A national nutrition conference to present new research for ending malnutrition through the National Food and Nutrition Policy.
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Despite progress, many children in Ethiopia remain stunted, diet diversity continues to pose a challenge, and food systems are changing rapidly. To support the implementation of Ethiopia’s National Food and Nutrition Policy (NFNP), the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Policy Studies Institute (PSI), Ethiopia Public Health Institute (EPHI), and Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH) program will present new research results on diets, affordability, and policy at the National Nutrition conference in Addis Ababa.
With 38 percent of children in Ethiopia stunted, we need to make fast progress to improve nutrition in Ethiopia,” Dr. Tadesse Kuma, head of the Agriculture & Rural Development Policy Research Center at PSI said. “Evidence is key to get the fastest, biggest results from the National Food and Nutrition Policy and end malnutrition”. The NFNP promotes evidence-based decision making and aims to address these issues with a coordinated and comprehensive approach to food security and nutrition.
To support and strengthen evidence-based decision making, the Ethiopian government established the National Information Platform for Nutrition (NIPN) in 2018. The NIPN is a multisectoral initiative which is supported by the European Union, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the UK Department for International Development. It is housed at the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) and receives technical assistance from IFPRI under its Compact2025 initiative.
“NIPN has been instrumental in bringing the latest evidence to policymakers, implementers, and researchers,” Dr. Getachew Tollera, Deputy Director of EPHI said. “Working together with the various national nutrition stakeholders is critical to implement the National Food and Nutrition Policy.”
Together, local and international research organizations will present and discuss various policy-oriented evidence, which has the potential to guide decision-making processes during the implementation of the NFNP, as well as the NIPN. The National Nutrition Conference will bring together delegates from different sectors, including policymakers, academia, development partners, NGOs, and private sector, to discuss evidence around two key elements of the NFNP: Improving consumption and utilization of diverse; and nutritious diets, and improving access to nutrition-smart services. To do so, global and national experts will present patterns in diet diversity across Ethiopia; assess affordability of healthy diets; review access to nutrition smart services and the impact of policies and programs on diets; and reflect on how this evidence can be used for decision-making.
Evidence shows that diet quality is closely linked to child growth and development, especially among infants aged 6 to 23 months. However, less than 7% of these children meet the minimum acceptable dietary standards in Ethiopia. Household food consumption patterns are an important factor for poor nutrition outcomes, so providing improved access to affordable healthy food is receiving increasing attention. Affordability of healthy diets remains, however, a concern. In Ethiopia, real prices of all nutritionally rich food groups increased significantly in recent years. This contrasts with staple crops (grains, roots, and tubers), which did not show any price increase, and with oils, fats, and sugar, the prices of which decreased substantially.
Along with keynotes and presentations from eminent researchers, the conference will also highlight new evidence from upcoming researchers from Ethiopian universities and research institutes working closely with NIPN.
Following the conference, a synthesis research note on “Diets and stunting in Ethiopia” will be developed. The conference will also identify evidence gaps around diets and stunting, which will support the development of the research agenda of the National Information Platform for Nutrition (NIPN) and the National Nutrition Monitoring Evaluation and Steering Committee.
About the conference: The National Nutrition Conference is taking place in the Hilton Hotel in Addis Ababa on 12 December 2019. More details available at Compact2025 website and ESSP Website.
To speak with presenters please contact Beza Teshome: beza.nipn@gmail.com, Tel: 0911 55 88 47.
For further information, contact:
Nahume Yadene, n.yadene@cgiar.org, +251-116172550
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The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) seeks sustainable solutions for ending hunger and poverty. IFPRI was established in 1975 to identify and analyze alternative national and international strategies and policies for meeting the food needs of the developing world, with particular emphasis on low-income countries and on the poorer groups in those countries Visit: www.ifpri.org