Duration

2021-2023

Key Partners

Government of Assam, Private Sector and Civil society

Funder

USAID

Impact

50,000 COVID-19 impacted women, adolescent girls, and children

The USAID Advancing Nutrition project is a global effort to address the root cause of malnutrition. In India, the project is led by JSIPL to work closely with communities, governments, the private sector, and other local and international organizations in Assam. It is reaching out with technical know-how and training support for marginalized populations whose livelihoods and nutritional status have been potentially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The implementation sites include three districts of Assam, viz. Tinsukia, Goalpara, and Barpeta. The intervention’s unique aspect benefits vulnerable communities in various geographies like riverine areas, tea gardens, hilly tracts, and tribal pockets. The communities are being supported to tap into available natural resources and enable the Women Self-Help Groups (WSHGs) to earn better income from farming and marketing their products, as well as ensuring a variety of nutritious foods in their household diet.

Addressing Gaps and Challenges

  • Prevailing norms and behaviors in the community have the potential to impact their diet and nutrition. Also, there are gender barriers that come in the way of meeting women's nutritional outcomes and their economic freedom.
  • There is greater need for collaboration and exchange of learnings among stakeholders. This will maximize impact and help in optimum utilization of resources.
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Key Objectives

To strengthen women-led
nutrition-sensitive agriculture practices and business opportunities.

To build and add value to partnerships among multisectoral and
multi-interest nutrition stakeholders to implement nutrition-sensitive agriculture activities.

To document lessons learnt and best practices and to disseminate them through appropriate learning platforms.

JSIPL's Role in Implementing the Project

In India, JSIPL is leading the project coordination and oversight. The Assam-based local NGO partner, the Seven Sisters Development Assistance (SeSTA), is undertaking the project on the ground with support from JSIPL.

Considering the complexity of the approach, JSIPL is working on strategic collaborations among different stakeholders like multiple departments of the Government of Assam (GoAS), private sector organizations, and civil society members to ensure convergence. A stakeholder workshop was held to initiate the project by bringing all key stakeholders together on one platform.

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Distinguishing features of the project

  • Multisectoral approach for pooling in resources and expertise of different government departments and partners.
  • Looking at the state-specific scenario and building on Assam’s riverine wealth by creating economic opportunities primarily related to aquaculture and horticulture.
  • Technical assistance to the private sector and government partners to demonstrate the potential for community-led nutrition-sensitive agriculture to achieve improved diet and nutrition outcomes.
  • Engagement with potential private sector partners to identify partnership pathways for sustainable, scalable actions.
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Looking Ahead

As the project gains momentum, a learning platform, such as a community of practice (CoP), will be established to engage stakeholders interested in exchanging knowledge, resources, and expertise for delivering quality nutrition-sensitive agriculture programming.

The learnings from this project would be adapted at the state and national levels. The evidence thus generated will influence government policies, paving the way for the state of Assam and beyond to improve nutrition and quality of life indicators.

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