Feed the Future Ethiopia Study of Animal Food Markets in Rural Areas (SAFIRA)
In Ethiopia, TMG is a member of the JSI-led consortium on the Feed the Future Ethiopia Study on Animal Food Markets in Rural Areas (SAFIRA). TMG, in partnership with consortium partner IFPRI, is conducting research into how to maximize the role that markets play to support improved nutrition, especially in the first 1000 days of life. Research is focused on determining if market-centered interventions can successfully increase the intake of animal-sourced foods (ASFs) in children 6 – 23 months of age in Tigray, Ethiopia. TMG provides leadership in the design, analysis and reporting of qualitative formative research that offers evidence-based recommendations to define key market-based practices that may improve the availability and affordability of and the demand for and consumption of ASFs. TMG is also helping to design a package of supply- and demand-side behavior change interventions leveraging incentives and reducing key barriers to sale, purchase, and consumption of ASFs in 30 local market areas in Tigray. TMG joined a small panel of experts to prepare the research reports and disseminate the findings and recommendations through a series of research briefs, blogs, a webinar, and presentations.
Growth through Nutrition
Growth Through Nutrition, a flagship, multi-sectoral nutrition project aims to improve the nutritional status of 14 million pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, adolescent girls, and young children in four regions (Amhara, Oromia, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR) and Tigray) through health service improvements, increased production and availability of quality food, WASH products and services, and SBCC. TMG provided technical leadership for the project’s SBCC component, beginning with the design and oversight of behavioral research to support strategy development. TMG designed two major qualitative studies — TIPs for maternal nutrition and research to learn more about the behavioral and socio-cultural context of adolescent girls’ nutrition-related practices — and provided technical assistance for the data collection and analysis, as well as report writing. Research findings and recommendations were used to inform TMG’s design of creative concepts, SBCC materials, and SBCC interventions to foster the adoption of improved nutrition practices in rural households throughout the project area.