This report presents the findings from an assessment of 163 policy measures by national governments to support micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in nine low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) between March 2020 and March 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nowadays, 1 in 10 children is overweight or obese and this number is rising. While overweight and obesity was once considered a high-income country (HIC) problem, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are now increasingly confronted with overweight and obesity in their populations alongside the still existing problems related to undernutrition.
EatSafe conducted a systematic search and review process of 116 published studies on the perspectives and practices of consumers and vendors related to food safety in Ethiopia.
The EatSafe program conducted a range of formative research activities to understand the local context in Northwestern Nigeria. Learnings from these activities were then used to develop market-based interventions to increase consumer demand for improved food safety.
Fruits and vegetables are recommended across all dietary guidelines. Despite the nutrition credentials of vegetables, they remain relatively scarce and expensive in many low-income settings, including across many of the countries where GAIN’s main offices are based.
GAIN’s mission and strategy revolve around the core concept of "nutritious and safe foods". In addition, there is a growing consensus that foods should be produced sustainably - i.e., that one should take into account the environmental impact associated with the production of these foods.
Policy Options Toolkits are a core output of GAIN’s policy and coordination efforts, under the Keeping Food Markets Working (KFMW) programme. These toolkits were developed through a participatory co-design process with GAIN, conducted in Beira and Pemba (Mozambique), Machakos and Kiambu (Kenya) and Rawalpindi and Peshawar (Pakistan) - between September 2020 and September 2021.
Efforts to increase the consumption of vegetables focus on addressing availability, accessibility, and desirability, usually through a value chain approach. We sought to build on this value chain approach by using participatory systems modelling to address the relatively stable daily per capita vegetable consumption in Nairobi, Kenya over the last 15 years.
GAIN has long supported SMEs to increase their production of safe and nutritious foods but has found it difficult to understand the impact of such activities on consumers. As food is a fast-moving consumer good, which travels in large volumes between diverse actors of a value chain, spanning wide areas, it can be hard to identify its end consumers, and collecting data from them can be resource intensive.
In Ethiopia, per capita annual consumption of dairy is just 11% of World Health Organization recommended levels. Low incomes are a key constraint to dairy consumption, as many consumers cannot afford to buy dairy in recommended quantities. Key sector constraints are centred around rural scarcity, high prices, and quality concerns.
