Nutritional Assurance

The challenge

Good nutrition is the foundation of a healthy, productive life, yet it remains out of reach for many rural families in Pakistan. The National Nutrition Survey 2018 found that 40.2 percent of children under five were stunted and 17.7 percent were wasted, and that 36.9 percent of households were food insecure. Limited dietary diversity, low incomes and weak knowledge of feeding and hygiene practices all contribute, and the burden falls hardest on women and young children. Families who grow food often still lack the skills, inputs and time to produce and prepare a balanced diet.

Sources: Government of Pakistan and UNICEF, National Nutrition Survey 2018, Key Findings Report.

Our approach

Through the Women Open School, women learn kitchen gardening, safe food handling and food preservation, and put diversified diets into practice at home.

Key interventions

• Homestead (kitchen) gardens established by trained women
• Food preservation training and the development of new food products
• Safe food handling and diversified diets through the Women Open School
• Ration distribution to improve the nutrition security of farmers (GAIN, 2021)
• Gap analysis of the Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Strategy, Punjab, District Muzaffargarh (2022)

Results in numbers

• 9,841Women trained in homestead gardening
• 9,841Homestead gardens established
• 2,321Women trained in food preservation
• 35New food products developed

Related projects

Models used

Women Open School (WOS) and Farmer Field School (FFS).

Partners and donors

Donors and partners for individual projects are listed on each project page.

SDG alignment

• 2 SDG 2: Zero hunger
• 3 SDG 3: Good health and well-being
• 5 SDG 5: Gender equality

Stories from the field

Resources and downloads