IN BANGLADESH

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13. ESTABLISHING AND FOSTERING LINKAGES

The success of the Integrated Horticulture and Nutrition Development Project was a result of partnership at national, district and community levels, including public sector academic and research institutes, national nutrition training institutions, national stakeholders, health sector representatives, schools, international non-government organizations and others.

The project also established functional linkages with FAO’s Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS). The nutrition programme and strategy were developed as part of fostering linkages between FAO projects.

Preliminary meetings with agencies working in the field of nutrition were organized by the Project Management and Nutrition Technical Team in 2002 and 2003 to explore the scope for collaboration. Recommendations were made by the Mid-term Evaluation Team in April 2003 and Technical Nutrition Backstopping Missions in August and December 2003.

As several nutrition institutions in Bangladesh were implementing activities in consonance with the IHNDP, it was recognized that project objectives and goals would have to be achieved in coordination and collaboration with different partners working for horticulture and nutrition development. The project activities were linked to national line institutions dealing with horticulture and nutrition. Collaboration was also necessary to avoid overlap in activities and ensure uniformity in the messages given by all nutrition-related institutions and projects.

The collaboration centred on training and capacity building, developing NIEC (nutrition information and education communication) materials, formation of an advisory committee, nutrition assessment and building sustainable mechanisms. Ten meetings were held with stakeholders during the project duration. A list of national organizations and agencies promoting the nutrition programme is given in Table 32.

Table 32. National Institutions collaborating with IHNDP, FAO

Institution

Area of collaboration

Type of institution

Bangladesh HRDB

TOT, in-service training and school teachers’ nutrition training; advice on field implementation of nutrition activities; NAC member; participation in FAO/IHNDP meetings, seminars, workshops

Nutrition training and extension
(MOA)

INFS

Nutrition impact assessment (food consumption and dietary assessment); NAC member; participation in FAO/IHNDP meetings, seminars, workshops

Academic training and research in nutrition and food science

NNP

NAC member; participation in FAO/IHNDP meetings, seminars, workshops

National nutrition programme,
MOH

Rural schools in
15 HDTC areas

School Nutrition Programme (nutrition education and school gardening)

Education of school children

SPFS, FAO

Sharing NIEC materials, developing/ implementing common nutrition field strategy

Food security in resource-poor districts/communities

ICDDR, B

NAC member; participation in FAO/IHNDP meetings, seminars, workshops

Academic training and research in nutrition, health development and diarrhoeal diseases research

HKI

Participation in FAO/IHNDP meetings, seminars, workshops

Nutrition surveillance, home gardening programme

BNNC

NAC member; participation in FAO/IHNDP meetings, seminars, workshops; review of NIEC materials

NIEC resource centre, research and national nutrition policy advice

College of
Home Economics

Participation in FAO/IHNDP meetings, seminars, workshops; planning recipes for hill tracts/tribal people

Academic training in home economics

NAC: National Advisory Committee

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