Multi-sectoral Coordination and Collaboration of the Feed the Future Portfolio: Bangladesh Case Study

The portfolio includes activities in health, nutrition, agriculture, food security, and education, among others. The initiative is part of the USAID Bangladesh Mission's efforts to address food security and nutrition issues in the country. Bangladesh has a population of 162 million and is the most densely populated country in the world. Despite improvements in recent years, the country still has high levels of malnutrition. A midterm evaluation in the Feed the Future zone of influence found that stunting had decreased from 43.1 percent of children under five in 2011 to 37.8 percent in 2015. Food security and malnutrition are expected to become even larger challenges due to population increases and land degradation. The USAID Bangladesh Mission has been working closely with the Government of Bangladesh to address food security and nutrition issues. A number of national food security plans have been developed, including the Food Policy Plan of Action – 2008-2015, and the Country Investment Plan. Donor coordination of food security issues and related sector activities takes place on a regular basis through the Local Consultative Group (LCG) and its sub-groups. Additionally, a National Plan of Action for Nutrition (NPAN) is being developed to align with the National Nutrition Policy 2015. The SPRING project was asked by USAID Bangladesh to examine the portfolio of Feed the Future activities funded by USAID Bangladesh. The project worked with the USAID Bangladesh Mission and its Feed the Future partners to identify ways of strengthening their vision, plans, and approaches for coordination and collaboration of technical sectors, implementing partners, and other stakeholders around nutrition. The project conducted a document review and extensive key informant interviews with USAID Bangladesh staff and implementing partners. The findings of the SPRING project revealed a high level of interest and engagement by both USAID Bangladesh and implementing partner staff around issues of collaboration and coordination. The primary venue for multi-sectoral coordination within USAID Bangladesh Mission has been the quarterly agriculture-nutrition partners' meeting. USAID Bangladesh invites each Feed the Future partner and requests invitees to present information on how they have been collaborating with each other in the Feed the Future Zone of Influence. The project identified opportunities and challenges in coordinating across the portfolio. Coordinating across the portfolio allows for cross-learning and increases activity reach. Implementing partners indicated that coordination efforts have helped activity staff members know what other USAID Bangladesh implementing partners are doing and to avoid duplication of efforts. There is also a collaborative working environment within the Mission that encourages communication across offices where and when needed. The SPRING project found that the quarterly agriculture-nutrition partners' meeting has been serving its intended purpose: to provide a venue for Feed the Future implementing partners to share information on what they are doing and where they are working, and to encourage specific shared activities that would mutually benefit the partners involved. The project also identified opportunities for strengthening efforts to support activity-level coordination and collaboration under the Feed the Future initiative.