Community Nutrition & Food Security

Executive Summary

The Community Nutrition & Food Security Program is a comprehensive, multi-sectoral initiative designed to address the persistent challenges of malnutrition and food insecurity that affect millions of households across Kenya. Launched in 2025, this flagship program represents UWRA's commitment to translating evidence into actionable solutions that improve nutritional outcomes, enhance food systems resilience, and empower communities to achieve food sovereignty.

The program is grounded in a thorough understanding of the complex interplay between food availability, access, utilization, and stability — the four pillars of food security. It recognizes that malnutrition is not merely a consequence of food scarcity but is also driven by poor dietary diversity, inadequate nutrition knowledge, suboptimal infant and young child feeding practices, and limited access to quality health services. The program therefore adopts a holistic, systems-oriented approach that addresses both the immediate and underlying determinants of malnutrition and food insecurity.

Working across three counties in Kenya, the program combines direct nutrition interventions with capacity strengthening, policy engagement, and community mobilization. It is implemented in close partnership with county health departments, agricultural extension services, community-based organizations, and international partners. The program is designed to be scalable and replicable, with a robust monitoring and evaluation framework that enables continuous learning and adaptation.

Background & Rationale

Kenya faces a significant burden of malnutrition and food insecurity. According to recent national surveys, approximately 26% of children under five years are stunted, 4% are wasted, and 11% are underweight. These rates are higher in rural areas and among marginalized communities. Concurrently, the prevalence of overweight and obesity is rising, creating a double burden of malnutrition that strains health systems and undermines human capital development. Food insecurity, defined as the lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life, affects an estimated 40% of Kenyan households. This is exacerbated by recurrent droughts, floods, and other climate shocks, as well as economic downturns and conflict.

The consequences of malnutrition and food insecurity are profound and intergenerational. Malnutrition in early childhood leads to impaired cognitive and physical development, reduced educational attainment, and lower productivity in adulthood. It contributes to increased morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases and non-communicable diseases. Food insecurity, in turn, drives household stress, limits livelihood opportunities, and can lead to social instability. Addressing these challenges is therefore not only a moral imperative but also a strategic investment in human capital and sustainable development.

Despite the existence of evidence-based interventions to prevent and treat malnutrition, their coverage and quality remain suboptimal. There is a need to scale up proven interventions, strengthen health systems, and address the social and environmental determinants of malnutrition. The Community Nutrition & Food Security Program is designed to contribute to these goals by implementing a package of high-impact interventions that are tailored to local contexts, integrated with existing health and agricultural services, and responsive to the needs and priorities of communities.

Program Objectives

The program is guided by a set of clear, measurable objectives that address the multiple determinants of malnutrition and food insecurity.

Program Components

The program is organized around five interconnected components that address the multiple determinants of malnutrition and food security.

Component 1: Nutrition Education and Behavior Change

This component focuses on improving nutrition knowledge and practices among target populations through a range of community-based approaches. These include community nutrition education sessions, cooking demonstrations, mother-to-mother support groups, and radio-based messaging. The content covers essential nutrition topics, including optimal infant and young child feeding, dietary diversity, maternal nutrition, and the prevention of non-communicable diseases. The interventions are designed to be culturally appropriate, gender-sensitive, and accessible to diverse audiences, including people with disabilities and those living in remote areas. Social and behavior change communication (SBCC) strategies are employed to address the underlying social, cultural, and behavioral determinants of poor nutrition.

Component 2: Food Systems Strengthening and Livelihood Support

Recognizing that food insecurity is a key driver of malnutrition, this component aims to strengthen local food systems and improve household food access and stability. It includes agricultural extension support to enhance production of diverse and nutritious foods, promotion of kitchen gardening and small-scale livestock production, and support for income-generating activities that enable households to purchase food. The component also works with local markets to improve the availability and affordability of nutritious foods. Additionally, it supports food storage and preservation techniques to reduce post-harvest losses and improve year-round food availability.

Component 3: Health Systems Strengthening for Nutrition

This component focuses on improving the quality and coverage of nutrition services at the community and facility levels. It includes training health workers on the integrated management of acute malnutrition (IMAM), growth monitoring and promotion (GMP), and micronutrient supplementation. It also supports the provision of essential nutrition commodities, including vitamin A supplements, zinc, and ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTF). The component strengthens referral systems between the community and health facilities to ensure that children and women with acute malnutrition receive timely and appropriate care. It also works to integrate nutrition into routine health services, including antenatal care, postnatal care, and child health services.

Component 4: Community Resilience and Social Protection

This component aims to build community resilience to food shocks and climate variability. It supports the establishment of community-based early warning systems, disaster risk reduction planning, and social protection mechanisms, including cash transfers and food assistance. The component also promotes climate-smart agriculture practices that reduce vulnerability to droughts and floods. It works with communities to diversify livelihoods and build assets that can buffer households against shocks.

Component 5: Policy Engagement and Advocacy

This component focuses on generating and translating evidence to influence national and county-level nutrition and food security policies. It includes the production of policy briefs, evidence summaries, and technical reports; the organization of policy dialogues and stakeholder workshops; and the provision of technical assistance to county and national governments. The component also works to strengthen the capacity of civil society organizations to advocate for improved nutrition and food security policies.

Target Populations

The program targets vulnerable populations in three counties in Kenya. The primary beneficiaries include:

• Children under five years: The program focuses on preventing and treating undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies in this age group.
• Pregnant and lactating women: These women are supported through nutrition education, iron and folic acid supplementation, and improved access to antenatal care.
• Adolescents: Adolescents, especially girls, are reached through school-based and community-based nutrition education and life skills programs.
• Households in food-insecure areas: The program supports households in areas that are chronically food insecure through livelihood support and social protection.
• Community health workers and health facility staff: These frontline workers are trained and supported to deliver quality nutrition services.

Implementation Approach

The program is implemented through a multi-stakeholder, participatory approach that involves communities, county governments, and other partners at all stages. The following principles guide our implementation approach:

• Community Engagement: We work in close collaboration with communities to co-design and co-implement interventions, ensuring that they are relevant, acceptable, and sustainable.
• Integration: The program is integrated with existing health, agricultural, and social protection services to maximize efficiency and sustainability.
• Partnerships: We collaborate with a wide range of partners, including county health departments, agricultural extension services, community-based organizations, academic institutions, and international organizations.
• Evidence-Based: The program is grounded in the best available evidence and is continuously informed by monitoring and evaluation data.
• Systems Thinking: We adopt a systems approach that considers the complex interactions between food, health, environment, and social systems.
• Equity and Inclusion: The program is designed to address inequalities and reach those who are most marginalized and underserved.

Partners

The program is implemented in partnership with a range of organizations and institutions that bring complementary expertise and resources.

• County Governments: The program works closely with county health and agricultural departments to align with local priorities and systems.
• Community-Based Organizations: Local CBOs are engaged in community mobilization, outreach, and implementation of interventions.
• Academic Institutions: Partnerships with universities support research, monitoring and evaluation, and capacity strengthening.
• International Organizations: Collaboration with organizations such as WHO, UNICEF, and WFP supports technical assistance and resource mobilization.
• Private Sector: Engagement with the private sector supports food fortification, market development, and innovation.

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning

The program has a robust monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) system that tracks progress toward objectives, assesses effectiveness, and generates evidence for program improvement. Key elements of the MEL system include:

• Baseline and Endline Surveys: Comprehensive household surveys measure changes in nutrition, food security, and related indicators.
• Routine Data Collection: Health management information systems (HMIS), community registers, and program monitoring tools provide ongoing data on service coverage and quality.
• Qualitative Research: Focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, and participant observation explore experiences, barriers, and enablers.
• Regular Reviews: Quarterly and annual reviews enable learning and adaptation.
• Dissemination: Findings are disseminated through reports, policy briefs, presentations, and publications.

Expected Outcomes

By the end of the program, we expect to achieve the following outcomes:

• Improved Nutrition Knowledge: At least 80% of target caregivers will demonstrate improved nutrition knowledge and practices.
• Reduced Malnutrition: Stunting, wasting, and underweight prevalence will decline by at least 20% among children under five in target areas.
• Improved Food Security: At least 50% of target households will have improved food security status, as measured by reduced food insecurity scores.
• Enhanced Service Delivery: At least 90% of health facilities will provide quality nutrition services, as measured by performance standards.
• Strengthened Community Resilience: Target communities will demonstrate enhanced capacity to respond to food shocks and climate variability.
• Influenced Policy: At least three policy documents will incorporate evidence generated by the program.