Nutrition-sensitive value chains from a smallholder perspective, IFAD research series

This paper addresses an important gap regarding the systematic knowledge and evidence on how value chains can contribute to nutrition, while remaining financially viable and inclusive of smallholder farmers.

It does so by reviewing the literature on linkages between value chains and nutrition from a smallholder perspective, and presenting an analytical framework for the development of nutrition-sensitive value chains.

The review identified multiple interventions that can serve the goals of income generation and nutrition improvement of smallholders, while also contributing to environmental sustainability and gender empowerment.

But trade-offs exist too. By applying a nutrition lens to the different stages of the value chain, challenges and opportunities across these dimensions can be identified to promote development of nutrition-sensitive value chains.

It is now widely accepted that food systems play a key role in shaping diets. Given that food is not only produced but also stored, processed, distributed and marketed, the value chain approach offers great potential to unpack the complexity of food systems and identify entry points and pathways for strengthening impact on nutrition.

Knowledge and evidence on how value chains can contribute to nutrition, while remaining financially viable and inclusive of smallholder farmers, is, however, scarce. This paper addresses this knowledge gap by reviewing the literature on linkages between value chains and nutrition from a smallholder perspective, and presenting an analytical framework for the development of nutrition-sensitive value chains.

The review identified multiple interventions that can serve the goals of income generation and nutrition improvement of smallholders, while also contributing to environmental sustainability and gender empowerment. But trade-offs exist too. By applying a nutrition lens to the different stages of the value chain, challenges and opportunities across these dimensions can be identified to promote development of nutrition-sensitive value chains.

This paper is part of the project “Support of development of nutrition-sensitive value chains in middle-income countries” undertaken by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in partnership with the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH), and funded by the Government of Germany.

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