Adding small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNS) and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions to a homestead food production program significantly improved children’s iron and vitamin A status in rural Burkina Faso, according to new research published in The Journal of Nutrition by scientists at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and partners.
The study evaluated a multi-sectoral program, implemented by Helen Keller International, that combined nutrition-sensitive agriculture, behavior change communication (BCC), women’s empowerment activities, WASH interventions, and SQ-LNS distribution for young children. While homestead food production programs are widely used to improve food security and livelihoods, evidence of their impact on children’s micronutrient status has been mixed. The new findings show that agriculture platforms can be strengthened to deliver meaningful nutrition gains for young children when complemented with well-targeted, evidence-based health and nutrition interventions delivered at the right time.
Using data from a two-year longitudinal cluster-randomized controlled trial conducted in 60 villages in eastern Burkina Faso, the researchers compared different combinations of interventions. They found that adding WASH activities to agriculture reduced child anemia and adding WASH and micronutrient supplements (SQ-LNS for children aged 6–23 months) significantly increased hemoglobin concentrations and improved iron and vitamin A status. The largest benefits were observed among children who entered the program before six months of age and were exposed to SQ-LNS throughout the full complementary feeding period (6-23 months).
“Our results show that agriculture programs can be an effective delivery platform for critical child nutrition interventions, especially when they reach children early in life and are sustained until their 2nd birthday“ said Lilia Bliznashka, IFPRI research fellow and lead author of the study. “Combining food-based approaches with targeted supplementation and WASH interventions can substantially improve children’s micronutrient status during the most critical window of opportunity for improving their nutrition, growth and development.”
The study also showed modest impacts on child growth for children who were exposed to SQ-LNS starting at 6 months of age compared to those who were older when first receiving the nutrient supplement.
“These findings highlight that timing and duration matter,” said Marie Ruel, IFPRI Senior Research Fellow, co-author of the study. “Interventions that reach children early—before nutritional deficits become entrenched—and for the optimal duration are more likely to yield meaningful health and nutrition gains than those who miss this critical window of opportunity”
“This research contributes important evidence to the ongoing policy debate about how to design and target cost-effective, scalable strategies to reduce child anemia and micronutrient deficiencies in low-income settings,” added Deanna Olney, Director of IFPRI’s Nutrition, Diets, and Health unit and study co-author.
The authors note that while integrated agricultural programs can deliver multiple benefits, operational feasibility, costs, and sustainability must be carefully addressed when incorporating nutrition objectives within agriculture platforms.
Read the article (open access)
Citation: L. Bliznashka, E. Becquey, M.T. Ruel, A. Pedehombga, S. Nordhagen, D.K. Olney (2026). Adding small quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements to an enhanced homestead food production program improves child hemoglobin, iron and vitamin A status in rural Burkina Faso: a cluster randomized controlled trial. The Journal of Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2026.101519
About IFPRI: The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition. IFPRI’s strategic research aims to identify and analyze alternative international and country-led strategies and policies for meeting food and nutrition needs in low- and middle-income countries, with particular emphasis on poor and vulnerable groups in those countries, inclusive development, and sustainability. It is a research center of CGIAR, a worldwide partnership engaged in agricultural research for development. www.ifpri.org
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