Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare announces collaboration with ISB-led consortium to strengthen agriculture-nutrition convergence

Indian School of Business (ISB) today announced its collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India to further strengthen agriculture-nutrition convergence. The collaboration will be led by ISB, the University of Sheffield (UoS) and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).  This was formally announced by Shri Manoj Ahuja, IAS, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, at an event in Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi. Senior officials of the ministry, professors from ISB, UoS, LSHTM, and senior representatives from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, MicroSave Consulting (MSC) and Policy Development and Advisory Group (PDAG) were present on the occasion.

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Shri Manoj Ahuja, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, said, “The need to improve nutrition, particularly of the underprivileged population, is of prime importance. There must be convergence of policies and programmes in agriculture and nutrition to address this pressing need. I am happy we are embarking on this journey with the consortium led by ISB; the Ministry will fully support this collaboration to strengthen research and policy for improved nutrition outcomes.”

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Dr. Abhilaksh Likhi, Additional Secretary, Pramod Kumar Meherda, Additional Secretary, Dr. Vijaya Lakshmi Nadendla, Joint Secretary, Shubha Thakur, Joint Secretary and Kapil Bendre, Director, interacted with the consortium representatives at the launch meeting. 

ISB will anchor this collaboration in the Ministry which will further augment the government’s efforts in improving nutrition outcomes and strengthening agriculture-nutrition convergence while establishing an institutional mechanism to identify convergence opportunities at both central and state levels.

Prof Ashwini Chhatre, Executive Director, Bharti Institute of Public Policy, ISB, said, “The needle on nutrition in India has been hard to move. The collaboration, with a focus on Nutrient-Dense Foods (NDFs) such as fruits & vegetables (F&Vs) and animal source foods (ASFs), will support Government of India’s efforts in creating long-lasting impact pathways to improve nutrition outcomes amongst the low-income population”.

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Over a five-year period, UoS, LHSTM, & ISB, along with ISB’s implementation partners – CInI-TATA Trusts, MSC and PDAG, will work towards the vision to increase the accessibility, availability, and affordability of Nutrient-Dense Foods for low-income population in underserved areas through agriculture-nutrition policy convergence, such that improving nutrition outcomes amongst the target audience becomes a stable policy outcome over an extended time horizon.

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Prof. Bhavani Shankar, University of Sheffield, shared, “The collaboration will facilitate a framework for co-design and co-delivery with policy stakeholders of scalable, equitable, and sustainable interventions to improve the consumption of F&Vs and ASFs towards improving diet quality in India.”