Agriculture to Nutrition (ATONU): THE USE OF COMMUNITY THEATRE TO - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Agriculture to Nutrition (ATONU):

THE USE OF COMMUNITY THEATRE TO COMMUNICATE NUTRITION BEHAVIOR CHANGE MESSAGES AND ENGAGE COMMUNITIES

http://fanrpan.org/projects/atonu/

• L. M. Sibanda, S. Sibanda, Z. Nyathi, T. Madzivhandila, B. Mkandawire, F.A. Gwelo

Food, Agriculture and Natural; Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN)

• There is a disconnect between agriculture and nutrition
• What can agriculture projects do to deliver positive nutrition
• utcomes?
• FANRPAN working with the African Chicken Genetic Gains

Project (ACGG-ILRI) to integrate Nutrition-Sensitive Interventions in Ethiopia and Tanzania

• ACGG aims to improve the production and productivity of

chickens kept by smallholders

• Introducing improved and tropically adapted genotypes

Agriculture and Nutrition Disconnect

• The ATONU project is testing three pathways to deliver improved

nutrition to smallholder farming households: (i) Agricultural production for own consumption (ii) Use of agriculture income to purchase other nutritious foods (iii) Women empowerment to improve agency, time-use and nutrition

• The results from the household level studies will be used to model

national level responses and inform policy engagements

Agriculture-Nutrition Pathways

Adapted from Gillespie et al. 2012 and Headey et al 2012 Food prices Food consumption Food expenditure Non-food expenditure Nutrient intake Child nutrition

• utcomes

Household assets and livelihoods Health status Mother’s nutrition

• utcomes

Health care expenditure Women empowerment National nutrition

• utcomes

Income (agricultural and non-agricultural) Caring capacity & practices Female energy expenditure Food production Nutrition knowledge National economic growth

Pathways from Agriculture to Nutrition

Nutrition-Sensitive Interventions

• ATONU package of nutrition-sensitive interventions:
• 1. Nutrition education and hygiene to increase consumption of eggs and

chicken meat;

• 2. Influencing expenditure of income from sale of chickens and eggs to

purchase other nutrient dense foods;

• 3. Women empowerment to influence changes in women’s time use and

agency (decision-making) within the household; and

• 4. Promotion of home gardens for improved dietary diversity.

• 20 dedicated field staff in each country
• Each field staff works with 40

households in one village

• Behaviour change communication (BCC)

messages delivered twice per month through group counselling sessions and individual household visits

• Individual household visits conducted to

reinforce the messages delivered during group sessions

• Community theatre to deliver and

reinforce messages

Delivery of Nutrition-Sensitive Interventions

Theatre for Nutrition Behaviour Change (TNBC)

• Community theatre used to

communicate and advocate for nutrition behaviour change

• Approach named Theatre for Nutrition

Behaviour Change (TNBC)

• Theatre communicates serious

messages using oral and visual arts

• Reinforces other forms of message

delivery

• Adapted from the innovative Theatre

for Policy Advocacy (TPA) successfully used by FANRPAN for policy advocacy

Why Community Theatre?

• People love to tell and listen to stories
• Oral medium traditionally used to pass information from one

generation to the other

• Community theatre does the following:

üPresents real stories and phenomena üBrings out hidden values and awareness üLeads to reflection on prevailing situations üAddresses nutrition taboos and myths üInstils sense of urgency - greater understanding of situation

• Consumption of fruits and chickens by pregnant women produces

large babies, difficult delivery

• Children should not eat eggs - causes baldness and convulsions
• Amaranth not to be consumed by old men and children
• Sweet potato not to be consumed by people with hernia
• Children who consume goat meat and milk are unruly

Examples of Nutrition-Related Taboos/Myths

The TNBC Process

• 1. Script development - informed by context
• 2. Audition and training of actors
• 3. Performance
• 4. Post-performance discussions and feedback
• 5. Policy recommendations

• 1. Development of the TNBC Script
• Script messages aligned to those from the group counselling

sessions and individual household visits

• Addressed socio-cultural issues, e.g. local norms and taboos
• Script translated into the local languages

• 1. Development of the Script - Storyline
• Community members cast in different roles
• Benefits of consumption of balanced diets and hygiene
• Value of chicken, egg and vegetable production and

consumption

• Women empowerment and involvement of men
• Testimonies of impact:

ümaternal and child nutrition and health üparticipation of men üendorsement of interventions by community leaders

• 2. Training of TNBC Actors
• Actors selected from the community
• Training of actors by seasoned theatre director
• Scenes played out to sensitize the community

about the project’s NSIs & deliver BCC messages

• The performances were conducted within 30-35 minutes, followed by discussions
• 3. TNBC Performances

• Performances played out to

beneficiary households and

• ther community members
• Involved not just beneficiary

households but the community

• Included local, district, regional

and national leaders – buy-in and commitment

• 3. TNBC Performances - Audiences

• 3. TNBC Performances - Attendance

Country Elders/ leaders Men Women Male youths Female youths Total Tanzania 583 428 1131 367 500 3 009 Ethiopia 98 489 291 336 255 1 469 Total 681 917 1422 703 755 4 478

• Performance was video recorded to share with wider

audience

• Videos edited and sub-titled in English
• 3. TNBC Performances - Documentation

• Participation of community leaders - local, district, regional

and national levels

• Leaders used the TBNC platform to address broader development

issues

• 3. TNBC Performances – Leaders’ Participation

Post-performance Discussions and Feedback

• Facilitated discussions and feedback session
• Five groups:

ü local and district leaders ü women, men, male youth and female youth

• Addressed four questions:

ü practices they liked (continue) ü Practices they did not like (stop) ü Practices to improve ü What they commit to do

5.1 Positive Outcomes of TNBC

• Local authorities commit to support nutrition interventions, e.g. provision of water

for vegetable production

• Extension agents appreciate role to improve agriculture and nutrition linkages
• Women actively participating in budgeting and decision-making
• Men actively participate in household chores to relieve women
• Realisation of need for back to basics approach – revisit grand mothers’ kitchens
• Local community of practice for sustainability:

ü Emergence of local nutrition champions ü Schools nutrition clubs

• Covered 4,478 community members vs 1,600 beneficiary households
• Communities now eating for health, not hunger

School Nutrition Clubs

School nutrition clubs were set up in ATONU villages in response to community requests during the TNBC

5.2 Policy Recommendations

• 1. Promote diversity in agricultural production - chicken, egg and

vegetable production

• 2. Promote nutrition education for communities, e.g. school

nutrition clubs

• 3. Agricultural extension to be equipped with nutrition knowledge

and skills

Why Community Theatre- Recap

• People love to tell and listen to stories
• Oral medium traditionally used to pass information from one generation to

the other

• Community theatre does the following:

üPresents real stories and phenomena üBrings out hidden values and awareness üLeads to reflection on prevailing situations üAddresses nutrition taboos and myths üInstils sense of urgency - greater understanding of situation

• Convening power and reach
• Results from community theatre will be used to model national level

responses and inform policy development

ATONU Partners

Sponsored by the

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Thank you