safe, and nutritious foods

Result 4.1. Increase Production and  Percentage of HHs that

Increased consumption of fruit and vegetable produced fruits and
vegetables
production and  Percentage of HHs that
household consumed fruits and
consumption vegetables
variety nutrient
Increased production and household  Percentage of HHs who
dense crops
consumption of diversified staple produced diversified
crops staple crops
 Percentage of HHs who
consumed diversified
staple crops

24
 Target Implementation Period
Result Initiatives Indicators Means of Responsible
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Verification Unite
Result 4.2. Increase production and household  Percentage of HHs who
consumption of meat, milk and egg consumed meat
Increased  Percentage of HHs who
production consumed milk
 Percentage of HHs who
and household consumed egg
consumption
Promote rearing of improved breeds  Percentage of farmers
of animal of dairy cattle, small ruminants, and with improved breads of
dairy cattle
source foods poultry
 Percentage of farmers
Initiatives with improved breads of
small ruminants
 Percentage of farmers
with improved breads of
poultry

Support the establishment of milk  Number of milk

collection centers, and improved collection centers
milk processing technologies at established
house hold level  Number of improved
milk processing
technologies
established at HH level

Promote confined/caged poultry Number confined/caged

production systems poultry production
systems established
Increase production and Percentage of farmers who
consumption of fish consumed fish

Number of small scale

Promote small scale beekeeping by beekeeping established by
women and other vulnerable groups women and other vulnerable
groups
Ensure the safety of dietary sources Number of food safety
manuals prepared and
distributed.
Number of training
workshops organized and
delivered on food safety.

25
 Target Implementation Period
Result Initiatives Indicators Means of Responsible
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Verification Unite
Support /establish agro business  Number of agro
centers and FTCs to promote business centers
production of poultry, fisheries, supported/established
small livestock stock and cattle. to promote production
of poultry, fisheries,
small livestock stock
and cattle

 Number of FTCs
supported/established
to promote production
of poultry, fisheries,
small livestock stock
and cattle

Improve farmers’ access to fodders Percentage of farmers who

considering safety had access to fodders

 Percentage of small holder

Strengthening linkages with local farmers linked with
markets and ensure that small- markets to have access to
holder farmers and pastoralists have input and produced for
consistent access to input and markets
produce markets and income  Percentage of pastoralists X X X
streams linked with markets to have
access to input and
produced for markets
Result 4.3: 3.1 Ensure asset transfers % of asset transfer/building
Integrated or asset building interventions programs specifically
nutrition properly targets women and
vulnerable households addressing vulnerable
sensitive
approaches to households
transfer 3.2. Ensure vulnerable % of vulnerable
programs households with a malnourished households with a
child are adequately targeted in malnourished child
transfer and safety net initiatives targeted as per the
guideline

26
 Target Implementation Period
Result Initiatives Indicators Means of Responsible
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Verification Unite
3.3. Improve the nutritional % of intervention programs
value of the food basket with the with improved food baskets.
addition of pulses or the equivalent
cash value.
3.5. Introduce soft % of BCC events which
conditionality related to attendance introduced soft
at BCC events or uptake of other
services, in order to increase health- conditionality
seeking behavior
3.4. Enhance the Number of nutrition
implementation of nutrition- sensitive public works.
sensitive public works
4.4.1 Support development of  Number of farmers who
Result 4.4. improved breeds of dairy cattle, supported to have
small ruminants, and poultry, and access to improved
Enhanced breeds of dairy cattle,,
Agricultural increase access to farmers
small ruminants, and
research and poultry
adoption of
Support development of bio  Number of farmers who
technology for supported to have
fortified crops and vegetables and
increased access to bio fortified
increase access to farmers
household crops and vegetables
access to safe
nutritious food Establish bio fortification center  Number of bio
and capacity at EIAR fortification center
establish
4.4.4 Identify and scale up Number of best practice
selected best practices on identified and scaled up on
preservation, storage and preservation, storage and
/processing of fruit and vegetable, /processing of fruit and
dairy product, fish, and animal vegetable, dairy product,
products at farm and household fish, and animal products
level at farm and household
level
4.4.6 Research and produce Number of research
micronutrient enhanced fertilizers, conducted to produce
e.g Zinc fortified fertilizer micronutrient enhanced
fertilizers

27
 Target Implementation Period
Result Initiatives Indicators Means of Responsible
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Verification Unite
Number of technologies
4.4.5 Promote women’s labor developed and implemented
and time saving technologies to save women’s labor and
time

Result 4.5. 4.5.1 Increase access to small Number of small scale

Improved scale irrigation/ water conservation irrigation and water
natural systems for home gardening, and
fishery conservation systems built
resources base
for home gardening.
to improve food
availability 4.5.2 Identify and promote  % of household
Initiatives production and consumption of produced locally
locally available underutilized available nutrient
nutrient dense foods, including dense food
proper management of wild fruits  % of household
consumed locally
available nutrient
dense food
4.5.3 Promote fodder production  % of household engaged
on soil and water conservations in fodder production on
structures soil and water
conservations
structures
Result 4.6. 5.1. Improve % of household who have
Increased household dietary diversity knowledge of food
nutrition- knowledge and practice of farmers groups and dietary
diversity
sensitive % of household who have
agriculture practiced dietary diversity
knowledge and
practice of 5.2. Establish NSA strategy document
farmers appropriate nutrition behavior containing evidenced based
change communication strategies BCCS relevant for NSA.
relevant for NSA
5.3. Conduct regular Number of food
food demonstration at FTCs and demonstration conducted
farmers exchange events at FTCs and farmers
exchange events

28
 Target Implementation Period
Result Initiatives Indicators Means of Responsible
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Verification Unite
5.4. Use local media Number of local media
to address food taboos and cultural that have addressed food
constrains taboos and cultural
constrains in their regular
program
5.5. Integrate SBCC relevant Number of NSA and Das
for NSA in all farmer and Das training manuals that
training manuals. integrated SBCC.

Strategic Objective 5. Gender

Result 5.1 Initiative 5.1. Increased access to % of women who had access
Empower resources and inputs for women to resource (resource needs
women and to be defined)
enhance their
role in
nutrition % of women who had access
sensitive to inputs (inputs needs to be
agriculture defined)
Promote labor and energy saving Number of labor and energy
technologies to impact women’s saving technologies
work load promoted to reduced
women’s workload
Promote gender sensitivity in % of NSA programs which
nutrition sensitive agriculture at all promote gender sensitivity.
level

Strategic objective 6. Develop strong multi-sectorial coordination

Result 6.1 6.1.1 Overseeing nutrition
Improved related strategies, guidelines
inter-sectorial 6.1.2 Strengthen the food and % of food and nutrition case
nutrition unit of MOA that will be team positions occupied.
nutrition
coordination at primarily responsible for
coordinating the mainstreaming of
all level
nutrition in the agriculture sector.

29
 Target Implementation Period
Result Initiatives Indicators Means of Responsible
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Verification Unite
6.1.3 Strengthening nutrition % of MoANR departments
mainstreaming/linkages with linked with Nutrition case
Livestock Sector (fishery, dairy, team
poultry, etc.), horticulture, crops,
food security, natural resource
Sector, gender etc.
6.1.4 Establish and strengthen Number of agriculture
nutrition linkages in various programs/projects that
agriculture programs/projects established linkages
(PSNP4, AGP2, drought resilience between their program and
sustainable livelihood program nutrition
etc.).
6.1.5 MoANR collaborate to % of the NNCB & nutrition
ensure the capacity of the nutrition technical committee
coordination body and nutrition
technical committees at all levels. meeting attended.

Result 6.2 6.2.1 Strengthen the linkages Joint HEW DAs trainings
Strong linkage between HEWs and DAs for organized and delivered.
with NNP and improved household nutrition
practices. Number of joint HEW &
other relevant
DAs house to house visits
national
organized and delivered
6.2.2 Assist to customize Number of workshops
nutrition related national organized and delivered to
documents. kebele , woreda and
regional level support regional offices for
cascading national nutrition
documents
6.2.3 Share and promote best % of best practices and
achievements practiced at an area research findings shared.
or/and operational research
findings.
6.2.5 Strengthen the national and Number of consultative
regional nutrition technical bodies workshops organized
(NNTC and RNTC).
between NNTC and RNTC.

30
 Target Implementation Period
Result Initiatives Indicators Means of Responsible
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Verification Unite
6.2.6 Establish strong linkage Number of meetings
with NNP actors, private sectors, organized and chaired by
NGOs, academia, researchers, and
others. MoANR FNCT on NNP.
Number of meetings
attended on NNP.
Number of joint activities
conducted by MoANR and
other NNP implementing
partners

6.2.7 Establish and strengthen Number of pre-service and

the linkage between ATVET and in-service trainings and
FTCs to use FTCs for practical
demonstration sites for students practical demonstrations
learning & in-service trainings. conducted at FTC.

31