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Enhanced Homestead Food Production for Improved Food Security and Nutrition in Burkina Faso Implementing Organization: Helen Keller International (HKI) with local partner APRG Donor: USAID-Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) Food Price Crisis APS M&E Partner: IFPRI

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Enhanced Homestead Food Production for Improved Food Security and Nutrition in Burkina Faso

Implementing Organization: Helen Keller International (HKI) with local partner APRG

Donor: USAID-Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) Food Price Crisis APS

M&E Partner: IFPRI

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Background Context • Burkina Faso

– Eastern region, Gourma Province, Fada district

• Sahel– Water shortages prevent

second cultivation season

• High prevalence of acute and chronic malnutrition – Food insecurity/price crisis

– Suboptimal maternal and child nutrition & health practices

– Limited availability of and access to health services

• HKI Global EHFP Model

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Goal & Target Population

Goal: To improve the nutritional status of infants and young children through a set of production and nutrition interventions targeted to mothers:1. Increased availability of micronutrient-rich foods through household

production in the secondary agriculture season (HFP) 2. Income generation through the sale of surplus household

production3. Increased knowledge and adoption of optimal nutritional practices

including consumption of micronutrient-rich foods (ENA)4. Behavior change promoted through two different social network

channels to assess differences in the diffusion of information within villages (BCC)

Target Population: 30 villages - 120 female village farmer leaders (VFL) plus 1200 female household gardeners

Primary Assets: Productive Capacity & Human Capital

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1. Increased Availability of MN-Rich Foods

• Emphasis on leafy greens, orange-fleshed sweetpotatoes, eggs and milk

• Establishment of Village Model Farm (VMF) in each village to demonstrate and support improved practices

• Training of 4 women VLFs to run each VMF and train other women

• Organization of women’s groups (2*20 per VMF)

• Establishment of homestead gardens in the household of each group member

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Homestead Food Production (HFP) Structure

VMF

(4 VFL)

Women’s group

(20 women)

Household garden

(X 20)

Women’s group

(20 women)

Household garden

(X 20)

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Start-up Inputs to Improve Production • Community-driven

• Training in best practices in agriculture production

• Provision of:

– Poultry

– Seeds and seedlings

– Fencing material and tools

• Introduction of drip irrigation technology

• Contribution required of beneficiaries

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2. Increased Income

• Primary goal to increase household consumption of MN-rich foods, especially among women and young children

• Income from sales of surplus can be used to purchase other nutritious foods, pay for health expenses, or begin nonfarm enterprises

• Increased income for women may increase their influence over household decisions

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3. Improved nutrition knowledge and practices

Using Essential Nutrition Actions (ENA) Framework

• Optimal breastfeeding

• Optimal complementary feeding (6-23 mos.)

• Nutritional care of the sick child

• Maternal nutrition

• Integrated control of anemia

• Control of vitamin A & iodine deficiencies

• Linkages with health system; BCC techniques

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4. BCC through Social Networks

• Behavior change communication (BCC) strategy primarily delivered by two different groups of actors:• 6 elder influential women (15 intervention villages)

• Health committee comprised of 4 VFL plus 2 community health workers (1 male) (15 intervention villages)

• A social network census within each village will map out household and mothers’ networks to assess diffusion patterns

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Project Timeline and Progress

• Start date: July 1, 2009

• End date: June 30, 2012

Progress to date:

• Baseline data collection (Feb-Mar 2010)

• Village sensitization about gender approach

• Training of trainers, VFL and mothers groups in HFP and ENA/BCC

• Establishment of VMFs and first production of vegetables and poultry

• Beginning of household visits for BCC activities

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Village Model Farm

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Training

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Mothers’ Groups

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Impact Assessment

• Designed by IFPRI to rigorous standards

• Quantitative baseline data collection Feb-April 2010 in households from intervention (n=1026)and control (n=784) communities (including gender disaggregated production, labor and asset data)

• Process monitoring of intervention delivery Jan 2011

• Qualitative operations research Jan-March 2011

• Quantitative social network analysis Jan-March 2011

• Quantitative end line analysis Feb-April 2012

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Impact Assessment—field team

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Selected preliminary nutrition-related findings from the baseline

• Anthropometrics resemble DHS national average • HAZ <-2 = 25%

• WAZ <-2 = 34%

• WHZ <-2 = 26%

• Very high rates of anemia• Hb < 11.0 g/L = 88%

• Hb < 7.0 g/L = 12%

• Suboptimal knowledge and practices about some key nutrition-related topics– 32% of mothers knew that liquids should be introduced when a child

reaches 6 months of age

– 39% knew that complementary foods should be introduced at 6 months of age

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Successes

• Integrated model addressing food security and nutrition education with behavior change

• Scientific design and quality of program theory-based M&E system with support of IFPRI

• Strong local partnerships • Continuous nature of training in all subjects

through on-site facilitation, hands-on practice and mini-lessons on key topics.

• Strong appreciation by beneficiaries of support (including community leaders, traditional leaders, health agents, department of women’s affairs)

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Gender Considerations• Community-wide meetings secures husbands’

support for women-targeted benefits

• Communal process chooses VFL and formal agreement cedes land to VMF for duration of project

• Communities help select initial plants

• VMFs jointly cultivated by four VFL (and temporarily by mothers’ group members) and output shared equitably by labor contributed

• Women obliged by tradition to leave village for rainy season harvest

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Challenges

• Water shortages• 3-year time frame• Budget shortfalls for some inputs (drip kits,

seeds)• ENA/BCC volunteers requesting incentives

(possibly HFP output)• Instilling “culture” of contributing to project

(financial and technical) in return for benefits• Neglect of control villages who receive no

benefits

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Interesting Discoveries

• Findings of “Auto-diagnosis” meetings at community level to identify barriers to practicing the ENAs and application to BCC materials, messages and strategies.

• Willingness of villages to cede land to women for VMF for community benefit

• Sharing of labor and production from VMF

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Lessons Learned • More careful

investigation of water constraints and options

• Reinforce maternal nutrition messages

• Explore traditions around rainy season harvest

• Comparable program for control community