Program areas at GAIN
In 2022, gain began to implement a new generation of projects targeting the entire value chain for selected nutrient-dense foods. A number of foods are particularly rich in the nutrients that are commonly lacking in resource-poor populations such as iron, zinc, folate, vitamin a, calcium, and vitamin b12.numerous barriers have been identified that prevent consumers from accessing these foods; they occur at all stages of the supply chain from production inputs right through to household behaviours, and they can be understood in terms of the '4p's: products, processes, people, and policies. In 2022, gain began to implement a new generation of large projects targeting priority food value chains. Each project works on all of supply, demand, and the enabling environment, and in all cases the work builds on existing investments to strengthen the relevant value chains. All of these projects will be assessed on their ability to change consumption frequency and quantity among low-income consumers.currently, we are working on: vegetables in kenya; dairy in ethiopia, and animal-source foods (eggs, poultry, and freshwater fish) in mozambique.
The commercialization of biofortified crops (cbc) program was launched in 2019 to address widespread hidden hunger in africa and asia by significantly expanding the reach of foods and food products made with biofortified staple crops. Gain launched the program in partnership with harvestplus, an initiative of the consultative group on international agricultural research (cgiar). Micronutrient-rich crops are developed through conventional breeding techniques (they are not genetically modified) to increase their density of iron, zinc, or vitamin a all critical micronutrients for maintaining good health and human development. They are also bred with other traits demanded by farming families, including high yield, drought tolerance, and resistance to disease and pests. The cbc program works with commercial value chain actors including seed producers, farmers, aggregators, and processors to catalyse commercial markets for biofortified seeds, grains and food products in six countries with pervasive levels of malnutrition: bangladesh, india, kenya, nigeria, pakistan, and tanzania. Gain's program vision is to scale up the commercialization of biofortified foods to sustainably improve diet quality and tackle hidden hunger by improving access to inputs and markets for biofortified seeds and food products, strengthen demand for nutrient-rich staple foods, and improve the enabling environment for biofortified foods and food products.
Large-scale food fortification (lsff) is a key part of the response to the crisis of malnutrition, adding one or more essential nutrients to widely and regularly consumed foods during processing. This impactful and cost-effective intervention can reach billions of people by making commonly consumed foods such as wheat and maize flour, rice and edible oil and condiments such as salt more nutritious, combatting vitamin and mineral deficiencies and protecting human health.gain supports food fortification at Global, regional and country levels. In collaboration with our Nutrition enterprise unit, we aim to empower fortified foods producers with a whole-of-business approach to fortification, combining fortification quality assurance and control with business support services such as supply chain management, product development, optimizing business efficiencies and marketing to incentivize fortified foods producers. We also facilitate development or strengthening of policies, legislation, governance and institutions to deliver quality fortified foods. Since 2002, gain has supported the roll-out or strengthening of fortification in approximately 40 low and middle-income countries, investing approximately usd 250 million in grants and technical assistance. As a result of these efforts, 15 countries have now mandated lsff and we have contributed to mandatory legislation in many more countries. An estimated one billion individuals have sustained access to fortified foods in current gain supported programs, including the gain premix facility.
Feed the future's eatsafe: evidence and action towards safe, nutritious food is a usaid-funded, five-year program aiming to enable lasting improvements in the safety of nutritious foods sold in traditional food markets, where millions of people buy and sell food everyday. The work is delivered in partnership with a dozen implementing partners including civil society, business associations, media, research organisations and leading universities.the goals of the project are to 1) consolidate and generate knowledge and evidence about consumer values and perceptions related to food safety; gender roles and norms that may influence food-related behavior among consumers, vendors and other actors; and quantified food safety risks in traditional markets, 2) develop and test interventions and tools to support their implementation for consumers and traditional market vendors to communicate about and/or reduce food safety risks, and 3) generate evidence of the impact of these interventions to engage and empower consumers and market actors to better obtain safe, nutritious foods.
In 2021, the united nations food systems summit brought together different food communities to open minds, ramp up energy, identify new partnerships and reveal new opportunities for action to transform the world's food systems. Gain's executive director lawrence haddad co-led the first action track on ensuring access to safe and nutritious foods for all. By september 2021, 60 countries had developed national food systems pathways, and many more were in preparation. In the closing statement of action, the un secretary general noted the need to: "support national mechanisms that develop and implement national pathways to 2030 that are inclusive and consistent with countries' climate commitments, building upon the national food systems dialogues".in all gain countries, we are actively supporting national governments to further develop and begin to implement their national pathways. We are also collaborating with partners to develop tools, such as the food systems dashboard, to help policymakers better understand their food systems and prioritise policy changes to bring about positive change.
Other programs