The Effects of Development Cooperation in the Field of Food Security and Nutrition

The eradication and reduction of global hunger is a long-standing commitment of the international community. The main drivers of food insecurity and malnutrition are conflict, political instability, economic shocks, climate change and environmental crises. The German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is committed to transforming agricultural and food systems to make them more effective, efficient and resilient. Since 2015, the BMZ has made food security and nutrition a major focus, especially through its special initiative “ONE WORLD – No Hunger”/ “Transformation of agricultural and food systems”.

The High-Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition of the United Nations defines food security in terms of six pillars, namely availability, access, utilisation, stability, sustainability and agency. Stakeholders in German development cooperation are currently especially interested in the agency pillar and resilience to natural risks. Agency means that rights holders should be able to actively engage in decision making within their food system. There have been no recent high-quality summaries of research findings in these areas.

DEval aims to provide strategically relevant evidence that can guide policy makers and practitioners in German development cooperation in shaping strategies and interventions to maximise their effects on food security and nutrition in their partner countries. This study therefore aims to support evidence-based decision making for development cooperation actors and institutional learning.

In line with the strategic importance of the agency pillar and the meaningful participation of individuals and communities in their food systems, the study emphasises development cooperation interventions that strengthen knowledge, skills and capabilities. It aims to shed light on how both food producers and consumers can be empowered to make decisions about their food systems and how this influences food and nutrition levels. The results of the review will aim at providing insights for institutional learning on which types of intervention lead to possible outcomes or contribute to intended impacts.

The evaluation team, together with the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie), is conducting a rapid evidence assessment focusing on the impact of training, capacity strengthening and information interventions on food security and nutrition, as well as resilience to environmental crises.

This rapid evidence assessment takes the shape of a systematic review that synthesises current research in a meta-analysis. In doing so, it relies on the living Evidence Gap Map “Food Systems and Nutrition". The assessment includes quantitative and qualitative studies that were chosen for their relevance and quality. A moderator analysis provides insights into the heterogeneity of effects depending on specific context factors and different target groups of the interventions.

Furthermore, the study analyses the BMZ’s long-term food security and nutrition portfolio and connects it with the findings of the rapid evidence assessment.

In line with Deval’s standard procedures, a reference group advised on this study. The group is comprised of representatives of the BMZ, implementing organisations, civil society and other (academic) experts.