What influences the implementation and sustainability of nutrition-sensitive agriculture interventions? A case study from southern bangladesh

Indu K. Sharma*, Dirk Essink, Victoria Fumado, Malay Kanti Mridha, Lalita Bhattacharjee, Jacqueline E.W. Broerse

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Nutrition-sensitive agriculture (NSA) provides a promising pathway for addressing malnutrition. Fulfilling this promise needs a better understanding of the implementation and sustainability of NSA interventions because of their highly complex nature. This study aimed to explore the factors affecting the implementation and sustainability of NSA interventions. A case study design was employed using two focus group discussions with beneficiaries (n = 15), semi-structured interviews with beneficiaries (n = 13), and actors involved in implementation (n = 18). Factors were thematically analyzed using both deductive and inductive approaches adapting the consolidated framework for implementation research. A complex interaction of the factors across the five domains was found: outer setting—nutrition sensitivity of policies, institutional framework; inner setting—culture, social and economic environment, biophysical environment, local capacity, other programs or projects; characteristics of actors—beneficiaries, family members, household capacity, implementers; intervention characteristics—adaptability, design quality, cost of interventions; and, implementation process—fit-to-context, integration and multisectoral collaboration, continuous motivation through engagement, monitoring. Implementing and sustaining NSA needs consideration of multiple factors, with careful analysis of the absorptive capacities of local institutions and beneficiary households. Future studies should explore which mechanisms created for adoption can be continued beyond the project funding cycle, and how.

Original languageEnglish
Article number12049
Pages (from-to)1-20
Number of pages20
JournalSustainability
Volume13
Issue number21
Early online date31 Oct 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Nov 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Funding: This research was funded by Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorate (EMJD) Fellowship–Trans Global Health Erasmus Mundus PhD Program 2013-0039. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Keywords

  • Barrier
  • Case study
  • Facilitator
  • Factors
  • Food system
  • Multisector nutrition
  • Qualitative study
  • Scaling-up

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