Nutrition and Resilience: Discussion Brief on Better Integration of Nutrition into Resilience-Strengthening Programs

This discussion brief intends to promote a greater understanding of the relationships between nutrition and resilience and inform debate among policymakers, technical advisors, and practitioners responsible for designing, implementing, or evaluating program approaches to strengthening both.

Emerging evidence confirms the role of positive nutrition outcomes in strengthening resilience capacities. This evidence also highlights the importance of considering potential shocks and stresses as contextual factors for nutrition programming. By summarizing relevant concepts, identifying practical examples of integrated resilience and nutrition programming in the face of shocks and stresses, and outlining priorities for further research, this brief aims to support continual learning on how best to maintain and improve the well-being—including nutrition—of vulnerable populations.

Among other insights, this discussion brief advocates for the wider adoption of the following practices:

• Comparing the resilience capacity of population groups;
• Incorporating nutrition analysis and programming as key components of resilience-strengthening initiatives;
• Considering the context-specific impacts of shocks and their management on nutrition carefully;
• Strengthening and prioritizing shock-responsive, nutrition-sensitive interventions (climate-smart agriculture, livelihood diversification, targeted safety nets, access to financial services, etc.); and
• Preparing to scale up nutrition-specific interventions during shocks.