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With research staff from more than 70 countries, and offices across the globe, IFPRI provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries.

researcher spotlight

Lilia Bliznashka

Lily Bliznashka is a Research Fellow in the Nutrition, Diets, and Health Unit. Her research focuses on assessing the effectiveness of multi-input nutrition-sensitive and nutrition-specific interventions and the mechanisms through which they work to improve maternal and child health and nutrition globally. She has worked in Burkina Faso, Burundi, Tanzania, and Uganda.

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Nutrition, Diets, and Health

Archis Banerjee

Research Analyst

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Bio

Archis Banerjee is a Research Analyst in the Nutrition, Diets, and Health Unit. He joined IFPRI in 2023 under the CGIAR Research Initiative on Transforming Agri-Food Systems in South Asia (TAFSSA). His research interests include food security, nutrition, poverty, and the economics of education. He has worked on studies examining the impact of climatic shocks on household well-being; the connection between and temporal trends in the prevalence and determinants of child undernutrition; the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the food security status of rural households; and the effect of household wealth on the reverse gender educational gap in Bangladesh.

Prior to joining IFPRI, Archis worked as a Senior Program and Research Analyst at Helen Keller International. He received his bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the National Institute of Technology Karnataka, India, and his master’s degree in Development Studies (specializing in Development Economics) from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Nutrition, Diets, and Health

Publications

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Preprint

Measuring food fortification coverage in household surveys: Formative research findings from Bangladesh and Ethiopia

2025
Scott, Samuel P.; Myers, Emily; Jungjohann, Svenja; Manohar, Swetha; Neupane, Sumanta; Banerjee, Archis; Berhane, Hanna; Workneh, Firehiwot; Ferdaweke, Fiker; Zaman, Zubayer Ibn
…more Salsabil, Nishat; Billah, Sk Masum; Lotus, Sharif Uddin; Heidkamp, Rebecca; Kim, Sunny S.
Details

Measuring food fortification coverage in household surveys: Formative research findings from Bangladesh and Ethiopia

Background Large-scale food fortification (LSFF) is a cost-effective approach used in most countries to address widespread micronutrient deficiencies. Understanding who consumes fortified foods is challenging as these foods are often undetectable by design. The objective of this work was to refine survey items used to measure LSFF coverage for their potential use in routine multitopic household surveys. Methods In Bangladesh and Ethiopia, we interviewed shop vendors (n=108), program officers (n=28), and women beneficiaries of safety net programs (n=67). Shop observations assessed availability, type, brand, and fortification labeling for food vehicles (oil, wheat flour, salt, and rice). Key informant interviews were used to understand practices related to food acquisition/use and fortification knowledge. Cognitive interviewing techniques were used to refine questions from the Fortification Assessment Coverage Toolkit (FACT), with follow-up prompts to identify comprehension, retrieval, judgment, and response errors. Results Market observations revealed many types and brands of food vehicles, especially of rice in Bangladesh (35 types, 220 brands). Nearly all oil and salt, but not wheat flour in both countries or rice in Bangladesh were labeled as fortified. Program officers and women had limited knowledge about fortified foods. The concept of brand was not well understood, and women often could not remember the brand they last purchased. Modifications to the FACT survey items reduced cognitive errors. A set of four questions can capture household coverage of food vehicle and fortifiable food vehicle use. Conclusions Correct phrasing of key concepts as understood by respondents is essential to producing reliable estimates of LSFF coverage. In the absence of cheap, field-friendly technologies to test food samples, and given limited identifiable features of fortified foods, estimating coverage of fortification programs in household surveys remains challenging but worthy of further investigation.

Year published

2025

Authors

Scott, Samuel P.; Myers, Emily; Jungjohann, Svenja; Manohar, Swetha; Neupane, Sumanta; Banerjee, Archis; Berhane, Hanna; Workneh, Firehiwot; Ferdaweke, Fiker; Zaman, Zubayer Ibn; Salsabil, Nishat; Billah, Sk Masum; Lotus, Sharif Uddin; Heidkamp, Rebecca; Kim, Sunny S.

Citation

Scott, Samuel P.; Myers, Emily; Jungjohann, Svenja; Manohar, Swetha; Neupane, Sumanta; et al. 2025. Measuring food fortification coverage in household surveys: Formative research findings from Bangladesh and Ethiopia. VeriXiv Preprints. https://doi.org/10.12688/verixiv.2491.1

Country/Region

Bangladesh; Ethiopia

Keywords

Asia; Southern Asia; Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Eastern Africa; Food Fortification; Households; Surveys; Food Systems

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.12688/verixiv.2491.1 Source record

Record type

Preprint

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Book Chapter

Gender roles in South Asian food systems

2025Kumar, Neha; Manohar, Swetha; Quisumbing, Agnes R.; Banerjee, Archis; Koirala, Uma
Details

Gender roles in South Asian food systems

Women are central to agrifood systems but face structural barriers such as limited access to resources, weak tenure and resource rights, and social norms that undervalue and restrict their contributions. • Women’s time in reproductive and care work is unrecognized, limits their participation in productive or market-oriented work, and reinforces gender disparities in time, income, and well-being. • Gender norms and social hierarchies shape women’s roles and limit empowerment across the food system, from agriculture to markets to the distribution of tasks and food within households, affecting diet and nutrition outcomes. • Policy must go beyond recognizing women’s work to leveling access to resources, ensuring fair pay and safe conditions, and tackling restrictive norms through gender-transformative approaches. • Empowering women in food systems requires intersectional, data-driven action that addresses caste, class, mobility, and intrahousehold dynamics to ensure equitable food, livelihood, and health outcomes. • Areas for future research include: engaging men, particularly in sharing care work; reducing labor burdens; and changing attitudes of the young through in-school curricula.

Year published

2025

Authors

Kumar, Neha; Manohar, Swetha; Quisumbing, Agnes R.; Banerjee, Archis; Koirala, Uma

Citation

Kumar, Neha; Manohar, Swetha; Quisumbing, Agnes R.; Banerjee, Archis; and Koirala, Uma. 2025. Gender roles in South Asian food systems. In The Agrifood System in South Asia: Pathways to Sustainable Healthy Diets, eds. Samuel Scott, Avinash Kishore, and Derek Headey. Chapter 8, pp. 69-79. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178086

Keywords

Asia; Southern Asia; Gender; Food Systems; Gender Norms; Women; Time Use; Policies; Female Labour

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Project

Transforming Agrifood Systems in South Asia

Record type

Book Chapter

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Journal Article

Methodological considerations and cost to measure coverage of multisectoral nutrition interventions: Protocol for the One Nutrition Coverage Survey in Bangladesh

2025Manohar, Swetha; Nguyen, Phuong Hong; Neupane, Sumanta; Munos, Melinda Kay; Heidkamp, Rebecca; Banerjee, Archis; Pandya, Niharika; Kim, Sunny S.
Details

Methodological considerations and cost to measure coverage of multisectoral nutrition interventions: Protocol for the One Nutrition Coverage Survey in Bangladesh

Introduction Despite global commitments to eliminate malnutrition, over half the world’s population remains affected. Multisectoral nutrition interventions targeting both proximate and distal causes of malnutrition are essential across the lifespan. Yet, current data collection lacks comprehensive nutrition intervention coverage measures, risking inaccuracies in tracking progress. The One Nutrition Coverage Survey (ONCS) aims to test new and refined coverage measurement methods, assess coverage equity and guide integration into large-scale household surveys. Methods and analysis The ONCS will be a cross-sectional, population-representative household survey conducted in four districts of Bangladesh (Rangpur, Sylhet, Dhaka and Khulna), selected for their geographic spread and urban–rural balance. A stratified multistage sampling approach will be used to select enumeration areas, and a total of approximately 3280 households randomly selected within each EA will be included in the survey. The survey will interview women of reproductive age (15–49 years), caregivers of children (0–9 years), adolescents (10–19 years) and pregnant women, collecting data on multisectoral nutrition interventions relevant to these groups. It will use both existing and new measures, while also capturing monetary and non-monetary costs for survey design to implementation. Data will be analysed to assess coverage, co-coverage and equity by sociodemographic characteristics, as well as the feasibility, accuracy and costs of the survey approach. Ethics and dissemination The study protocol and instruments were reviewed and approved by the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh’s (icddr,b) Ethical Review Board in Bangladesh and the International Food Policy Research Institute’s Institutional Review Board in Washington, DC, USA. Adults provided signed informed consent and adolescents their assent. Findings will be shared through peer-reviewed publications, conferences and presentations in Bangladesh with key stakeholders. This study will yield new tools, methods and evidence for measuring multisectoral nutrition intervention coverage, applicable to other low-income and middle-income countries. Learnings from ONCS will enhance data collection aligned with national strategies, helping governments improve coverage assessments, inform decisions and strengthen programme monitoring.

Year published

2025

Authors

Manohar, Swetha; Nguyen, Phuong Hong; Neupane, Sumanta; Munos, Melinda Kay; Heidkamp, Rebecca; Banerjee, Archis; Pandya, Niharika; Kim, Sunny S.

Citation

Manohar, Swetha; Nguyen, Phuong Hong; Neupane, Sumanta; Munos, Melinda Kay; Heidkamp, Rebecca; et al. 2025. Methodological considerations and cost to measure coverage of multisectoral nutrition interventions: Protocol for the One Nutrition Coverage Survey in Bangladesh. BMJ Open 15(12): e099314. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2025-099314

Country/Region

Bangladesh

Keywords

Asia; Southern Asia; Nutrition; Surveys; Social Protection; Malnutrition

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2025-099314 Source record

Record type

Journal Article