93524 Achieving Results through Partnerships SAFANSI: The South Asia Food and Nutrition Security Initiative highlights • SAFANSI is a trust fund established in 2010 by The UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) in the amount of USD 7.5 million, and the World Bank, to increase the commitment of governments and development agencies in South Asia in pursuing more effective and integrated food and nutrition security policies and programs. • In 2011, SAFANSI launched a new window —Scaling-Up Nutrition Initiative Technical Assistance (or SUNITA)— financed by the Government of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) in the amount of USD 9.2 million, to complement SAFANSI’s efforts in Nepal, bringing the total trust fund value to USD 16.7 million. • In 2015, the second phase of SAFANSI commenced with £16.0 million from DFID and €7.5 million from the European Commission. • This regional effort has helped South Asian countries work towards achieving the first Millennium Development Goal —eradicating extreme poverty and hunger—, and had committed financing for 48 activities, of which 15 are complete and 33 are underway. South Asia Region OVERVIEW According to FAO, about 23 percent of the and technical assistance to effectively address global population that is routinely hungry gaps in nutrition interventions in Nepal. —336 million people— are in South Asia. This figure still underestimates the true extent In 2015, the second phase of SAFANSI of food insecurity, which includes hidden commenced with £16.0 million from DFID and hunger or the micronutrient deficiencies that €7.5 million from the European Commission. limit the potential for active and healthy lives. SAFANSI helps South Asian countries The South Asia Food and Nutrition Security work towards achieving the first Millennium Initiative (known as SAFANSI) is a multi-donor Development Goal —eradicating extreme trust fund that finances analysis, advocacy, poverty and hunger— a goal which brings and capacity building activities to improve food to light the many links between poverty and and nutrition security outcomes in the South hunger such as: Asian countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri • The poor are disproportionately food and Lanka. In particular, it addresses the South nutrition insecure, even in countries that Asian Enigma —the intractable and chronic have achieved national food security. malnutrition despite high economic growth— • The impact of poor nutrition on long by fostering the cross-cutting actions that will term individual and national economic improve food and nutrition security. productivity is significant, with some estimating up to 10 percent loss of potential Food and nutrition security are not actions. individual lifetime earnings and 4 percent of They are outcomes of a confluence of actions. potential national GDP due to malnutrition. They are affected by everyone but owned by no one and so are often neglected. Addressing • Improving food and nutrition security the problem of food and nutrition security outcomes in South Asia supports the World requires action in multiple sectors both within Bank’s corporate goals of ending extreme and across countries. The UK’s Department poverty and promoting shared prosperity. for International Development (DFID) in the amount of USD 7.5 million, and the World Bank established the SAFANSI Trust Fund in 2010 to increase the commitment of governments and development agencies in South Asia in pursuing more effective and integrated food and nutrition security policies and programs. In 2011, SAFANSI launched a new window —Scaling-Up Nutrition Initiative Technical Assistance (or SUNITA)— financed by the Government of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)i in the amount of USD 9.2 million, to complement SAFANSI’s efforts in Nepal, bringing the total trust fund value to USD 16.7 million. SUNITA finances analytical work, evaluations of interventions, 1 the challenge of food and nutrition security Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life (FAO 1996).ii Despite overall impressive economic growth seven countries with wide ranging population over the last decade and remarkable progress bases, poverty rates, and income levelsiii. in increasing national food production and food Despite these differences, they do share security, South Asia struggles to achieve the full surprisingly similar and unsettling food and definition of food security stated above. South nutrition security indicators as shown in their Asia is a region of contrasts, representing Global Hunger Index scores (table 1).iv Table 1. Demography, Economy, and Hunger in SAFANSI Countries Population GNI Per Capita Global Hunger Index Country Poverty Rate (%) (m) (US$) 2013 Afghanistan 29.8 36 $680.00 no data Bangladesh 154.7 32 $840.00 19.4 Serious Bhutan 0.74 12 $2,420.00 no data India 1236.7 22 $1,550.00 21.3 Alarming Nepal 27.5 25 $700.00 17.3 Serious Pakistan 179.2 22 $1,260.00 19.3 Serious Sri Lanka 20.3 9 $2,920.00 15.6 Serious Sources: Global Hunger Index 2013 provided by IFPRI (http://www.ifpri.org/ghi/2013); the rest of the data from World Bank Development Economics LDB database. The GHI scale is divided into: Low (≤4.9), Moderate (5.0-9.9), Serious (10.0-19.9), Alarming (20.0-29.9), Extremely alarming (≥30.0). Several factors contribute to insufficient food impoverished. Solutions will come availability for the poor and marginalized from a mix of policy and regulatory population, including: reforms, research and technology, and improved farming practices. South • Agriculture. Agriculture impacts Asian agricultural productivity growth food availability through production, is slowing down, contributing to higher affordability -through income to producers prices. Moreover, diversification has and pricing for consumers-, and been limited and dietary diversity is low. availability of a nutritional diet through According to FAO data, cereals, roots, diversified production. Megatrends like and tubers comprise less than 50 percent climate change will adversely affect of the daily diet in South Asian. In some food production, especially in rain-fed countries, for example in Bangladesh, areas which are also relatively more they are as high as 80 percent. 2 • Income inequality. Food consumes a • Women’s agency. In many South Asian larger proportion of household income households, women eat last and eat least, among the poor in any society, so and their nutritional status is severely policies or events that limit production affected (figure 1). Where women do or adequate trade will lead to scarcity not have a decision-making role in how and increased food prices. Among the income is spent, overall household poor, more marginalized and remote nutrition is impacted. Moreover, early households have a greater challenge marriage and pregnancy starts a accessing a nutritious diet. Unfortunately, downward spiral of inter-generational large numbers of extreme poor and the malnutrition passing from mother to most vulnerable households that cannot child. Over a third of adult women in afford a basic and sufficient assortment Bangladesh, India and Pakistan are of nutritious food also do not have access underweightv, and the prevalence of iron- to adequate safety nets. deficiency anemia ranges between 55% and 81% across the region. Figure 1. Prevalence of Vitamin A Deficiency Figure 2. Prevalence of Iron Deficiency 3 • Unsafe water supply and poor and management of these programs sanitation. Poor health prevents the also limit their potential in mitigating the body from properly using the nutrition adverse effects of extreme poverty and it receives from food and supplements. shocks on food and nutrition security Unsafe drinking water and sanitation outcomes. Few safety net programs facilities are among the primary sources address the need to mainstream gender for disease (e.g., diarrhea), especially in the design of the programs in order to among children. Beyond human improve women’s access to food. sanitation systems, the proximity to livestock waste has also led to the Given the breadth of the food and nutrition spread of disease and the contamination security challenge, it is perhaps not surprising of drinking water. that South Asia has among the highest rates of malnutrition and the largest numbers of • Inadequate Safety Nets. The overall malnourished children in the world. coverage of safety net programs in the region is low and much lower than in other developing countries. Inefficient targeting 4 approach SAFANSI commissions studies and receives economic management, and social protection, proposals for funding that are reviewed and have participated in studies which brings approved by a technical committee for quality multiple lens to bear on the challenge. and relevance. It is careful to incorporate critical themes like gender and social exclusion All of SAFANSI’s funded activities are in its studies as much as possible. screened to ensure they are aligned with its four strategic pillars (figure 3). The program has 2 primary windows: (1) Bank- executed where World Bank staff manage The target audiences of this SAFANSI strategic implementation; and (2) recipient-executed approach are: 1) high-level policymakers, where outside agencies directly implement an decision makers, and opinion leaders in the activity. To date, the majority of grants have region; (2) development partners and program been Bank-executed and have focused on implementers (e.g., government, private creating and sharing analysis and research to sector, and civil society); and (3) food and raise awareness of food and nutrition security. nutrition insecure communities and interested Staff from a variety of sectors, including members of the public. agriculture, nutrition, health, infrastructure, Figure 3. SAFANSI’s four strategic pillars Improved Evidence Enhanced Building Systems Fostering and Analysis Awareness and Capacity Innovations and Commitment Knowledge of what Increasing Creating the Creating space to works and why to awareness of the institutions and try new solutions establish focus areas problems and processes that that can work at for programming and potential solutions will help countries the grassroots and policies. among critical better address beyond. audiences within the food security and region. nutritional challenges in a sustainable way. 5 results In its first phase SAFANSI (including SUNITA) In Nepal, SUNITA funding helped development committed financing to 48 activities, of which and implement the Nepal Multi-Sectoral 15 are complete and 33 are underway. Some Nutrition Plan, which is the cornerstone for important results achieved are: enabling the country to address the problem of persisting malnutrition. Support included In Afghanistan, SAFANSI supported a High- building the capacity of the National Planning Level Task Force on Food and Nutrition Commission Nutrition Secretariat to undertake Security. The Task Force was informed by a analysis and craft a nutrition strategy in series of reports on nutrient balance, women coordination with donors. and nutrition, infant and young child feeding, conditional cash transfers, and the baby friendly At the regional level, the tools developed villages, all of which fed into an extensive by SAFANSI —such as, the Multi-sectoral Nutrition Action Framework with the support of Simulation Tool (MST) that helps countries five key ministries. understand how different types of interventions at varying scales are likely to impact nutritional In Bangladesh, SAFANSI financed technical outcomes and the cost of reaching their goals, expertise for analysis to inform Bangladesh’s and the Political Economy Analysis framework current Five Year Plan, and subsequent plans, to provide a deeper understanding of the as well as the ongoing National Food Policy politics of food and nutrition security at various Plan of Action 2008-2015. stages of the policy cycle— can be used by academics, governments, and donor agencies In Pakistan SAFANSI is helping the to enhance their own programs. Government to address food and nutrition security, in particular in relation to gender, poverty and geographic location, providing a framework for development partners and government to direct their investments. In Bhutan, SAFANSI conducted a multi-sectoral assessment of the first 1,000 days of a child’s life in order to address the key determinants of under-nutrition in the country, take stock of current programs, and identify gaps in services. In India, SAFANSI is funding Social Observatories, within the largest rural poverty reduction project nationally, to improve food and nutrition monitoring down to the community level across the country. This enables both government and communities to better identify the most effective pathways to food and nutrition security. 6 partnerships moving forward SAFANSI aligns with the principles for Global SAFANSI’s second phase of programming Partnership for Agriculture and Food Security began with additional support from the (GPAFS), agreed at the L’Aquila Summit European Commission and continued in July 2009, in that it seeks to: (a) support support from DFID in 2015. The growing and encourage country and regional-led pipeline will include more collaboration with processes and add value to them; (b) ensure external agencies and more testing of actual a comprehensive and integrated approach to approaches to improve the food and nutrition combating malnutrition; and (c) strategically security situation throughout South Asia. coordinate development agencies’ support Recently and moving forward, SAFANSI will through a World Bank Multi-Donor Trust support strategic knowledge management Fund (MDFT). It also aligns with the 2005 and communications to help increase: (1) Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness by interaction and collaboration between grant coordinating with development partners to recipients, (2) the flow of relevant information streamline efforts and increase collaborative to those recipients, and (3) the communication effectiveness. of findings to critical audiences. partners SA FANSI Administered by: i Formerly the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) ii Food Security as defined in the Rome Declaration on World Food Security created at the World Food Summit 1996 in Rome, Italy. Available at http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/w3613e/w3613e00.HTM iii In the World Bank, the South Asia Region includes 8 countries, but SAFANSI does not cover the Maldives. iv The Global Hunger Index includes three equally weighted indicators: the proportion of people who are food energy-deficit (FAO), prevalence of underweight in children under 5 (WHO), and mortality rate of children under 5 (UNICEF). It is a 100 point scale with 0 being the best and 100 being the worst. In 2013, the worst-ranked country was Burundi with 38.8. v According to World Health Organization’s (WHO) global database on Body Mass Indices Photo credits: World Bank Front cover image: David McKee/Shutterstock; Page 3: Melissa Williams; Page 4: Andre Gorulko/Shutterstock; Page 1 and 6: World Bank Photo Library Achieving Results through Partnerships highlights development results, operational innovations and lessons emerging from the Trust Funds and Partnerships program of the World Bank South Asia region. This results series is produced by the Trust Funds team of the South Asia’s Development Effectiveness unit. Disclaimer: The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Executive Directors of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank or the govern- ments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank con- cerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries.