Farm Africa at the launch of ATONU: a new initiative to improve nutrition for all through agriculture
29 October 2015
On the 6th annual African Day for Food and Nutrition Security, 28 October 2015, a new initiative was launched in Uganda aiming to improve nutrition for all through agriculture.
The Food, Agricultural and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN), and six other consortium partners including Farm Africa, announced a $16 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to implement the ‘Improving Nutrition Outcomes through Optimized Agricultural Interventions (ATONU)’ project.
ATONU will focus on addressing the issue of malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa. Malnutrition in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life has irreversible effects on growth and development, and it is vital that agricultural investments work to improve nutritional outcomes.
Each consortium partner will bring their own knowledge and expertise to the project, which will be implemented over a six-year period and focus on Ethiopia, Nigeria, Tanzania and either Ghana or Uganda.
Including speeches from the Ugandan Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda, the Gates Foundation’s Shelly Sundberg, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development’s Isatou Jallow and many others, the conference highlighted the gap between agriculture and nutrition, and the role that women’s empowerment will play in bridging this gap.
Dr Lindiwe Majele Sibanda, FANRPAN CEO and ATONU Project Director said: "The grant award will help close the gap between the agriculture and nutrition communities who have to work together and bring to bear what agriculture can do for nutrition in farm families."
James Mwololo, Farm Africa's Head of Agriculture pictured speaking above, said: "Stunting affects 40% of African children under 5, stalling growth and cognitive development, and long-term malnutrition can reduce a country’s economic advancement by 6% due to lost productivity. Investments in agriculture urgently need to address this problem by prioritising the production of high quality, nutrient rich foods and ensuring that they are affordable.
"Using existing agricultural projects in eastern Africa, nutrition sensitive interventions can be incorporated to showcase how agriculture can contribute to nutrition by focusing on production, income generation and female empowerment."
For more information, please visit our ATONU webpage.
