Improving Nutrition Programmes: An Assessment Tool for Action

The purpose of this Assessment Tool (AT) is to contribute to strengthening community-based food and nutrition programmes. The ultimate objective of the AT is to help the users launch and develop a process to strengthen their country's ability to address the causes of malnutrition. It is generally agreed that we need to address not only the immediate causes of malnutrition, but also their underlying factors if we are to achieve nutritional well being and reach functional and productive capacity of a population. The methodology is divided into four sections covering programme design, the macroenvironment, the microenvironment, and sustainability. The AT is used for making suggestions for action following the assessment. Anticipated users are normally food and nutrition programme planners, but any number of individuals with planning and programmatic responsibility who are concerned about poverty alleviation and overall development can, and should, be part of the Assessment Team.