Results for Development supports change agents to generate and translate evidence to inform nutrition investments and programming. We co-create evidence, develop user-centered data tools and approaches, and advocate for improved data use to inform decision-making to address malnutrition around the world.
Evidence Generation & Translation
The Challenge
Malnutrition is on the rise, exacerbated by conflict, climate change and the lasting impacts of COVID-19. Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of zero hunger and ending poverty and malnutrition by 2030 requires innovative, sustainable solutions guided by data and evidence to inform and improve them. However, significant gaps in the availability of high-quality data on nutrition — both the nutritional status of different populations and the reach and impact of nutrition interventions — hinder change agents’ ability to make effective decisions and track progress in the fight against malnutrition.
Despite calls for data revolutions, data gaps and limitations are frequently cited as critical bottlenecks among nutrition and food systems stakeholders. Change agents around the globe are asking for help answering key questions, including:
- What data and evidence are needed to better address malnutrition?
- How can data be used more effectively to support decision-making in nutrition and food systems across global, national and subnational institutions?
- What capacities are needed to enable the use of data to support decision-making in nutrition and food systems?
- What food systems activities or interventions can improve nutrition outcomes?
- How can progress be measured and different parties be held accountable for nutrition efforts at all levels?
- What progress has been made, and how can data be used to help track and improve program performance?
- What are the costs – in terms of finances and other resources – to collect accurate, timely and adequate nutrition information at the population level? How can governments finance these costs sustainably?
Our Approach
Results for Development is working to answer these questions. Our demand-driven approach supports change agents to solve real challenges they are facing. Together, we co-design user-centered data monitoring tools, analyze costs and financing information, strengthen capacity to conduct and use high-quality research, and advocate for improved nutrition data.
Some examples of how we do this include:
- Strengthening nutrition information systems to improve data use for decision making
- Using evidence to identify and test solutions to complex food systems challenges
- Developing data visualization tools like scorecards to support advocacy and accountability
- Developing tools and approaches to build evidence on costs and benefits of multisectoral nutrition
- Designing and implementing research
- Contributing technical expertise related to survey design, indicator selection and monitoring, evaluation and learning
Examples of our Work
- R4D, Johns Hopkins University and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) are implementing the DataDENT initiative to increase nutrition data availability and use. DataDENT addresses gaps in nutrition indicator measurement, advocates for strong nutrition data systems, and assesses capacity building efforts related to nutrition data in low- and middle-income countries. R4D’s focus includes developing a framework for costing strategic plans and recommending financing strategies for nutrition data systems at the global level, and in Ethiopia and Nigeria.
- R4D led Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning for USAID’s flagship nutrition project, USAID Advancing Nutrition, which operated in 11 countries and produced evidence to support nutrition policy and programs globally. The project produced numerous peer reviewed publications strengthening the evidence used by USAID and contributing to the evidence base available to the global nutrition community. R4D designed and led collaborating, learning and adapting (CLA) on the project to strengthen adaptive management and implemented learning agendas on women’s diets, capacity strengthening, and wasting to inform USAID decision-making.
- The Strengthening Economic Evaluation for Multisectoral Strategies for Nutrition (SEEMS-Nutrition) project, led by the University of Washington Department of Global Health, developed a common approach to address the global information gap on measuring costs, determining cost-effectiveness, and capturing benefits of multisectoral nutrition programs. Within the SEEMS-Nutrition partnership, R4D worked to ensure the common approach was responsive to decision makers’ needs. We convened the Policy Advisory Group bringing together global stakeholders to understand how evaluation data can support decisions to invest in, scale-up and set policy guidelines for nutrition programs. R4D also worked closely with the University of Washington to create a publicly available stepwise guide for applying the SEEMS common approach to costing studies.
- R4D developed a Nutrition Investment Toolkit for the Millenium Challenge Corporation (MCC) to support the design and implementation of nutrition-related activities within large MCC investments. The toolkit promotes a nutrition-smart approach that considers the impacts that investments in any sector may have on nutrition. It identifies nutrition-related activities with the best return on investment. It also recommends tools for measuring and modeling nutrition-related benefits from interventions that are intentionally designed to improve food systems, health, and nutrition outcomes. R4D continues to support MCC with training, dissemination, and application of the toolkit’s resources.
