A Net-Map Analysis of Stakeholder Connections and Influence in Agriculture-For-Nutrition Policymaking in Ghana
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Date
2023
Authors
Boadi, P.
Marquis, G.S.
Aryeetey, R.
Tetteh, A.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
African Journal of Food, Agriculture and Development
Abstract
Nutrition-sensitive agriculture approaches can improve farming household
incomes, food security, and diet quality. Adopting nutrition-sensitive agriculture
approaches means placing a nutrition lens on the policies, strategies, and
investments in the food and agriculture sector without detracting from the sector's
traditional goals of food supply. To understand the processes involved in
developing agriculture-for-nutrition policies in Ghana, this paper examined the
influence of stakeholders' interconnections using a visual participatory mapping
technique, Virtual Net-Map. Three convening platforms were identified for
stakeholder engagement: the Agriculture Sector Working Group, the National
Agricultural Technical Committee, and the Public-Private Partnership Dialogue
Platform. Sixty stakeholders with 188 connections were recognised for their
involvement in agriculture-for-nutrition policymaking in Ghana. Fourteen
stakeholders, twelve from government organizations and two from donor and
development partner organizations, were identified as the most influential.
International stakeholders (donors and development partners) were critical in
funding agriculture-for-nutrition policymaking activities. While all stakeholders had
a joint mandate to ensure policies were developed, the Ministry of Food and
Agriculture led the policy development process in Ghana's food and agriculture
sector. Moreover, government stakeholders notably received more support from
other stakeholders for funding, advocacy, dissemination, and technical assistance
than the support they offered. Generally, stakeholders were more engaged in
technical assistance activities and least involved in disseminating agriculture nutrition information in the agriculture-for-nutrition policymaking process. The
information on stakeholders' interconnections and influence showed areas that had
the most and least stakeholder engagements, which will enable potential
stakeholders to identify niche(s) to support the nutrition agenda in Ghana's food
and agriculture sector and help Ghana meet the Global Nutrition Targets and the
Sustainable Development Goals for 2025 and 2030, respectively. In addition, the
evidence presented on Ghana's agriculture-for-nutrition policymaking network can
lead to better ways of centralizing nutrition in agricultural policies and designing
initiatives that encompass most, if not all, relevant stakeholders.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Agriculture, Nutrition, Policymaking