Home Grown School Feeding Research Articles

School Feeding Programme, Smallholder Farmers, and Development of Rural Areas in Nigeria

Nigerian Federal government under the Muhammadu Buhari led-administration attempts to develop rural areas in Nigeria by introducing the Home-grown School Feeding (HGSF) Programme in 2016 in order to boost local agricultural production, create employment opportunities, reduce out-of-school children, boost nutrition and health status of schoolchildren, and ameliorate economic wellbeing of the rural areas as a strategy to grow and develop the Nigerian Economy. The study examines the linkages among School feeding Programme, smallholder farmers, and rural development in Nigeria. By comparing changes in agricultural productivity between treatment and control groups, the analysis reveals a positive but modest effect of the HGSF programme, with an R-squared value of 0.096 indicating that approximately 9.6% of the variability in agricultural output can be explained by the model. The findings align with existing literature that validates the role of school feeding programmes in enhancing agricultural productivity and food security. The study exposes the nation-wide impact of the policy given the huge investment in a single programme like the HGSF programme since implementation in the 35 states in Nigeria, including the Federal Capital Territory.

Perception of parents on the nutritional relevance of school feeding programme in Nigeria

The Home-Grown School Feeding Program (HGSFP) was deemed a truly nutritious and educationally beneficial initiative upon its reintroduction. It was commendable considering the unstable state of the economy and the substandard domestic living conditions brought on by multifaceted poverty. To increase the nutritious intake of at least 2.5 million school-age children, the HGSFP set out to serve a meal a day in 2004. The targeted group at the time made up roughly 10% of all elementary school students. Perhaps not enough consideration has been given to whether the program's sustainability and implementation strategy are appropriate for achieving the program's two main goals of raising students' nutritious intake and learning outcomes. Therefore, it became imperative to ascertain the degree to which respondents believed the school feeding program had improved students' nutritional status in basic schools and to investigate the degree to which parents believed the program had improved students' academic performance. While adopting the survey research design the respondents were drawn from among parents randomly selected and served with a structured questionnaire. Findings indicated that inherent challenges with the manner of implementation have made the HGSFP not serve the envisaged purpose of enhancing pupils’ nutrition and learning. It was recommended that the government should ensure proper implementation of HGSFP to enable the essence of the program which has to do with qualitative nutrition and academic outcomes to be continually achieved.

Nutritional status of school children in South-west Nigeria: Inferences from a national homegrown school feeding programme.

The School Feeding Programme if properly executed has the capacity to improve the nutritional status of the school children. To assess the nutritional status of school children in Ondo State Nigeria given that the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) has been operational in the state for over five years. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. A total of 234 subjects from public schools and 227 subjects from private schools were enrolled in the study. Their mean age was 8.23 ± 1.92 years. Wasting, overweight, obesity, underweight, and stunting were noted in 19.4%, 11.4%, 0.4%, 5.0%, and 20.7% of the children, respectively. The prevalence of stunting (30.3%) and wasting (23.9%) was more among subjects from the public schools. A significant association was found between Weight-for-Age Z-score, Height-for-Age Z-score, and BMI-for-Age Z-score and the children's school type (p < 0.005). Majority of the children showed normal growth, the rest were in both extremes of malnutrition, the subjects from private schools seem to present better nutritional status, although there is no baseline data to ratify this finding. A further study on this subject using the current finding as a baseline data is recommended.

Food safety knowledge, attitudes, and practices of food vendors participating in Nigeria’s school feeding program

This study aimed to measure the food safety knowledge, attitude, and practices among food vendors engaged in Nigeria’s ongoing Home-grown School Feeding Program. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in face-to-face interviews with 240 food vendors from 3 states in northeast Nigeria involved in the school feeding program using a structured questionnaire. Multiple linear regression results revealed that increased education and access to information through radio, television, and food inspection institutions increased food safety knowledge. Food safety attitudes score increased with more years of vending experience and accessing food safety information via radio, food inspection institutions, and the Internet. An increase in household size and food safety information from friends and colleagues negatively affected food safety attitude scores. As a result, we emphasize the need for dissemination of improved food safety information via radio, television and food safety inspection institutes. Food vendors in the SFP should be selected after passing a food safety training and gaining food handling experience. Higher education should be a priority criterion in the hiring process.

Home Grown School Feeding Programme: A Survey of Implementation in Ube Schools in North Central Nigeria

Providing school meals is not just vital in nourishing the children, but also keeps them stronger and healthier as well as sustains the desire for quality education. The study investigated the implementation of Home-Grown School Feeding Programme in UBE schools in North Central Nigeria. Three research questions guided the study, and three hypotheses were tested. Descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprised 169 respondents; (49 state officials and 120 local government desk officers from the 120 local government areas) in six states and FCT Abuja. The Census sampling technique was used to collect data from all the 169 respondents. Implementation of Home-Grown School Feeding Programme Questionnaire (IHGSFPQ) and Key Informant Interview were developed by the researchers and used for data collection. The instruments were validated by three experts in the Faculties of Education in Benue State University, Makurdi and Nasarawa State University, Keffi and the questionnaire was subjected to a pilot testing and analyzed using Cronbach Alpha to determine the internal consistency and reliability co-efficient which yielded 0.85. The data collected were analyzed using Mean and Standard Deviation to answer the research questions while Chi-square test of goodness-of-fit was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. To collaborate the findings from the questionnaire, the qualitative data were analyzed using simple percentages, tables, and bar charts. The study’s findings revealed that the amount of funds provided for Home-Grown School Feeding Programme is significant for its implementation in UBE schools in North Central Nigeria. The finding also revealed a significant number of food vendors recruited to implement the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme in UBE schools. Furthermore, the finding indicated that there is a significant level of monitoring and evaluation of the success of the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme in UBE schools. It was recommended among others that stakeholders including government agencies and international donors should prioritise increasing funding for the HGSFP to ensure sufficient provision of nutritious meals and necessary resources for its effective implementation.

National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme and Socio-Economic Development in Gwer East Local Government Area, Benue State, Nigeria

This study examined the impact of National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme on socio-economic development in Gwer East Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria. The methodology adopted for the study was survey research design with questionnaire being adopted as the instrument for data collection. A sample of 360, comprising of teachers, local farmers and vendors/cooks was used for the study. Literature was also explored for secondary data generation. The data collected were analyzed using Mean, Standard deviation and Chi-square. The Change-Model theory was adopted as a guide for theoretical framework of the study. The findings of the study revealed that, the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme has contributed in terms of increased enrollment of out-of-school children back to school in the area. Also, further findings revealed that, it has improved on the health status, nutrition and academic performance, as well as the reduction in absenteeism among school children. Equally, it was found that, local farmers were not given the access market to sell their produce as contained in the policy document due to hijack of the process in supply of food by politicians in the state. Finally, it revealed that, the programme even though boosted the cooking skills of vendors, the recruitment process was equally inflicted with several manners of gratification to officials of the programme. In line with these findings, the study recommended that, there is need to strengthen the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme towards creation of access market to local farmers to boost the local economy in Benue State, strengthen the recruitment process to be devoid of gratifications to officials and need for policy continuity to bring more benefits to increase socio-economic development in Gwer East Local Government Area of Benue State.

Perceived benefits and challenges of school feeding program in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: a qualitative study.

Addis Ababa initiated a universal Home-Grown School Feeding Program (HGSFP) in February 2019 to address hunger and improve the educational outcomes of schoolchildren. This study aimed to document the perceived benefits and challenges of the HGSFP in Addis Ababa, where such information was lacking. In May 2023, a qualitative phenomenological study was conducted to collect data from 20 schools participating in the HGSFP. Data were collected through key informant interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) involving 98 purposively selected participants. The study encompassed 48 student mothers in 5 FGDs, 20 student interviews, 20 school principals, and 10 experts from the Ministry of Education, Sub-cities, and the School Feeding Agency for in-depth interviews. Data collected in the local language were transcribed, translated into English, and thematically analysed using ATLAS-TI software. The study's findings unveiled the transformative impact of the HGSFP in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It demonstrated remarkable improvements in attendance, concentration, academic performance, reduced dropout rates, financial relief, enhanced behaviour, and a safer learning environment. However, urgent measures are imperative to tackle pressing challenges such as underpaid kitchen workers, operational issues, reduced reading time, rising food costs, limited market access, inadequate infrastructure, and growing dependency. To ensure the enduring sustainability of HGSFP, addressing challenges like workload reduction, kitchen infrastructure enhancement, government guideline implementation, promoting self-reliance, overcoming budget limitations, and addressing school gardening obstacles is vital.

Shortening food supply chain in home-grown school feeding: experiences and lessons from south central China

Abstract Both home-grown school feeding (HGSF) and short food supply chain (SFSC) emphasize on proximity and aim to strengthen the competitiveness of local smallholder farmers. From a theoretical perspective, HGSF implemented as a type of SFSC could help deliver synergies. A pivotal question is how HGSF can be combined with SFSC and the benefits and drawbacks of such combination. Using an HGSF program which was implemented as an integral part of a free preschool lunch pilot in South Central China, this paper shows that HGSF and SFSC (in its full term) could be combined through one structured demand intervention. This study uses both qualitative and quantitative materials. Qualitative data were collected through focus group discussions with government and preschool staff, parents or caregivers, cooks, World Food Programme representatives and other stakeholders involved in the pilot program. The quantitative part used both small panel data and cross-sectional data from 106 smallholders. This study analyzes the design, implementation, good practices, benefits and constraints of the HGSF-SFSC model. We find that direct purchase from smallholder farmers was linked with higher income and production and dietary diversity. Moreover, this study identifies several constraints of the current HGSF-SFSC model. The policy implications for sustaining and scaling up the current pilot are discussed in the paper.

Contribution of school meals to the recommended nutrient and energy intake of children enrolled in the National Homegrown School Feeding Program in Zaria, Nigeria

BackgroundA poor nutritional status in children results in reduced physical and mental health and poor academic performance. The National Homegrown School Feeding Program (NHSFP) was introduced in Nigeria in 2016 to ameliorate short-term hunger and improve the nutritional status of school-aged children (SAC). At least 33% of the recommended nutrient intake (RNI) for the enrolled students should be met by the school meals. However, to our knowledge, the contribution of school meals served through the NHSFP to the RNI of SAC in Zaria, Nigeria, remains to be explored. MethodsWe conducted a school-based cross-sectional study among 276 eligible SAC recruited from public primary schools in the Zaria Local Government Area. Portion sizes of the meals served through the NHSFP were determined using an electronic scale, meal samples were collected for nutrient analysis, and the average daily nutrient intake of the participants from the meals was calculated. The average daily intake of nutrients and energy of the participants was compared with the age- and sex-specific RNI to estimate the percentage contribution of the meals. ResultsThe portion sizes recorded were 199.3 ± 20.6 g, 263.9 ± 11.5 g, 242.1 ± 16.8 g, 311 ± 17.3 g, and 160.3 ± 1.9 mL, respectively, for moi-moi, jollof rice and beans, bean porridge, jollof rice and boiled egg, and yoghurt. In addition, the meals contained moisture (30.13–66.11%), ash (0.73–7.08%), crude fat (9–32.61%), crude protein (7.25–24.5%), crude fiber (0–2.45%), and total carbohydrate (2.19–29.74%) with an energy content ranging from 183.6 to 330.57 kcal. Similarly, the meals contained calcium (82.58—711 mg), potassium (133–797 mg), sodium (340–1720 mg), iron (0.078–8.60 mg), zinc (1.84–13.4 mg), vitamin A (2.38–100.56 RAE), and vitamin C (0.04–1.57 mg) per 100 g of the school meals. The meals contributed 18.2–19.1%, 102.8–183.7%, 13.04–13.6%, and 26.1%–35.8% of the RNI for carbohydrates, proteins, fiber, and energy, respectively. Furthermore, they contributed 137–175%, 314.3–502.2%, 87.6–142.1%, 21.5–25.1%, 279.2–348.5%, 3.3–5.9%, 24.7–48.8%, and 3.3–5.9% of the RNI for iron, zinc, calcium, potassium, sodium, vitamin A, and vitamin C, respectively. ConclusionThe meals served through the NHSFP contributed at least 33% of the RNI for energy, protein, iron, calcium, sodium, vitamin A, and zinc. However, they could not meet the 33% of the RNI for carbohydrates, fiber, potassium, and vitamin C. Increasing the portion sizes and the diversity of the meals can address the suboptimal contribution of the meals to the RNI for carbohydrates, fiber, potassium, and vitamin C.

Challenges Facing School Head Teachers’ Roles in the Implementation of Home Grown School Feeding Programmes in Makueni County, Kenya

Challenges Facing School Head Teachers’ Roles in the Implementation of Home Grown School Feeding Programmes in Makueni County, Kenya

Stakeholders’ perceptions on the nutritional and educational impacts of National Home Grown School Feeding Programme on pupils of rural public primary schools in Ebonyi State, Nigeria

ABSTRACT The Nigerian government, in addition to the already existing free and compulsory primary education policy, introduced the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme in public primary schools across the country to fight short-term hunger and improve the health and nutritional needs of children by providing daily nutritious meals during school hours. Our study is borne out of scarce literature examining the efficacy of the programme on the pupils. Twenty-four participants were purposively selected for the study. Data were collected using in-depth interviews and analysed thematically. Participants believed that the programme has improved the academic performance of the pupils and saved them from hunger. However, factors such as inadequate funding and lack of involvement of child welfare professionals like social workers affect the operations of the programme. The study recommended the inclusion of social workers in the awareness creation and implementation of the programme for more effective results.

Impact of Homegrown School Feeding Program on Smallholders' Farmer Household Food Security in Northeastern Nigeria.

In various countries of the global south, school feeding programs are implemented in order to alleviate short-time hunger in children, improved their nutrition and provide employment for food vendors. The impact of these programs is important not only in terms of pupils' nutrition but also in improving farmers' livelihoods productivity and food security. This study analyzes the impact of the school feeding program on smallholder farmers' household food security based on data collected in 2021 from 240 farmers surveyed in northeast Nigeria. Differently from other studies, several econometric methods are used to analyze the data, namely, binary probit regression, propensity score matching, inverse probability weighted adjusted regression, and endogenous switching regression. The results show that about 40% of the beneficial smallholder farmers are food secure compared to 20% of the nonbeneficiary households. Findings revealed that the Homegrown school feeding program (HGSF) positively improved smallholder farmers household food security status across all the models. Results provide evidence for the need to expand school feeding programs vis-a-vis interventions in facilitating farmers' access to capital and capacity building for better integration in the supply chain.

Blood pressure profile and nutritional status of pupils benefitting from the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme in southwest Nigeria

Introduction and aim. Childhood hypertension is an important precursor to adult hypertension. This study was used to investigate blood pressure level and nutritional status of pupils in public primary schools that were benefitting from the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme in southwest Nigeria. Material and methods. A cross-sectional study conducted among randomly selected 40 public primary schools where feeding programme was on-going in Oyo and Ogun States. Pretested semi-structured questionnaire was used to obtain information from the pupils. Anthropometric measurements and blood pressure readings were assessed using relevant tools. Results. Some of the pupils (129; 41.6%) aged 10-15 years (p&lt;0.0001) were stunted compared to those aged 5-9years (60; 11.3%). Undernutrition among pupils aged 10-15 years was 47.7%, which was significantly higher than (p&lt;0.0001) among pupils aged 5-9 years, 18.5%. Overall, prevalence of hypertension among the pupils was 6.0%. No significant difference between male and female groups with regards to MUAC (p=0.115), blood pressure (p=0.302) and BMI-for-age (p=0.100). A significant association found between blood pressure and BMI-for-age (p=0.004). Conclusion. Prevalence of blood pressure among the pupils assessed suggests more presence of high blood pressure in the population of primary school pupils. School feeding programme could be an avenue to improve nutritional indices among the pupils.

An appraisal of the implementation of the national school feeding programme and its effect on enrolment and attendance in public primary schools in Southeast, Nigeria: perception of heads of schools

IntroductionThe National Home Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) was re-launched in Nigeria in 2016, eleven years after it was first introduced in the country, with Enugu as one of the beneficiary States. The objectives of the programme are to improve the health of school children and aid in the realization of Universal Basic Education (UBE) goals. This study explored the opinions of heads of public primary schools on the implementation and policy benefits of NHGSFP in Enugu, southeast Nigeria.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study conducted among 24 headmasters and headmistresses purposively selected from public primary schools in the Enugu metropolis. Qualitative data were collected through the use of a pretested Key Informant Interview (KII) guide, and analyzed using a thematic approach.ResultsAll the participants were aware of the NHGSFP, which involved the provision of one mid-day meal per child per school day to the pupils, and all their schools were part of the programme. Most of the participants complained about the nutritional quality and quantity of the school meals which they felt were poor. None of the schools had a kitchen within the school premises, and all the participants admitted that deworming was not regularly carried out, as part of the programme. Most of the participants believed that the objectives of the feeding programme, including, reduced hunger among learners, increased school enrolment, attendance and enhanced participatory learning, were being met.ConclusionAlthough the NHGSFP was implemented in every school in Enugu metropolis, Enugu State, Nigeria, regular deworming of pupils was not carried out, and there were concerns about certain aspects of the implementation, such as inadequate funding and poor quality of school meals. Thus, there is a need for the introduction of deworming and more allocation of funds to the programme to improve the quantity and nutritional quality of school meals.

A Holistic Review of Home-Grown School Feeding Programme for Primary School Pupils’ in Africa

School feeding programme is an important aspect of child’s cognitive development. Home-grown school feeding is an intervention programme designed for school aged children in order to eradicate hunger, increase enrolment, improve pupils’ nutritional value and pupils’ cognitive development whereas these objectives have not be achieved. Therefore, aim of the study is to holistically review the challenges faced in the implementation of home-grown school feeding programme among primary school pupils in Africa (Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Mali) and ways of solving these challenges. The paper also reviewed the concept of home-grown school feeding and its challenges. A qualitative research design of systematic search strategy type was used to gathered information in different databases and journals. In the course of the study, the researchers discovered that the programme is faced with the issues of corruption due non- remittance of regular fund to the school vendors and underfunding of the programmes. Other penitent issues include: low and inadequate storage facilities, political interferences, inadequate nutritional meals and low level of implementation. The researchers recommended that caterers should be trained by dieticians on the type of food to prepare for pupils’ and also government should set up a monitoring team to supervise the home-grown school feeding programme for proper implementation in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Mali and other Sub-Sahara Africa Countries.

English

The study was aimed at investigating practice relating to use of cooking salt in school meal preparation and quality control practices among Food Vendors (FVs) engaged in National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) in public primary schools located in Oyo and Ogun States, Southwest Nigeria. An exploratory qualitative study was conducted among 40 selected FVs engaged in NHGSFP in the two States. Data were collected using a pretested Key Informant Interview guide. Interviews were subjected to thematic content analysis. Findings reveal that several FVs usually used packaged cooking salt, while some preferred unpackaged cooking salt sold in open plastic containers. The use of salt combined with other forms of food seasonings including bouillon cubes was a common practice among FVs. Practices they often employed to determine quantity of salt included &lsquo;gradual adding of salt to taste&rsquo;, use of bare-hands to add salt and &lsquo;use of visual measure to gauge the added salt&rsquo;. Some FVs usually salvaged meals containing excessive salt, especially rice by adding water and sieving it afterwards. An appropriate nutrition education intervention, which encourages use of packaged dietary salt by FVs as well as graduated measuring spoon to quantify the amount of salt added to school meals is suggested. &nbsp; Key words: Food vendors; school meals; national home-grown school feeding programme; use of cooking salt control, use of condiments; Southwest Nigeria.&nbsp

Influence of National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme on primary school pupils attendance and academic performance in Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria

This study examined influence of National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme on primary school pupils’ attendance and academic performance in Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria. Two specific objectives with corresponding research questions and hypotheses were raised and formulated respectively to guide the study. The study adopted survey research design and was carried out in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria. The population of this study is 1870 teachers from 79 public primary schools in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State. The sample size for this study is 330 teachers. A structured questionnaire titled “National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme and Pupils Attendance and Performance in Public Primary Schools Questionnaire" was developed and used for the study. Cronbach Alpha Statistic was used to obtain an overall reliability coefficient of 0.89 for the instrument. The descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation were used to answer the two research questions. Chi-square statistics was used to test the two null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. From analysis of data, the following major findings were made: provision of meals to pupils improve their daily regular attendance, improves enrolment in primary schools, enhances their punctuality, and also improves their co-curricular activities. Based on the findings of the study, the following recommendations are made; the State Government should try and replicate the blue print of the Federal Government's National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme to every Local Government in the State so as to ensure sustainability in the provision of meals to pupils and as well as improve their daily regular attendance as well as enhancing their punctuality. Also, the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and other education stakeholders should initiate school feeding integrated intervention programmes that improves co-curricular activities through provision of meals to pupils this will influence their ability to understand the practicality of things during learning and also improve their ability to engage with digital technologies.

A qualitative exploration of knowledge, practices and training needs on the safe use of cooking salt among national home-grown school feeding programme food vendors in Southwest Nigeria

This study assessed the knowledge, practices and training needs on the safe use of cooking salt among food vendors engaged in the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) in Southwest Nigeria in order to inform tailoring of appropriate capacity building interventions. An exploratory qualitative study was conducted among 40 purposively selected food vendors engaged in NHGSFP in Oyo and Ogun States. Data were collected using a pretested key informant interview guide which contained information on knowledge of cooking salt, practices usually employed to ensure that school meals contain moderate salt, sources of available information on the use of cooking salt, previous training on the use of cooking salt and dispositions to being trained on the use of cooking salt. Data were tape-recorded and subjected to thematic analysis. Participants mentioned various health problems of excessive salt intake including hypertension and heart diseases. Practices food vendors usually indulge in to ensure moderate use of cooking salt in school meals include ‘gradual adding of salt to taste’, ‘reliance on personal discretions and aroma of meals’. Pre-employment orientation programme organized by the NHGSFP officials constituted the major source of information on cooking salt use. Other pertinent sources of information included mass media and adverts. Some food vendors emphasized that they were not specifically taught on cooking salt use. Participants commonly expressed willingness to be trained on safe use of cooking salt and acknowledged that such training would help them. Knowledge and practices on issues relating to safe use of cooking salt for preparing meals remained inadequate among the food vendors. Implementing training on the use of cooking salt and other condiments in preparation of school meals was considered essential towards promoting safe salt intake and reducing risk of cardiovascular disease among school-age children. Training intervention for food vendors which adopts sustainable strategies is recommended to address the phenomenon.

Food vendors and school management compliance to home grown school feeding programme implementation module in Osun State, Nigeria

Compliance to National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme’s (NHGSFP) implementation module among food vendors and schoolmanagement in Osun State was investigated. Four stage sampling procedure was used to select 144 respondents. Interview schedule was used to gather data from respondents. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (Chi-square and Pearson Product Moment Correlation). The mean household size was 5 ( x̄ = 5±2). All the food vendors and 76.4% of theschool management were female with mean age of 36 and 39 ( x̄ = 36±5 and x̄ = 39±8), respectively. Vendors (65.3%) and school management (58.3%)had high knowledge of NHGSFP, while 52.8% of food vendors and 50.0% of the school management had favourable attitude towards NHGSFP. The major constraints were inadequate funding ( x̄ = 2.34) and untimely payment( x̄ = 1.74) and ranking 1st and 2nd, respectively. However, taking food home (2.10) was the major sharp practice reported. More than half (51.4%) of the respondents complied with NHGSFP implementation module. Food vendors’ (r=0.268) and school managements’ attitude towards NHGSFP (r = 0.241) were significantly related with compliance to NHGSFP implementation module. Compliance to NHGSFP implementation module was moderately high (55.6%). Sharp practices by both food vendors (r= -0.461) and managements (r = -0.439) were negatively significant to compliance. The compliance level observed was not very high enough for sustainability of the programme due to the various sharp practices and constraints faced by the programme. Hence, better modalities against sharp practices should be put in place as well as proper orientation of key actors in the programme.

Home-Grown School Feeding: Implementation Lessons From a Pilot in a Poor Ethnic Minority Community in Vietnam.

Background:Undernutrition threatens the health and future of preschool children in disadvantaged remote communities. Home-grown school feeding (HGSF) in nursery schools could positively impact children’s nutrition while creating multiple benefits for the whole community. However, evidence is lacking on implementation of HGSF within multi-sectoral programs in remote areas.Objective:This study assessed an HGSF pilot intervention, part of a nutrition-sensitive agriculture (NSA) program, in a mountain ethnic minority community in Vietnam. It aimed to identify the changes brought about by the intervention, in particular diversity of children’s food, food sources, barriers and facilitators to change, and future challenges and strategies.Methods:Mixed-methods assessment covered school meal diversity, cost, and food sources but the key focus was on observed changes resulting from the HGSF intervention and perceived barriers and facilitators to its implementation. Data were collected mainly through semi-structured interviews (n = 30) and seven focus group discussions (n = 76).Results:School meals contributed to increasing diversity of food consumed by children. Above 30% of foods used were home-grown. Respondents reported increased school attendance; children’s food preferences and hygiene practices improved as did parents’ caring and feeding practices. Local food systems became less cash-crop-oriented and more self-reliant, contributing to household food security and income generation. Social capital increased. Positive changes were attributed to HGSF and synergy among NSA program components. Poverty and limited resilience to external shocks threatened sustainability.Conclusions:Implementing HGSF within an NSA program in a mountainous ethnic minority area with a high prevalence of undernutrition benefitted children and their communities.