Nutrition-sensitive investments in agriculture and food systems
This publication (PDF) by FAO outlines methods and actions for countries to monitor nutrition-related spending. It contributes to understanding the importance and opportunities for countries to use costing and tracking their nutrition-sensitive investments in agriculture and food systems. National budget analyses, such as the budget analysis exercise initiated by the SUN Movement in 2015, is key to obtaining information andon the nature of national allocations towards nutrition-sensitive sectors and programmes. Having reliable finance data is essential to enable policymakers to prioritise, plan, and make decisions on resource allocation, as well as to monitor and evaluate policy implementation. The user-friendly methodology proposed for collecting agriculture and food systems finance data is adapted from the three-step approach proposed by the SUN Movement in its budget analysis guidance note. The methodology identifies three proposed steps for the collection of finance data on agriculture and food systems investments: 1) Identification of budget line items in agriculture and food systems. The existence of a common results financial management systems framework for nutrition can guide sectors to decide which budget line items to include or not. 2) Categorisation of budget line items for inclusion in the budget analysis. Assess whether the programmes or departments found fall under the category of “nutrition-specific”, “nutrition-sensitive” or “potentially nutrition-sensitive’’ investments. 3) Vetting of potentially nutrition sensitive budget line items for inclusion in the budget analysis. This should be in a consultative process with the budget holders and the program managers in order to be included as “nutrition-sensitive”.