Nutrition and Food Security Impacts of Agriculture Projects: A Review of Experience

This review synthesizes the findings of a number of studies of agricultural projects conducted over the previous 30 years, including those funded by the United States Department for Agriculture, the United States Agency for International Development, and the International Food Research and Policy Institute as well as several independent studies. It finds that agricultural projects rarely measured the food security impacts that they aimed to achieved. As a result, the impacts of many projects on food security were not clear even following completion. Nevertheless, the evidence suggests that agricultural projects are more likely to improve access to adequate food than to impact nutrition. The document analyzes both food access and nutritional impacts and highlights risks and opportunities to enhance both through programming. These would be particularly helpful for practitioners seeking to design their projects in ways that enhance food security.