This collaboration was formally announced by Manoj Ahuja, IAS, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, at an event in Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi. Senior officials of the ministry, professors from ISB, UoS, LSHTM, and senior representatives from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, MicroSave Consulting (MSC) and Policy Development and Advisory Group (PDAG) were present on occasion.
Manoj Ahuja, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, said, “The need to improve nutrition, particularly of the underprivileged population, is of prime importance. There must be a convergence of policies and programmes in agriculture and nutrition to address this pressing need. I am happy we are embarking on this journey with the consortium led by ISB; the Ministry will fully support this collaboration to strengthen research and policy for improved nutrition outcomes.”
Dr. Abhilaksh Likhi, Additional Secretary, Pramod Kumar Meherda, Additional Secretary, Dr. Vijaya Lakshmi Nadendla, Joint Secretary, Shubha Thakur, Joint Secretary and Kapil Bendre, Director, interacted with the consortium representatives at the launch meeting.
ISB will serve as the Ministry's focal point for this collaboration, which will support the government's efforts to improve nutrition outcomes and strengthen agriculture-nutrition convergence while also establishing an institutional mechanism to identify convergence opportunities at both the central and state levels.
Prof Ashwini Chhatre, Executive Director, Bharti Institute of Public Policy, Indian School of Business (ISB), said, “The needle on nutrition in India has been hard to move. The collaboration, with a focus on Nutrient-Dense Foods (NDFs) such as fruits & vegetables (F&Vs) and animal source foods (ASFs), will support Government of India’s efforts in creating long-lasting impact pathways to improve nutrition outcomes amongst the low-income population”.
Over a five-year period, UoS, LHSTM, & ISB, along with ISB’s implementation partners – CInI-TATA Trusts, MSC and PDAG, will work towards the vision to increase the accessibility, availability, and affordability of Nutrient-Dense Foods for low-income population in underserved areas through agriculture-nutrition policy convergence, such that improving nutrition outcomes amongst the target audience becomes a stable policy outcome over an extended time horizon.
Prof. Bhavani Shankar, University of Sheffield, shared, “The collaboration will facilitate a framework for co-design and co-delivery with policy stakeholders of scalable, equitable, and sustainable interventions to improve the consumption of F&Vs and ASFs towards improving diet quality in India.”
