For more than 20 years, GRET has been working to improve populations’ food and nutrition security. In 2018, it launched the Asanao programme (Ensuring food and nutrition security in West Africa), aimed at boosting synergies between agriculture and nutrition for a more integrated approach.
Asanao1 (2018-2021) was initially conducted in five countries in West Africa (Burkina Faso, Niger, Mauritania, Guinea and Senegal), together with local stakeholders. It established the first gateways between agricultural value chains and nutritional issues (Learn more).
With Asanao2 (2021–2024), the programme was extended to three more countries (Haiti, Madagascar and Cambodia), integrating a systemic, multi-sectoral approach covering all food system components (Learn more).
Asanao3 (2024–2027): Consolidating the programmes’ achievements and ensuring their sustainability
In its third phase, Asanao3 aims to make approaches developed sustainable, boost the skills of teams and partners, and influence public policies in favour of sustainable food systems that are conducive to nutrition. This will be done by:
- Boosting stakeholder networks’ capacities, favouring networking between actors to consolidate local dynamics and exchanges.
- Formalising tried and tested methods and approaches to ensure their replicability and their integration in local and national public policies.
- Boosting local initiatives, supporting stakeholders in the field for transition to food systems that are more resilient, more sustainable, and healthier.
- Supporting forums of consultation and decision-making bodies, providing appropriate tools and knowledge to influence strategic orientations.
Asanao3 is being conducted in six countries: Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea, Madagascar, Haiti and Cambodia. It is based on multi-country thematic initiatives with common dynamics. These subjects are intrinsically connected and contribute to a multi-sectoral approach inherent to food systems.
Key programme initiatives
- Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs): This initiative aims to boost prevention of malnutrition by integrating the fight against the dual nutritional scourge and chronic diseases related to diet (diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancers) in Madagascar and Cambodia. The action focuses on training GRET’s and partners’ teams on prevention of NCDs; integrating these issues in training for healthcare officers and educators; and developing pedagogical tools, studies and advocacy to influence public policies.
- Healthy and Sustainable Diets (HSDs): This initiative, conducted in Senegal, Madagascar and Mauritania, aims to structure and promote healthy and sustainable diets, in line with FAO and WHO recommendations. The action will conduct training and studies, produce methodological tools to boost the skills of GRET’s and partners’ teams, analyse determinants of food practices and promote sustainable changes.
- Territorial approach to food: The initiative is supporting the construction of healthy and sustainable territorial food systems in Cambodia, Madagascar and Haiti through the development of territorial food plans suited to the realities of each territory. The action is based on exchanges of experiences, diagnoses and co-construction workshops, structuring local strategies to strengthen food and nutrition security, climate resilience and sustainable local economic development.
- LANN Methodology (Linking Agriculture, Nutrition and Natural Resources Management): This initiative aims to formalise and disseminate the LANN methodology applied by GRET in Myanmar, Cambodia, Guinea and Madagascar. The objective is to create a methodological guide that can be transferred to other contexts and organise training for GRET’s teams and those of the project partners. The initiative has three areas of focus: capacity-building, capitalisation, and dissemination of approaches.
- Nutrition-sensitive agricultural advice: This initiative aims to formalise and disseminate an integrated Advice to Family Farms approach in Guinea and Madagascar, combining nutrition, agroecology, One Health and gender to improve food and nutrition security and agricultural practices. The action is based on capitalisation of experiences, organisation of workshops that will hold discussions between actors providing agricultural advice, and produce methodological guides and pedagogical tools. It also boosts agricultural advisors’ and relay farmers’ capacities for sustainable dissemination of good practices favouring healthy and sustainable food, and better global health in territories.
- Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC): This initiative aims to structure and strengthen Social and Behaviour Change Communication on nutrition and health through the creation of a methodological guide. The approach draws on the experience acquired to systemise SBCC strategies and improve their impact. The initiative includes training, exchanges and workshops involving GRET’s teams and those of the international partners. It will enable formalisation of the pedagogical tools, strengthening of stakeholders’ skills, and dissemination of good practices to favour sustainable adoption of behaviour that is conducive to food and nutrition security.
- Healthy food in schools: This initiative – conducted in Madagascar, Senegal, Haiti and Cambodia – aims to promote access for school children to healthy meals, awareness-raising on nutrition, local supply and structuring of multi-stakeholder partnerships. The action intends to capitalise on the experiences conducted in these countries to produce methodological guides and advocacy briefs. The objective is to strengthen local food systems, favour policies for healthy and sustainable supply to school canteens, and encourage better food practices among younger generations.
Co-funding and complementary projects
Some projects conducted in parallel fall within the thematic scope of Asanao3 and are designed to be complementary:
- PASANA (Haiti, funded by the European Union): reduction of food and nutrition insecurity via strengthening of production resources, agricultural value chains and the nutritional status of vulnerable populations.
- Tambatra 2 (Madagascar, funded by Monaco): improvement of healthcare, education and food systems for nutrition.
An international ambition
The programme’s actions will also inform reflection on advocacy at several levels:
With Asanao3, GRET and its partners aim to make their actions in territories sustainable by structuring stakeholder networks, capitalising on experiences acquired and actively contributing to the evolution of public policies for sustainable food systems that favour nutrition. This final phase intends to consolidate and build upon experiences acquired in order to propose tools and strategies that can be mobilised after the programme ends and inspire future actions.
Main partners of Phase 3
Directly involved partners:
-
Local NGOs: CTAS (Madagascar), CIRD (Cambodia), AGORA, PCADDISM (Madagascar), ARAF, AOG (Haiti), OCDS, GSDM (Madagascar)
-
Producers’ organizations: FONGS (Senegal), FPFD (Guinea), APESS, REPAG, CAFIL, CAFID, Soa network
-
International NGOs: UEPLM, AVSF, AGRISUD, APDRA
-
Research institute: FOFIFA
Other associated organizations:Local governments, ministries and their decentralized services, including among the main partners:
-
Madagascar: ONN, DLMNT, the rural communes of Sampona, Erada and Maroalomainty
-
Guinea: SERPROCA and DPAE of Nzérékoré
-
Senegal: Commune of Gandon and the Department of Dagana
-
Haiti: Commune of Gros Morne; technical services of the Artibonite Departmental Agricultural Directorate (DDA), Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MAST)
-
Cambodia: Provincial Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, and Health, Siem Reap Province
