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Integrating nutrient supplements and WASH into agriculture programs improves child micronutrient status in Burkina Faso

Press Release Nutrition, Diets, and Health

Adding small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNS) and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions to a homestead food production program significantly improved children’s iron and vitamin A status in rural Burkina Faso, according to new research published in The Journal of Nutrition by scientists at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and partners.

The study evaluated a multi-sectoral program, implemented by Helen Keller International, that combined nutrition-sensitive agriculture, behavior change communication (BCC), women’s empowerment activities, WASH interventions, and SQ-LNS distribution for young children. While homestead food production programs are widely used to improve food security and livelihoods, evidence of their impact on children’s micronutrient status has been mixed. The new findings show that agriculture platforms can be strengthened to deliver meaningful nutrition gains for young children when complemented with well-targeted, evidence-based health and nutrition interventions delivered at the right time.

About IFPRI: The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition. IFPRI’s strategic research aims to identify and analyze alternative international and country-led strategies and policies for meeting food and nutrition needs in low- and middle-income countries, with particular emphasis on poor and vulnerable groups in those countries, inclusive development, and sustainability. It is a research center of CGIAR, a worldwide partnership engaged in agricultural research for development. www.ifpri.org  

Media inquiries: Evgeniya Anisimova, e.anisimova@cgiar.org

Find out the full press release on IFPRI.org