Table 4 Data extraction of the included articles
Authors, year, study location | Type of intervention | Evaluation design | Outcomes measured | Findings | Conclusion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Population living in (post-)conflict settings | |||||
Doocy et al., 2019 [34] Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo Evaluating interventions to improve child nutrition in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo | Jenga Jamaa II includes: - Income generation though FFS and F2F: training on agricultural methods, provision of seeds and tools, and farmers train other members in their community - Improve health and nutritional status of children < 5 years through PM2A: messages on child health, nutrition education and behavioral change, promote homegardens, monthly ratios, and health system support - Empower FI women through WEG: meetings to deliver literacy, numeracy, business, marketing training, and the provision of goats and kits | - Community-matched quasi-experimental design - Communities received one intervention versus multiple interventions versus no intervention - Program implemented between 2011 and 2016  − 1312 children from 1113 HH participated - Surveys 3.5 years apart | Children’s outcome measures: - DDS measured using 24 h recall - Minimum dietary diversity achieved if child consume ≥ 4 food groups - Minimum acceptable diet met if child achieved both minimum meal frequency and dietary diversity - Stunting - Underweight | Children’s food security: - Modest improvement in DD for PM2A and FFS interventions compared to control group - Increase in the minimum DDS in PM2A and FFS groups compared to the control group - Minimum meal frequency was met for the PM2A group as compared to the control group Children’s nutrition: - No significant difference for stunting or underweight - Modest decrease in the prevalence of underweight among PM2A group and stunting among PM2A and FFS groups | PM2A and FFS groups yielded better child dietary measures and nutrition outcomes, particularly among the intervention with a behavioral change component (PM2A) |
Doocy et al., 2018 [35] Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo Improving household food security in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo: a comparative analysis of four interventions | Same as above | Same as above but without considering children’s sample | Household (HH) outcome indicators: - HDDS measured over the past 24 h - Target dietary diversity achieved if HH consume ≥ 5 food groups - HFIAS | HH food security indicators: - Significant increase in HDDS for those who received WEG, PM2A, or FFS - Significantly lower HFIAS score for WEG, PM2A, and FFS interventions, with smaller gain in F2F - Pathway: WEG, PM2A indirectly improved food security through income generating activities and HH gardens | WEG, PM2A, and more specifically FFS interventions significantly improve HDDS and HFIAS, a lower impact was observed for F2F intervention |
Doocy et al., 2017 [36] Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo Food security and nutrition of farmer field schools in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo | - Same as above focusing on FFS program (one component of the Jenga Jamaa II project) - Combined with qualitative data (KIIs, FGD) after the end of the project | - Same as above - FFS beneficiary and controls were selected while the program was operating. − 388 beneficiaries and 324 controls were enrolled | Household outcome indicators: - HDDS - HFIAS Children’s outcome indicators: - Stunting - Underweight | Agricultural production techniques: - FFS increased the number of agricultural techniques, more specifically for weeding, hoeing, and row planting Use of marketing and financial services: - More HH used joint negotiation, farmer business association levels, and sales through agricultural collection centers. - Use of informal credit significantly decreased and use of savings increased HH food security: - HDDS and HFIAS significantly improved in FFS Children’s nutrition: - No significant difference in the prevalence of child stunting and underweight | - This program diversified agricultural production, improved HDDS and HFIAS. However, the nutritional status of children did not improve - Increases in agricultural production alone are not enough to induce change in child’s nutrition |
Populations living in protracted crises and displacement | |||||
Vallet et al., 2021 [39] South Sudan Where are the development actors in protracted crises? Refugee livelihood and food security outcomes in South Sudan demonstrates the potential for fragile settings | - UNHCR livelihood intervention includes: - Agriculture: inputs and agricultural training - Small business: vocational training and business support - VSLA - Complemented with qualitative data (FGD, KIIs) | - Mixed methods approach - RCTs - Program implemented between 2016 and 2018 - HH received livelihood training package alone (agriculture, small business development, or other types of trainings alone or in combination) versus the same training plus VSLA - Qualitative data collected at the end | Household outcome indicators: - FCS | HH assets, income, access to market and financial services: - VSLA plus training has a significant impact on HH productive assets, income source, access to markets, and financial services as compared to one type of training only Food security, coping strategies and recovery from shocks: - Significant increase in food security, ability to meet food and non-food needs and recover from shocks for those who received livelihood plus compared to training only or other types of training only Other outcomes with potential health implications (qualitative work): - Livelihood program increased social cohesion by reducing refugee- host community conflict - Livelihood program decreased sexual and gender-based violence | - UNHCR program improved food security, livelihood, and income-generation in volatile and unsecure settings. - The outcomes were much improved when the training was complemented with VSLA |
Baliki et al., 2018 [37] North-East Nigeria Drivers of resilience and food security in North-East Nigeria: Learning from the Micro Data in an Emergency Setting | FAO program includes the provision of quality agricultural inputs such as cereals, pulse and vegetable kits | - Quasi-experimental design with repeated cross-sectional surveys - Data collected from 5,807 HH at baseline and 5,991 HH at endline - Beneficiaries (intervention group) were compared to non-beneficiaries (control group with no intervention) | Household outcome indicators: - FCS - RCSI - Resilience measured by the use of harmful livelihood strategies over the past 30 days | Food security indicators: - FCS improved significantly for the beneficiary group, particularly among IDPs and those residing in high and extreme conflict-affected areas. - RCSI significantly increased among the beneficiary group, particularly among HH residing in low conflict areas. - The program builds HH resilience, except for those who experienced a personal shock Other outcomes with potential health implications: - Intervention improved social cohesion by mitigating participant’s concern about conflict between community members and local security | The provision of agricultural inputs increased FCS shortly after the intervention, and are likely to builds resilience to shocks, especially among the most vulnerable |
Leuveld et al., 2018 [38] Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo Agricultural extension and input subsidies to reduce food insecurity. Evidence from a field experiment in the Congo | N2Africa includes agriculture extension intervention and input subsidy programme | - Clustered-randomized experimental design - Compared villages who received extension program alone versus extension program + subsidy scheme - Program implemented in 2013 − 265 HH received training only and 256 HH received training with subsidy | Household outcome indicators: - Yields (kg/hectare) - HFIA | Use of agricultural inputs: - Fertilizer and inoculant uptake significantly increased in villages who received training + input subsidy compared to villages who received training only Food production: - No significant impact on beans and cassava yields Food insecurity: - No significant impact on food security outcome Market access: - Villages with low proximity to markets have lower use of agricultural inputs | -The intervention was successful in increasing the use of yields enhancing inputs: a new technology called inoculant and chemical fertilizers - The increase in adoption of agricultural input did not translate to better yield or food security |