Food Systems in India
- India
- In Progress
- Sept 2022 – Aug 2027
- Strengthening Primary Healthcare / Multi-Sectoral Interventions / Empowering people & Communities / RCS / Community Engagement Initiatives
Background
Food systems need to be productive, inclusive to marginalized populations, environmentally sustainable and deliver healthy, nutritious diets to all. Public food procurement programmes (PFPP) are potential “game changers” and provide potential entry points to promote sustainable food systems and adoption of healthy diets. The EAT Lancet Commission (2020) identified PFP as a key food system transformation strategy.
Aim
Develop, implement and evaluate a bottom-up participatory sustainable food systems intervention integrated with primary health care (PHC) aimed at enhancing dietary diversity, food security and reduction of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) with environmental co-benefits.
Study Objective
Research Methodology
This research work will be conducted in two phases with focus on three public food procurement programs (PFPPs) viz., Public Distribution System (PDS), Supplementary nutrition component under ICDS and PM-POSHAN school feeding program.
Phase 1 – Formative phase for co-development of a food systems intervention:
A comprehensive health system assessment will be carried out as part of formativr phase (Phase 1) to assess the capacity and readiness of the primary healthcare system in India to effectively prevent, manage, and deliver high quality, equitable services for non-communicable diseases among the population vulnerable to climatic factors. This assessment will be aligned with the food systems component and will engage stakeholders at multiple levels of the health system (macro, meso, and micro).
- Literature review (Desk review and systematic review)
- Situational analysis (Mixed methods approach)
- Development of a food systems intervention (Community based intervention and household and individual level intervention facilitated through the SMART health platform)
Phase 2 – Implementation of the food systems intervention integrated with Primary Health Care and evaluation of its effectiveness in improving dietary diversity and reducing non-communicable diseases risk with environmental co-benefit
Study Setting: Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh and Sarguja district in Chhattisgarh, India. Selected panchayats of eight selected blocks per state.
Target group: Stakeholders of PFPPs at three levels-
- Local level (community members, leaders, panchayat representatives)
- Program implementation level (Anganwadi worker, Anganwadi supervisor, schoolteachers, fair price shop personnel)
- Policy level (CDPO, DPO, District educational officer, Assistant food supply officer)
Expected Impact
The developed sustainable food systems intervention integrated with health system may result in improved health outcomes with environmental co-benefits
- Enhanced dietary diversity
- Improved food security
- Reduced risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs)
