Do social protection programs in South Asia have the potential to be nutrition-sensitive? 1 Do social protection programs in South Asia have the potential to be nutrition- sensitive? Insights from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan Research Note 11 December 2023 ABOUT THIS NOTE TYPES OF SOCIAL PROTECTION Social protection programs (SPPs) are designed to help PROGRAMS individuals and households cope with chronic poverty, The World Bank’s ASPIRE project classifies SPPs into eight destitution, and vulnerability.1 In the context of food categories. We did not consider two of the eight categories systems, SPPs can help tackle the challenge of affordability (fee waivers and targeted subsidies; other social assistance of healthy diets. Nutrition-sensitive SPPs include including scholarships and tax exemptions) that are not conditions or additional interventions that enhance direct transfers. We identified and summarized SPPs in impacts on nutrition.2 This research note organizes SPPs in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan under the other six South Asia using an existing framework, describes their categories shown in Figure 1. characteristics (scale, entitled benefits, and eligibility) and provides examples of features that can be added to SPPs to make them more nutrition-sensitive. UNCONDITIONAL CASH TRANSFERS CONDITIONAL CASH TRANSFERS KEY MESSAGES Existing social protection programs can be made more nutrition-sensitive by incorporating design features SOCIAL PENSIONS (NONCONTRIBUTORY) such as: • Targeting households with pregnant women and/or young children (under 2 years old). FOOD TRANSFERS • Using targeting mechanisms to reach the poorest, most food insecure households with limited access to nutritious foods. SCHOOL FEEDING • Including a nutrition behavior change communication (BCC) component. PUBLIC WORKS • Linking the program to health services and ensuring that beneficiaries have access to – and use – preventive/curative health services/ FEE WAIVERS AND TARGETED SUBSIDIES • Including interventions to empower women. • Providing or ensuring access to foods (or food vouchers) with a high nutritional value. OTHER SOCIAL ASSISTANCE • Including other measures to promote healthy diets and improve nutrition outcomes. Figure 1. Categories of social protection programs Source: World Bank Atlas of Social Protection: Indicators of Resilience and Equity (ASPIRE) project1. Do social protection programs in South Asia have the potential to be nutrition-sensitive? 2 DEFINING NUTRITION-SENSITIVE The contribution of food transfers to nutrition relative to cash transfers can be enhanced by judicious choice of What makes an SPP nutrition-sensitive? There is no foods and by the inclusion of (bio)fortified foods, especially standard formal definition of nutrition-sensitive, but in this in areas where MN deficiencies are prevalent. As with cash, note, we offer a working definition and provide examples a full assessment of the nutrition sensitivity of food or other of how SPPs can be made more nutrition-sensitive. in-kind transfers includes the role of design features beyond the budgetary support from the transfer. While all transfers, whether cash or food, can increase food consumption, nutrition-sensitive SPPs enhance their Programs that empower women or that are linked to a nutritional impact through design features such as nutrition intervention such as BCC are likely to increase the targeting, behavior change communication (BCC), linkage nutrition sensitivity of the SPP; and there is evidence that to health services, empowering women, or other measures they indeed have greater impact on nutritional outcomes to improve nutrition outcomes. when incorporated into the SPPs.3 Cash may or may not be nutrition-sensitive, depending on Similarly, programs can be made more nutrition-sensitive the nature and objectives of the transfer.3 Any cash that a by targeting households with members in the “1,000 days” household receives is an additional resource to purchase period from pregnancy to the child’s second birthday, a food, and poor households typically spend more than half critical window for improving nutrition. of their income on food.4 However, to be nutrition-sensitive, It should not be forgotten that coordination across multiple the transfer should be linked with nutrition goals and agencies responsible for planning or delivering different objectives. For example, a cash transfer that includes BCC intervention components is critical for achieving nutrition on healthy food purchasing behaviors would be more impacts through SPPs. Some of the best opportunities for nutrition-sensitive than a cash transfer without such BCC. improving nutrition may lie at the intersection of Food transfers may or may not be nutrition-sensitive, agriculture, food system, education, and health sectors. For depending on the type of food provided and the nature of example, a school meal program may be enhanced the nutrition problem in the population targeted. For through tie-ups with local farmer organizations and example, a cooking oil subsidy in a population with high healthcare workers to introduce fresh vegetables to meals rates of overweight/obesity and micronutrient (MN) and educate students about healthy diets. Without proper deficiencies would not be expected to lead to interministerial coordination, however, such a program improvements in MN status and could worsen would likely have limited success. overweight/obesity. Photo credit: Akram Ali/CARE Bangladesh Strengthening the Dairy Value Chain (SDVC) project Do social protection programs in South Asia have the potential to be nutrition-sensitive? 3 Photo credit: Daniele Romeo / Alamy Stock Photo HOW TO MAKE SOCIAL There is evidence that including several of these features PROTECTION PROGRAMS MORE may lead to greater nutrition impacts. For example, in Bangladesh, a randomized controlled trial found that NUTRITION-SENSITIVE including both agriculture and nutrition trainings led to The following features can be considered in the design larger impacts on dietary diversity than either training of new SPPs or as add-ons to existing SPPs to make alone (Ahmed et al. 2023). them more nutrition-sensitive: In Table 1 on the following pages, we list different types of • Targeting households with pregnant women SPPs and indicate potential opportunities to make them and/or young children (under 2 years old). more nutrition-sensitive. We note that not all SPPs were • Using targeting mechanisms to reach the poorest, designed with nutrition in mind or have obvious entry most food insecure households with limited points for adding nutrition-sensitive components, hence access to nutritious foods. we judge that some types of SPPs have limited scope for • Including a nutrition BCC component. enhancing nutrition sensitivity. However, the examples • Linking the program to health services and provided for increasing nutrition sensitivity are illustrative, ensuring that beneficiaries have access to – and and each program team should discuss the best ways to use – preventive/curative health services/ make their program more nutrition-sensitive based on • Including interventions to empower women. available resources, beneficiary needs, and the context. • Providing or ensuring access to foods (or food vouchers) with a high nutritional value. • Including other measures to promote healthy diets and improve nutrition outcomes. Do social protection programs in South Asia have the potential to be nutrition-sensitive? 4 Table 1. Opportunities for increasing nutrition sensitivity of SPPs by program type Program category Program subcategory Potential for Examples of possible opportunities to increase adding nutrition- nutrition sensitivity sensitive components ⏺Low ⏺Med ⏺High Unconditional cash Poverty-targeted cash Ensure 1,000-day households are targeted; use existing transfers transfers, last-resort ⏺ nutrition surveys to target poor, undernourished, or programs over-nourished populations Family, children, orphan allowance, ⏺ including orphans and Add BCC on healthy diet and physical activity vulnerable children benefits Noncontributory funeral grants, burial ⏺ Limited scope for increasing nutrition sensitivity allowances Emergency cash Add malnutrition screening/treatment; preventive support, including ⏺ interventions (including distribution of specially support to refugees formulated foods for infants and young children); and returning migrants ensure availability of preventive and curative health services. Public charity, including ⏺ Limited scope for increasing nutrition sensitivity zakat Condition transfer on participation in BCC for healthy Conditional cash Women/pregnant ⏺ diets; completion of ANC visits and immunization/well transfers women baby clinics for 0-23 mo old children; use program to target preventive nutritional supplements to pregnant women and to children 6-23 mo old if appropriate. Add BCC to encourage healthy diets; and discourage Students consumption of unhealthy foods while in transit ⏺ to/from school Social pensions Old-age social pensions ⏺ Limited scope for increasing nutrition sensitivity (noncontributory) Widow allowances ⏺ Limited scope for increasing nutrition sensitivity Disability benefits ⏺ Limited scope for increasing nutrition sensitivity War veteran benefits ⏺ Limited scope for increasing nutrition sensitivity Survivorship benefits ⏺ Limited scope for increasing nutrition sensitivity Food and in-kind Food stamps, rations, Provide stamps/vouchers specifically for healthy foods transfers vouchers ⏺ such as fruits or vegetables, whole grains, dairy products, eggs Nutrition programs (therapeutic, Enhance nutritional quality of supplements; screening supplementary ⏺ to identify those who would benefit most feeding) School supplies (free textbooks, uniforms) ⏺ Limited scope for increasing nutrition sensitivity In-kind/nonfood emergency support ⏺ Limited scope for increasing nutrition sensitivity Other in-kind transfers ⏺ Limited scope for increasing nutrition sensitivity School feeding School feeding Add BCC to educate students about healthy eating and programs ⏺ lifestyle and discourage unhealthy food consumption outside of school; enhance school meal quality. Public works, workfare, Provide BCC on investing in nutritious foods and and direct job creation Cash-for-work ⏺ healthy diets Food-for-work, including food-for- Provide nutrient rich foods; prioritize nutritionally- ⏺ training, food-for-assets vulnerable households Note: The ratings are the authors’ subjective assessments. Do social protection programs in South Asia have the potential to be nutrition-sensitive? 5 SUMMARY OF EXISTING SOCIAL PROTECTION PROGRAMS We used information from socialprotection.org, supplemented with web searches and discussions with in-country partners, to identify the number of SPPs that currently exist in each country (Table 2). To limit the scope of this note, we only included programs under the initiative of the national governments. Most of the programs included are large-scale programs covering most of the respective country. Bangladesh had the most SPPs (27) and Pakistan had the least (6). Tables 3, 4, 5, and 6 provide additional details on program scale, entitlements, and eligibility requirements in each country. Photo credit: Shawn Sebastian Table 2. Social protection program subcategories and number of programs per subcategory in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan Program category Program subcategory BD IN NP PK Unconditional cash transfers Poverty-targeted cash transfers, last-resort programs 3  1 1 Family, children, orphan allowance, including orphans and     vulnerable children benefits Noncontributory funeral grants, burial allowances     Emergency cash support, including support to refugees    1 and returning migrants Public charity, including zakat     Conditional cash transfers Women/pregnant women 2 2 2 2 Students 5  1  Social pensions (noncontributory) Old-age social pensions 1 1 1  Widow allowance 1 1 1  Disability benefits 1 1 1  War veteran benefits 2    Survivorship benefits     Food and in-kind transfers Food stamps, rations, vouchers 6 1  1 Nutrition programs (therapeutic, supplementary feeding)  1 1 1 School supplies (free textbooks, uniforms)   1  In-kind/nonfood emergency support 1    Other in-kind transfers     School feeding School feeding programs 1 1 1  Public works, workfare, and direct Cash-for-work 2 1 1  job creation Food-for-work, including food-for-training, food-for-assets 2    Total 27 9 11 6 BD=Bangladesh, IN=India, NP=Nepal, PK=Pakistan =Program does not exist Do social protection programs in South Asia have the potential to be nutrition-sensitive? 6 Social protection programs in Bangladesh Table 3. Social protection programs in Bangladesh SPP subcategory Name Program Entitled benefits Eligibility Nutrition scale sensitive feature? Unconditional cash Targeted ultra-poor National Half a day’s worth of Ultra-poor No transfers program casual labor households Poverty-targeted Stipend for National BDT 700 taka per Hijra, Bede, and cash transfers improving the month at elementary disadvantage livelihood of level, communities transgender, Bede, BDT 800 per month and disadvantaged up to secondary level, communities BDT 1,000 per month at upper secondary level, and BDT 1200 per month at higher Hijra aged 50 or level older Skilled training Bede aged 50 or allowance of BDT older 10,000 BDT 600 per month hijra BDT 500 per month for Bede Special assistance for Region Cash transfer Details not No development of specific available people in chars, haors, and backward areas Emergency cash  support to refugees and returning migrants Conditional cash transfers Women/Pregnant Mother and Child 64 districts BDT 800 per month Pregnant and Yes (targets women benefit program until child is 3 yrs. lactating women 1,000 days) Assistance for National BDT 800 per month Working Yes (targets working lactating lactating women 1,000 days) mothers Students Primary Education National BDT 50-300 per All primary No Stipend prog. month school children enrolled in participating primary schools Stipends for 487 districts BDT 1,300-1,800 per School enrolled No secondary, higher month youth (40% secondary, and female and 10% madrasah education male) level students BDT=Bangladesh taka =Program does not exist Do social protection programs in South Asia have the potential to be nutrition-sensitive? 7 Social protection programs in Bangladesh Table 3. Social protection programs in Bangladesh (continued) SPP subcategory Name Program Entitled benefits Eligibility Nutrition scale sensitive feature? Stipends for National BDT 8000 per Conditional upon No undergraduate student enrolled in school grades and postgraduate science and BDT level students 6000 per student enrolled in commerce Stipends for National BDT 6000 Details not available students of technical education institutions Stipends for National Primary Level BDT Candidate must be 5 No Physically 300 taka monthly, year of age above, Challenged High School Level (vi- must be the Students x) BDT 450 taka handicapped, must monthly, College be a Student with Level (xi-xii) BDT 600 Disabilities attending taka monthly and any of the University Level educational (Graduation and Institutions, must above) BDT 1000 taka have an attendance monthly. rate of 50%, must attend the annual examination and must bear a registration certificate issued by the District Social Services Office. Social pensions Old-age social Old-age Allowance National BDT 500 per month Men above 65 and No pensions prog. women above 62 years Widow allowance Husband-Deserted; National BDT 500 per month Widows and No Widowed and husband-deserted Destitute Women women Allowance Disability benefits Allowance for National BDT 700 per month Person living with a No financially hearing, visual, insolvent persons speech, intellectual, with disabilities and/or physical impairment War veteran benefits Honorarium for National BDT 20,000 per War veteran No freedom fighter month heroes Honorarium and National Details not available Injured freedom No medical fighters and families allowances for of martyred and sick injured freedom freedom fighters fighter heroes BDT=Bangladesh taka =Program does not exist Do social protection programs in South Asia have the potential to be nutrition-sensitive? 8 Social protection programs in Bangladesh Table 3. Social protection programs in Bangladesh (continued) SPP subcategory Name Program Entitled benefits Eligibility Nutrition scale sensitive feature? Food and in-kind Vulnerable Group National 30 kg of rice per Poor households No transfers Development (VGD)/ month per household Vulnerable Group National 10-30 kg of rice/wheat Poor households No Feeding (VGF) per month per household Khaddya Bandhob National 30 kg of subsidized Poor households No Karmosuchi (KBK) rice per month per family Open Market Sales National 5 kg of subsidized rice Poor households No (OMS) per day per family Food Assistance in Chittagong Details not available Details not No Ctg-HTA hill tracts available Ration for Shaheed National Rice-30 kg Wounded freedo No (Martyred) Family Oil-6 liters m fighters and and Honorable Lentils-4 kg (per families of the Injured Freedom household per martyrs of Fighters month) liberation war Nutrition programs  (therapeutic, supplementary feeding) School supplies (free  textbooks, uniforms) In-kind/nonfood PM's rehabilitation National BDT 50,000 lump Flood affected No emergency support assistance to the sum families people of river erosion affected areas Other in-kind transfers  School feeding School feeding Three One 75-gram packet All students Yes (food) program districts of fortified biscuits enrolled in a under Cox’s primary schools Bazar and under Rohingya Bhasan refugees' camps. Char Primary school 150 poverty Biscuits All students Yes (food) feeding project prone sub- +egg/banana/milk+ enrolled in a phase-1 districts hot meals primary schools Public works, workfare, and direct job creation Cash-for-work Employment National 80 days of Poor and No generation program guaranteed vulnerable for the poorest employment per families year BDT=Bangladesh taka =Program does not exist Do social protection programs in South Asia have the potential to be nutrition-sensitive? 9 Social protection programs in Bangladesh Table 3. Social protection programs in Bangladesh (continued) SPP subcategory Name Program Entitled benefits Eligibility Nutrition scale sensitive feature? Work For Money National 8 kg rice for 7 hours People who own No (WFM) (Rural) of work or cash at most 50 acres equivalent of land and those affected by river erosion or natural disasters Food-for-work Test relief National 8 kg of rice per 7 Poor and No hours of work vulnerable families Food For Work National 12 kg of rice / 18 kg of Unemployed, No (FFW) wheat (depending poor, and food on locality) for every insecure people, 7 hours of work. landless due to natural disaster; and ownership of less than 0.5 acre of land. BDT=Bangladesh taka =Program does not exist Photo credit: Samuel Scott Do social protection programs in South Asia have the potential to be nutrition-sensitive? 10 Social protection programs in India Table 4. Social protection programs in India SPP subcategory Name Program Entitled benefits Eligibility Nutrition scale sensitive feature? Unconditional cash transfers Poverty-targeted  cash transfers Emergency cash  support to refugees and returning migrants Conditional cash transfers Women/pregnant Janani Suraksha National INR 1,000-1400 per All women who Yes (targets women Yojana (JSY) birth gives birth in a 1,000 days) public health facility Pradhan Mantri National INR 5,000 (in 3 Pregnant Yes (targets Matritva Vandana installments) for first women (1st and 1,000 days) Yojana (PMMVY) child and INR 5,000 2nd pregnancy) for 2nd child if 2nd child is a girl Students  Social pensions Old-age social Indira Gandhi National INR 200-500 per Above 60 years No pensions National Old Age month member of a Pension Scheme BPL households Widow allowances Indira Gandhi National INR 300-500 per Above 40 years No National Widow month widow member Pension Scheme of a BPL households Disability benefits Indira Gandhi National INR 300-500 per Above 18 years No National Disability month disabled Pension Scheme member of a BPL households War veteran benefits  Food and in-kind transfers Food stamps, rations, Public Distribution National Subsidized rice and All households Maybe vouchers System wheat but BPL are (fortified entitled more staples) Nutrition programs ICDS Food National Food supplement of All Yes (targets (therapeutic, Supplements 600 calories of energy pregnant/lactati 1,000 supplementary and 18-20 grams of ng women and days+food) feeding) protein per day children below 5 years School supplies (free  textbooks, uniforms) In-kind/nonfood  emergency support Other in-kind transfers  BPL=below poverty line; INR=Indian rupees =Program does not exist Do social protection programs in South Asia have the potential to be nutrition-sensitive? 11 Social protection programs in India Table 4. Social protection programs in India (continued) SPP subcategory Name Program Entitled benefits Eligibility Nutrition scale sensitive feature? School feeding Mid-Day meal National School meal All students Maybe consisting of 450-700 enrolled in public (depending calories in total school on type of food given) Public works, workfare, and direct job creation Cash-for-work Mahatma Gandhi National 100 days of Poor and No National Rural guaranteed vulnerable Employment employment per families Guarantee Act year Food-for-work  BPL=below poverty line; INR=Indian rupees =Program does not exist Photo credit: Shawn Sebastian Do social protection programs in South Asia have the potential to be nutrition-sensitive? 12 Social protection programs in Nepal Table 5. Social protection programs in Nepal SPP subcategory Name Program Entitled Eligibility Nutrition scale benefits sensitive feature? Unconditional cash transfers Poverty-targeted Endangered National NPR 3,990 per Endangered ethnic No cash transfers indigenous peoples month groups allowance or endangered ethnicity grant Emergency cash  support to refugees and returning migrants Conditional cash transfers Women/pregnant Aama program National NPR 1,000-3,000 All pregnant women Yes (targets women for delivery and and women giving 1000-days) NPR 400 for birth in a public completing 4 health facility antenatal care visits Child grant program 25 districts NPR 532 per All children less than Yes (targets month 5 years 1000-days) Students Stipend program National NPR 350-24,000 Dalits, girls, people No per year with disabilities, endangered ethnic groups, conflict and martyr’s child Social pensions Old-age social Old Age allowance National NPR 2,660-4,000 People older than 70 No pensions (OAA) or senior per month years; but above 60 citizen’s allowance for Dalits and people from Karnali province Widow allowances Single women’s or National NPR 2,660 per Widows of all ages No widow allowance month and single women aged 60 or older Disability benefits Disability grant National NPR 2,128-3,990 People living with No per month disabilities over the age of 16 War veteran benefits  Food and in-kind transfers Food stamps, rations,  vouchers Nutrition programs Mother child health Karnali 3 kg rice per Pregnant/lactating Yes (targets (therapeutic, and nutrition province month women and children 1,000 supplementary program (6-59 months) days+food) feeding) NPR=Nepali rupees =Program does not exist Do social protection programs in South Asia have the potential to be nutrition-sensitive? 13 Social protection programs in Nepal Table 5. Social protection programs in Nepal (continued) SPP subcategory Name Program Entitled Eligibility Nutrition scale benefits sensitive feature? School supplies (free Scholarship program National Fee waiver Dalits, girls, people No textbooks, uniforms) with disabilities, endangered ethnic groups, conflict and martyr’s child In-kind/nonfood  emergency support Other in-kind transfers  School feeding National school 40 districts School meal All primary students Yes (food) meals program and consisting of 470 enrolled in a public food for education calories school Public works, workfare, and direct job creation Cash-for-work Prime minister National 100 days of Individuals with less No employment guaranteed than 100 days of program employment employment per per year year Food-for-work  NPR=Nepali rupees =Program does not exist Photo credit: Samuel Scott Do social protection programs in South Asia have the potential to be nutrition-sensitive? 14 Social protection programs in Pakistan Table 6. Social protection programs in Pakistan SPP subcategory Name Program Entitled benefits Eligibility Nutrition scale sensitive feature? Unconditional cash transfers Poverty-targeted Ehsaas’ kafaalat National PKR 2,000 per Poor households No cash transfers program month Emergency cash Temporarily Federally PKR 4,000 per People living in No support to refugees displaced persons Administere month for four FATA; All and returning emergency recovery d Tribal Area months per family households from migrants project (FATA) the same areas, with old Conditional cash transfers Women/Pregnant Women National Daily stipend of Widows with Yes women empowerment PKR 30 dependent children; (Women center Orphans: Destitute: empowerm Poor Female: ent) Child wellness grant Federally PKR 7,500 in three Children aged 0-2 Yes (targets Administere equal installments years 1,000 days) d Tribal Area (FATA) Students  Social pensions Old-age social  pensions Widow allowance  Disability benefits  War veteran benefits  Food and in-kind transfers Food stamps, rations, Ehsaas langars National Two times food Poor No vouchers Scheme daily Nutrition programs Benazir nashonoma National Quarterly PKR 1,500 Pregnant/lactating Yes(targets (therapeutic, for pregnant and women and 1,000 days + supplementary lactating women children nutrition feeding) and boy child, and education) PKR 2,000 for girl child School supplies (free  textbooks, uniforms) In-kind/nonfood  emergency support Other in-kind transfers  School feeding  Public works, workfare, and direct job creation Cash-for-work  Food-for-work  PKR=Pakistani rupees =Program does not exist Do social protection programs in South Asia have the potential to be nutrition-sensitive? 15 SUMMARY & POLICY IMPLICATIONS • Social protection programs (SPPs) are a key policy instrument in South Asia. Most SPPs in South Asia target poverty and food insecurity, but relatively few were originally designed to improve nutrition. • There are gaps in SPPs for all four countries (i.e., not all types of SPPs exist in a country) covered in this research note. Programs not considered may or may not fill these gaps. • Providing (bio)fortified versions of these foods or adding foods with high nutritional value would make SPPs more nutrition-sensitive and could address the challenge of affordability of healthy diets in South Asia. • There is a missed opportunity for existing SPPs to impact nutrition. Opportunities for making SPPs more nutrition- sensitive include: • Targeting nutritionally vulnerable individuals (women, young children, school children). • Targeting the program to poor, food insecure, and nutritionally vulnerable households. • Including nutrition behavior change communication. • Linking beneficiaries to health services (or establishing health conditionality in SPPs). • Including interventions to empower women. • Providing or ensuring access to foods (or food vouchers) with a high nutritional value. • Including other measures to promote healthy diets and improve nutrition outcomes. • Conditional cash transfers for women, food stamps/rations/vouchers (focused on nutritious foods), and healthy and nutritious school feeding programs have ‘high’ potential for being made more nutrition-sensitive through the addition of one or more features mentioned above. Photo credit: Friedrich Stark / Alamy Stock Photo Do social protection programs in South Asia have the potential to be nutrition-sensitive? 16 ABOUT TAFSSA TAFSSA (Transforming Agrifood AUTHORS Systems in South Asia) is a CGIAR Samuel Scott, Research Fellow, IFPRI, USA Sumanta Neupane, Program Manager, IFPRI, Nepal Regional Integrated Initiative to Harold Alderman, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI, USA support actions that improve Sunny Kim, Research Fellow, IFPRI, USA equitable access to sustainable Aklima Parvin, Senior Project Manager, IFPRI, Bangladesh healthy diets, improve farmers’ Sabrina Rasheed, Scientist, icddr,b, Bangladesh livelihoods and resilience, and Jai Das, Aga Khan University, Pakistan conserve land, air, and water Kiran Rupakheti, National Planning Commission, Nepal resources in South Asia. Purnima Menon, Senior Director for Food and Nutrition Policy, CGIAR & IFPRI, India ABOUT CGIAR SUGGESTED CITATION CGIAR is a global research partnership Scott S, Neupane S, Alderman H, Kim S, Parvin A, Das j, Rasheed S, for a food secure future. Visit Rupakheti K, Menon P. 2023. Are social protection programs in https://www.cgiar.org/research/cgiar- South Asia nutrition-sensitive? Insights from Bangladesh, India, portfolio to learn more about the Nepal, and Pakistan. TAFSSA Research Note 11. New Delhi, India: initiatives in the CGIAR research Transforming Agrifood Systems in South Asia (TAFSSA). portfolio DISCLAIMER REFERENCES 1. World Bank. The State of Social Safety Nets 2018. The views and opinions expressed in 2. Ruel MT, Alderman H. 2013. Nutrition-sensitive interventions and this publication are those of the programmes: How can they help to accelerate progress in author(s) and are not necessarily improving maternal and child nutrition? The Lancet. 382, 536–51. representative of or endorsed by 3. Manley J, Alderman H, Gentilini U. 2022. More evidence on cash CGIAR, centers, our partner transfers and child nutritional outcomes: a systematic review and institutions, or donors. This research meta-analysis. BMJ Global Health 7. note has not been peer reviewed. 4. Lipton M. 1983. Poverty, Undernutrition, and Hunger. World Bank. 5. Ahmed A, Coleman F, Ghostlaw J et al. Increasing production diversity and diet quality: evidence from Bangladesh. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 2023, 1-22. ACKNOWLEDGMENT We thank Marie Ruel for her comments on this research note and all funders who supported this research through their contributions to the CGIAR Trust Fund: https://www.cgiar.org/funders/. To learn more, contact: samuel.scott@cgiar.org To learn more about TAFSSA, contact: t.krupnik@cgiar.org; p.menon@cgiar.org