Group-based approaches to nutrition-sensitive agriculture: insights from a post-project sustainability study in Cote d'Ivoire

There has been considerable interest over the past decade in using nutrition-sensitive agriculture (NSA) to improve food security and nutrition in low- and middle-income countries, partly due to potentially greater long-term durability of impact compared to nutrition-specific interventions. Group-based approaches to NSA may have particular benefits in terms of increased efficiency and economies of scale. However, very little is known about such approaches' sustainability-that is, the continued application of promoted practices and activities beyond the initial intervention. This study examines the sustainability of an NGO-sponsored women's group-based NSA project in Cote d'Ivoire 18 months after project end. We assess the functionality and productivity of a set of gardening and poultry-rearing groups and factors that either enabled or obstructed them from continuing their activities. Quantitative and qualitative fieldwork was undertaken, including a survey of former project participants (n = 277), direct observations at facilities for growing vegetables and raising poultry (n = 12; n = 11), and semi-structured interviews with group members and leaders (n = 48). Results show that the studied gardening groups remained functional, with high rates of membership but lower productivity, production value, and crop diversity. Village-level poultry activities, however, had ended in 9 of 12 villages studied, due to mortality and limited expertise; in the remaining two, they had decreased in scale and productivity. Across both gardening and poultry-rearing, there was a shift from collective to individual approaches to production and towards more marketable products, away from the nutrient-dense ones promoted by the project. Implications for design of future NSA initiatives are discussed.