CAtalyzing Strengthened policy aCtion for heAlthy Diets and resiliencE project (CASCADE)

CARE International in Uganda, Africa Innovations Institute (AfrII) Kyambogo University, and the Food Rights Alliance(FRA) are implementing the CAtalyzing Strengthened policy aCtion for heAlthy Diets and resiliencE project (CASCADE). CASCADE is a multi-country project implemented in 6 countries in Africa including Uganda. The project aims to improve food security and contribute to the reduction of malnutrition of at least 1 million Women of Reproductive Age and Children in Benin, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Mozambique, and Uganda. In Uganda, CASCADE will be implemented in a selected 15 districts in the Acholi Region, Tooro region, and the Karamoja Region. These districts were selected owing to the high levels of malnutrition, poverty, and displaced populations. The CASCADE will be aligned with the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) commitments and Uganda’s UNFSS pathway to transform food systems and seeks to operationalize actions deemed to reduce malnutrition among women and children in the Uganda Nutrition Action Plan II (UNAP II). Under CASCADE, AfrII will implement domain 4 which seeks to strengthen women’s capacities to benefit from nutrition-related policies by enabling them to produce, prepare and consume healthy diets.   To achieve this, AfrII will implement strategies that seek to;

• i). Increase women’s access to and control over resources, women’s agency to access and control productive assets and resources while empowering them to engage in food and market systems and to manage short term environmental and economic shock while adapting to existing and emergent climate change challenges. To this end, women will be empowered through VSLAs to increase access to income and through FFBS to improve access to relevant climate information and appropriate agricultural and productive resources, and assets, while prioritising land, water, inputs, technology and finance.
• ii). Strengthen knowledge and skills of women small-scale producers. Working through existing Agricultural extension services. Using CARE’s innovative Farmer Field Business School (FFBS) model, the Farm Planning model and the Gender Action Learning System (GALS) methodology; women smallholder farmer groups will be convened during cropping cycles to experiment and learn about innovative climate resilient and nutrition sensitive production practices and marketing options. The FFBS is an innovative farmer-led learning and extension approach which facilitates learning on topics relevant and related to nutrition, climate resilient agriculture practices, marketing, women’s empowerment and monitoring to promote locally-led sustainable livelihood and disaster risk reduction strategies. This approached will facilitate increased resilience to climate shocks and stresses in the implementing districts.
• iii). Increase household’s knowledge, attitudes and practices in nutrition and WASH. In close partnership with relevant district local governments, AfrII will work with service providers and CBOs to improve Household’s knowledge, attitudes and optimal nutrition and WASH practices. This wide targeted audience is based on the premise that, to effective and sustained behaviour change, behaviour change should not only happen in communities and households, but also with government sectors and service providers to elevate the importance of nutrition in provision of health services. AfrII will promote integration of essential nutrition services into existing systems and government models like the Parish Development Model (PDM) and develop service providers’ capacity to effectively use government guidelines and materials to increase adoption of healthy diets for women and optimal infant and young child feeding.
• iv). Support local agriculture extension systems with tools and modules promoting healthy diet preparation and consumption among female small-scale producers,
• v). Support programmes aimed at improving nutrition outcomes of vulnerable populations and the organization of behaviour change campaigns.

To deliver these strategies, direct support will be provided to children, women and vulnerable families to manage acute malnutrition reaching up to about 115,000 of Women of Reproductive Age (WRA) who are able to produce and acquire healthy diets and 65,000 of WRA who are able to prepare and consume healthy diets.