Singida Nutrition and Agroecology Project (SNAP)

Cornell University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Malnutrition

Treatments: Behavioral: Mentor farmer training (Singida, Tanzania); Behavioral: Mentor farmer training (Malawi); Behavioral: Mentor farmer visits and facilitation

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02761876

1511005983

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to test if a participatory, agroecological peer farmer-led education intervention can be effective at improving legume production, food security, and infant and young child feeding practices in Singida District, Tanzania.

Full description

Approximately 40% of under five children in Tanzania are stunted, with higher levels in rural areas. Our inception research in Singida identified five pressing issues faced by smallholder farmers that may contribute to this high rate of stunting. They are (A) hierarchical, or "top down" farmer education, (B) low soil fertility and little knowledge of agroecological solutions, (C) high levels of gender inequality and high workloads for women, (D) food insecurity and low dietary diversity, and (E) sub-optimal infant and young child feeding. Singida Nutrition and Agroecology Project (SNAP) is a randomized effectiveness trial of a participatory, agroecological peer farmer education intervention. Each intervention village will choose 2 mentor farmers, 1 man and 1 woman, who will participate in a field visit to and training by existing mentor farmers in Malawi and a two week long follow-up and refresher trainings in Tanzania integrating agroecology, climate change, nutrition, and gender equality. Mentor farmers will then conduct monthly visits to participating households and support the households in conducting experimentation with agroecological practices and/or new behaviors regarding nutrition and gender equality. Quarterly meetings among mentor farmers and biannual meeting of participating farmers within each village will be held to discuss progress and challenges of peer education and household experimentations.

Enrollment: 700 patients

Sex: All

Ages: Under 100 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Are among the most vulnerable, as indicated by food insecurity
• Have a child who will be <= 1 year old in February 2016
• Are farmers who have regular access to the same farms/plots (but they do not need to own the land per se)
• Female headed households are acceptable, so long as not more than half the selected households in the village are female headed (to be able to detect change in gender equity)
• Willing to stay in study for 3 years, i.e. do not plan to move
• Interested in experimenting with new farming techniques

Exclusion criteria

• Refuses to take part

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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700 participants in 2 patient groups

Intervention (Participatory education)

Experimental group

Description:

Participatory education

Treatment:

Behavioral: Mentor farmer visits and facilitation

Behavioral: Mentor farmer training (Singida, Tanzania)

Behavioral: Mentor farmer training (Malawi)

Control

No Intervention group

Description:

Delayed participatory education