Patrizia Fracassi (Senior Nutrition and Food System Officer, FAO) presents FAO’s work on Budget Analysis for nutrition sensitive investments in agri-food systems: why having developed a specific methodology and how to use this methodology.

She then provides one example that illustrates why it is important to assess each investment and identify potential benefits and risks for the achievement of nutrition, environment and socio economic impacts.

Unfortunately, in most countries, there’s no alignment between programmes in the national plans and investments in national budgets.

The Guidance Note developed is based on the experience from the SUN Movement countries with a specific focus on nutrition sensitive investments in agri-food systems.

There are three principles underlying a budget analysis for nutrition. 1) a multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral approach ; 2) define a realistic scope; 3) time the finance data reporting to two critical moments: i. For planning with decision makers to ensure inclusion; ii.  For advocacy with Parliamentarians to ensure approval.

Besides this, it is important to pay attention to the “potential harm” to nutrition, either directly or indirectly. This is done with the application of the Environmental and Social Safeguard Standards. For example: how the intensive production of avocado, which is considered a superfood, can potentially harm the local producers and communities?