A review of the effectiveness of agriculture interventions in improving nutrition outcomes

Objectives: To review the impact of agriculture interventions on nutritional status in
participating households, and to analyse the characteristics of interventions that
improved nutrition outcomes.
Design: We identified and reviewed reports describing 30 agriculture interventions
that measured impact on nutritional status. The interventions reviewed included
home gardening, livestock, mixed garden and livestock, cash cropping, and
irrigation. We examined the reports for the scientific quality of the research design
and treatment of the data.We also assessed whether the projects invested in five types
of ‘capital’ (physical, natural, financial, human and social) as defined in the
Sustainable Livelihoods Framework, a conceptual map of major factors that affect
people’s livelihoods.
Results: Most agriculture interventions increased food production, but did not
necessarily improve nutrition or health within participating households. Nutrition was
improved in 11 of 13 home gardening interventions, and in 11 of 17 other types of
intervention. Of the 19 interventions that had a positive effect on nutrition, 14 of them
invested in four or five types of capital in addition to the agriculture intervention. Of
the nine interventions that had a negative or no effect on nutrition, only one invested
in four or five types of capital.
Conclusions: Those agriculture interventions that invested broadly in different types
of capital were more likely to improve nutrition outcomes. Those projects which
invested in human capital (especially nutrition education and consideration of gender
issues), and other types of capital, had a greater likelihood of effecting positive
nutritional change, but such investment is neither sufficient nor always necessary to
effect change.