JAFSCD commentary by Moureen Mbeiza, Caroline Nambafu, David Banige (all at the Iowa State U–Uganda Program), Samuel Ikendi (U of California, Merced), Dorothy Masinde, Lee Burras (both at Iowa State U), Gideon Nadiope (Iowa State U–Uganda Program), and Francis Owusu (Iowa State U)
Press release written by Lila Davis (JAFSCD copyeditor and student at Cornell U)
In a new JAFSCD commentary, Food and nutrition security support groups: A safety net strategy for sustaining gains from a livelihood program in Uganda, authors Moureen Mbeiza, Caroline Nambafu, David Banige, Samuel Ikendi, Dorothy Masinde, Lee Burras, Gideon Nadiope, and Francis Owusu present the work of the Iowa State University (ISU) Center for Sustainable Livelihoods (CSRL) in Uganda related to food and nutrition security support groups (FNSSGs).
A 2024 national census by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics found that 46% of Ugandans experience food insecurity. The CSRL program was developed to supplement the work of the local government in ending rural hunger in Uganda, as a public-private partnership between the CSRL, the ISU Uganda Program (ISU-UP), and Makerere University located in Kampala, Uganda. The program works to implement changes to eradicate rural hunger through sustainable means, such as education, improved livestock production, enhanced group member income, distribution of seeds, and post-harvest management.
The commentary outlines key activities of the FNSSGs, including technical support for participants, particularly people at risk for malnutrition who have recently graduated from nutrition education centers (NECs). The FNSSGs do this by providing support for:
sanitation and hygiene measures, increasing crop production, enhancing participant income through table banking, and providing nutrition and health counseling.
The authors identify major achievements of the program as well, such as the organization’s growth (from 300 at its inception in 2019 to over 1,000 members by 2024), increased training capacity, improved seed quality, and encouraged reinvestment of profits into member farms.
This program fills an important gap for people who recently transitioned out of NECS, supporting them in building sustainable livelihoods to provide food and financial security. It also plays an important role in working toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in addressing hunger and malnutrition.
Corresponding author Samuel Ikendi can be contacted at sikendi@ucanr.edu.
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Curious about how people across the world from one another work together to promote food security? Or maybe a group promoting economic resilience AND food availability with the goal of ending rural hunger? Check out a recent JAFSCD commentary about a partnership that has developed and implemented food and nutrition security support groups (FNSSGs), a program that supports households at risk of malnutrition. Read the @JAFSCD commentary for free: https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2026.152.029
#foodsecurity #malnutrition #Uganda #NutritionEducationCenters @IowaStateUniversity
