The month of April, 2023 is just about gone but not without a landmark achievement: The finalization and launch of a much awaited Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture(NSA) Training Manual and the accompanying Facilitators Manual; A first in Kenya and Eastern Africa.

• Here below, find a quoted summary of this landmark publication of which the author of this blog article was a co-author:

‘Agriculture and food systems influence people’s dietary patterns, have an impact on nutritional outcomes, and are critical for the development of the Kenya economy (as indeed other African economies). Sustainable agriculture and food systems have a key role in improving food security and nutrition, while promoting food safety and healthy diets. However, one of the barriers to delivering healthy diets, through agriculture and food systems, is the capacity gaps amongst actors on designing and implementing programmes with well integrated nutrition objectives. Additionally, there are inadequate technical resources at national level to guide agri-food systems actors on entry points for strengthening nutrition(and Healthy Diets) programming. Over the past two years, FAO has been working closely with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development(MoALD), the Ministry of Health (MoH) and partners under the Food and Nutrition Linkages Technical Working Group(FNLTWG) to bridge this gap by developing a National Training Package on Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture and Food Systems.’

• These two documents can be downloaded here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1JXe6BHMCzlcMK8hVikUVGjnWHNMYNKUW
• This milestone publication was launched during the National Nutrition Symposium held on the 13^th, at the Safari Park Hotel, with representatives of all the key stakeholders, including Organic Consumers Alliance(OCA). See OCA logo for key partners, at the end of the documents. It is hoped that these downloadable tools will contribute to the journey towards healthy diets by ensuring that the FAO and respective government agencies approved content package for all ‘nutrition trainings’ to ensure standardization of trainings and deliverables, including use of a set of standard nutrition indicators for measurement of outputs and outcomes (refer to relevant sections of the manuals.) The author of this article made significant contributions towards the development of the monitoring and evaluation modules for both the Facilitators Manual and the Technical Manual.

Going forward these Manuals add to the other recently authored and published books. https://organicconsumersalliance.org/our-blog/185-recent-publications-events-and-celebrations-of-transition-to-agroecology-for-people-planet-and-profits.html that will serve as useful tools for awareness creation and training on healthy diets.

• The nutritional packaging addresses the Why? What? Who? How? and How to measure and monitor agroecological food programmes and ensuing healthy diets.
• Enjoy the reading and don’t hesitate to provide feedback. Thank you.