Impacts of the World Food Programme’s interventions to treat malnutrition in Niger

Abstract

This study examined the impacts of nutrition interventions from the World Food Programme’s (WFP) Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation (PRRO) on the incidence of moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) in Niger. PRRO aims to reduce MAM through targeted food assistance (TFA) and blanket supplementary feeding (BSF) during Niger’s lean season (June to September); targeted supplementary feeding (TSF) to treat children already suffering from MAM; and food for assets (FFA) activities, including land rehabilitation, water harvesting and local purchases. Using panel survey data on children aged 6–59 months collected by the Niger Institute for National Statistics (INS), and focus groups, the authors found that children in households receiving FFA plus at least one of TFA, TSF and BSF were almost 20% less likely to suffer MAM than those in households who received no assistance; and 15.5% less likely to experience MAM than those in households that received only treatment and/or prevention assistance. The average cost of bringing a MAM child to non-MAM status was estimated at US$352.60 from the combination of BSF, TFA and FFA activities. Treatment and/or prevention programming without FFA generated perverse incentives including migration (to gain remittances); and redirecting malnutrition treatment from eligible children to other household members or selling in markets (re-inducing malnutrition in cured children to maintain eligibility for support). Although FFA is not specifically designed to combat MAM, it has less capacity for transfer. Those who received FFA experienced fewer nutritional crises, a reduction in labour migration and increased productive assets and usage of fertilisers. This work is part of the ‘Humanitarian Innovation and Evidence Programme: greater use of evidence and innovation in humanitarian responses’ programme